Is living a nightmare better than living your dream?

David Santos Martinez

It seems like today is a special day. We are all of us, including both of the family grandmothers, sat at the table, waiting for dinner. I just arrived from the university ten minutes ago and I am still a little bit surprised. I wonder why my family is not having tea in front of the TV, as always. Because, usually, a visit from the grandparents does not mean a change on the eating habits; there must be something else. Unfortunately, there is no variation in the menu: meat (garnished with one of the three cooking styles of my mother: honey and mustard; tomato and onion; and chili sauce. I wish I could eat some fish from time to time… meanwhile I will keep enjoying this incredibly assorted culinary taste…), boiled peas and carrots, and some potatoes prepared in the oven. However, when the turn of the dessert arrives, all my questions are answered: Michael (my brother) has baked a cake, and that is why Paula (my host mother) has decided to invite the grandmas, so they can enjoy this magnificent piece of cuisine.

After a long list of compliments, Scott (my host father) concludes: “It doesn’t matter how good do you cook, it is not going to be your work: there is no money in it”. His face is utterly serious, and his voice is decisive. Apparently, Scott does not look very pleased on hearing all these encouraging comments that could turn his son into a future chef. I can not help jumping the gun and I say: “Well, I think the best would be if Michael did the profession that he loves”. I can feel Scott’s glare. Immediately, Paula breaks the silence: “But, David, you know, money would give you the possibility of doing lots of things that you have always loved”. The typical materialist argument, can money buy happiness? But I am not going to orientate the conversation in that direction. “Certainly, but is it worth spending most of your life doing something that you don’t entirely like with the purpose of enjoying a much smaller amount of time? Can you imagine waking up every morning knowing that you have to go to work doing something that you hate, but that you chose because you thought that money would be enough to hide that unpleasant feeling? I don’t think so. It would be the same as living a lie: or even worse, a nightmare.” I wait until my family has assimilated the words, and then I finish by saying “As I see it, going to work every morning with a smile on my face and completely happy, is something that money can’t buy.”

Despite everyone in the table being perplexed, Paula manages to say “Yeah… you know, most of the people here in New Zealand study what their parents want”. Personally, I don’t think this is true, but I consider that there has been sufficient discussion for today, and I can feel how my efforts to persuade they are useless, so I just respond “Ah… Alright, then it must be my fault, because I have been brought up with the idea that my parents would be happy if I was happy while doing any job (which is within the limits of morality). But don’t worry, now I understand what you are talking about” And, after this, I try to change the topic as fast as I can and the night continues its habitual course.

 

In my opinion, if you have a dream, go for it and don’t permit anyone to veer you from your aims, because there is only one thing worse than living a lie: it is regretting the past.