Compromise

Perhaps the most damning thing about life, much more so if you don't live in a developed country, is that it's very difficult (if not downright impossible) to get everything you want.

Choosing which necessary evil we could tolerate has become second nature, and we often find ourselves juggling our priorities because of that.

Take work, for instance. In my field, one only has so many options to choose from. I could have taken a regular nine-to-fiver. Sure, the pay would probably suck unless you're part of middle or upper management, but you'd be the very definition of separation of personal and work time.

I personally work in frontline operations. That would usually mean I put in the same number of hours as other folks, albeit at very different times. Also, I could also afford more time off. Sure, at this point in my life, I have relative financial freedom. The catch is, it doesn't mean much if you don't plan things WAY ahead of time. Your friends are asleep when you're awake, and your usual haunts are closed when you want to go out.

Then there are those who work for second level operations. From what I've seen, they work nine-to-fivers, although chances are they're on call and those calls come at unexpected times. There's nothing more annoying than being woken up at two in the morning every single day to be asked to go to work.

I won't even delve into the merits of those who chose to work for (most) BPOs. I have no quarrel with them, but I don't think it's something physically feasible as a long term career.

I truly wish I could end this rant on a positive note. The thing about life is that we play with the cards we've been dealt, and more often than not there will be times when the only choices left are bad ones.

If there's anything I've learned, it's not to spend too much time worrying. I've gotten out of more horrible situations that I would be retarded to attribute to dumb luck alone. I'd like to think there has always been someone looking out to bail me out during those times, and those are things I've always been thankful for.

And no, I'm not preachy. I hate being preachy.