An application essay
The following is an essay I wrote for my college applications when I was 18.
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.” – Robert Frost
I mop the sweat off my brow without pausing even for a moment to regain my breath. The running, surprisingly, has not fatigued me as I continue spiritedly towards my goal, a destination that is visible only faintly, near the horizon. The sight of my destination fills me with vigor and I begin to increase my pace at an increasing rate. My conscious mind is under the false impression that this destination is the terminus of my journey (probably to help me continue running without losing focus) though my sub conscious is well aware that even this destination is merely a point of transit in an interminable odyssey. The final destination is infinitely far away and even my sub conscious is scarcely aware of its exact whereabouts. Life, for me, has been a race and I have been chasing my goals ever since I have been aware of my surroundings.
Unfortunately, hardly any of my intermediate destinations can be described specifically. Most of them involve vague targets that I set for myself and can be expressed only in terms of a feeling that I wish to attain. The feeling could be one of satisfaction derived from making my parents, friends or myself happy by achieving some unspecified objective; it could be one of excitement experienced due to the pursuit of a novel, thrilling venture; or it could even be one of childish delight obtained by accomplishing a trivial feat. On the other hand, some of the goals are easily characterized by means of definite grades, ranks, victories etc. These innumerable destinations define the direction of my life.
It would be a grievous mistake to conclude from the above that life is solely a chase. Life is exquisitely beautiful and to experience this beauty one must pause from time to time and cast a glance on life itself. One must stop running for a while in order to absorb the wonder of life. Good books, art, music etc. provide one with the perception required for appreciating the essence of existence. Life can easily be compared to the woods that Robert Frost describes in the above quote. Life, like the woods is lovely and enchanting. The charm of life is so captivating that one can never relish it to the fullest. I love to enjoy life. The books that I read (by authors of the likes of JRR Tolkien and Roald Dahl), the music that I listen to, (particularly Indian Classical) and the movies that I watch (by directors like Spielberg or Kurosawa), all enable me to taste the flavors of life.
However, there are times when I get so engrossed in appreciating life that I momentarily forget my responsibilities and my goals. My aspirations are not all personal. They include the hopes of my family and friends, the expectations of my teachers and my duties towards my country. The destinations of my life are, fundamentally, the promises that I have made with regard to my family, friends, teachers and myself. These are promises that I must keep and I must not let the inducements of the loveliness of life detract me from the path that leads to the fulfillment of these promises. My journey has only just begun. The end is nowhere in sight, and I feel compelled to cover as much terrain as possible before the spark of my life is eventually extinguished. The race is far from over and I have many more destinations to reach.
Indeed, Robert Frost aptly describes my thoughts when he says –
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.” – Robert Frost
I mop the sweat off my brow without pausing even for a moment to regain my breath. The running, surprisingly, has not fatigued me as I continue spiritedly towards my goal, a destination that is visible only faintly, near the horizon. The sight of my destination fills me with vigor and I begin to increase my pace at an increasing rate. My conscious mind is under the false impression that this destination is the terminus of my journey (probably to help me continue running without losing focus) though my sub conscious is well aware that even this destination is merely a point of transit in an interminable odyssey. The final destination is infinitely far away and even my sub conscious is scarcely aware of its exact whereabouts. Life, for me, has been a race and I have been chasing my goals ever since I have been aware of my surroundings.
Unfortunately, hardly any of my intermediate destinations can be described specifically. Most of them involve vague targets that I set for myself and can be expressed only in terms of a feeling that I wish to attain. The feeling could be one of satisfaction derived from making my parents, friends or myself happy by achieving some unspecified objective; it could be one of excitement experienced due to the pursuit of a novel, thrilling venture; or it could even be one of childish delight obtained by accomplishing a trivial feat. On the other hand, some of the goals are easily characterized by means of definite grades, ranks, victories etc. These innumerable destinations define the direction of my life.
It would be a grievous mistake to conclude from the above that life is solely a chase. Life is exquisitely beautiful and to experience this beauty one must pause from time to time and cast a glance on life itself. One must stop running for a while in order to absorb the wonder of life. Good books, art, music etc. provide one with the perception required for appreciating the essence of existence. Life can easily be compared to the woods that Robert Frost describes in the above quote. Life, like the woods is lovely and enchanting. The charm of life is so captivating that one can never relish it to the fullest. I love to enjoy life. The books that I read (by authors of the likes of JRR Tolkien and Roald Dahl), the music that I listen to, (particularly Indian Classical) and the movies that I watch (by directors like Spielberg or Kurosawa), all enable me to taste the flavors of life.
However, there are times when I get so engrossed in appreciating life that I momentarily forget my responsibilities and my goals. My aspirations are not all personal. They include the hopes of my family and friends, the expectations of my teachers and my duties towards my country. The destinations of my life are, fundamentally, the promises that I have made with regard to my family, friends, teachers and myself. These are promises that I must keep and I must not let the inducements of the loveliness of life detract me from the path that leads to the fulfillment of these promises. My journey has only just begun. The end is nowhere in sight, and I feel compelled to cover as much terrain as possible before the spark of my life is eventually extinguished. The race is far from over and I have many more destinations to reach.
Indeed, Robert Frost aptly describes my thoughts when he says –
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
posted by bigknowshamus @ 8:13 PM
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