A conversation

The Islamic Sufi philosopher Rumi once advised his students to write down three things they most wanted in life. If any item on the list clashes with any other item, Rumi warned, you are destined for unhappiness. Better to live a life of single-pointed focus, he taught.

Hence I took notes of what are the three biggest dreams in life. None of them seem to clash with the other, which is a good thing.

"Are you sure you want to do these three, Toshi?" a voice asked me.

"Uh-huh", I nodded casually.

"Are you really sure that they're the right thing to do?" it asked me for the second time.

And I spoke to him, "No, it's not about being right or wrong"

"So what are you doing then, making all those plans in your head?"

"Well, as it is said in the Hindu holy scriptures of the Bhagavad Gita, it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection. Some people out there choose to take the so-called proper course of 'make good money, have a family, put your children up to university, etc etc' but it's not always what they wanted"

"Don't tell me you want to go off-track from that 'proper' course..You'll become an eccentric"

"I'm not saying that. I'd still want to have family like any other human beings on earth, but of course they have to coexist with these three dreams of mine"

"So are you happy with your choice now, Toshi?"

Without the slightest hesitation, I looked at him, who had taken form in front of me. Apparently, he was none other than a reflection of my inner self.

I stared at him in the eyes, smiled at him and said, "Yes, I am"