3 things shaping my life

In Bali, while I was interrogated by my uncle and his friend in order to know whether I'm ready to go to SF, my uncle asked this thing to me: what are 3 things shaping your life?

What shaped my life? Well, I've been thinking it quite often - and I know what are the answers.

So, I said to them, the first thing shaping my life is: reading National Geographic Magazine about global warming. Yes, it was the first crucial thing changing my life. It opened my mind - about the world; what is happening to the world. I used to not care about this thing even though I had heard and read it for quite many times. And when I read it, I was like: oh my God! Is this what really happening to the earth I live in?! Damn! It can't be ignored! I should not let this happen further! I have to change it!... And,... since then, I save electricity, water, paper, gasoline, and things that may hurt the lovely planet I live in. I also took part in many environmental activities to campaign the saving of this earth. I really changed: from being ignorant just like other teenagers, became a care-for-the-earth one.

Eventually, my care of the nature increased. And I realized, because of reading many articles, despite the things I do for the planet, it was futile without any improvement on people education. So, I started caring about social things too. It reached the top when I finally watched Oprah talking with a man who had built thousands of schools and libraries in many poor countries of Asia. However, I saw just the end of it. Luckily, Oprah showed one book written by the man about his journey building schools and libraries. And so, it became the second thing shaping my life: reading a book titled "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World" by John Wood.

Reading that book, opened my mind wider and wider - much wider than reading the Nat Geo Magazine. I realized, how poor is the poverty of a lot of poor people in poor countries; and also those of developing ones. Now I do not only care for the environmental things, but also social things. I realized, environment can't be fixed without fixing the poor society conditions. And so poor society can't be fixed without the fixing of their environment; a better and good quality of environment. They are interrelated.

However, my mind develops. Social things are not only poverty and education, but also politics and economy and sociology and psychology and ideology and lots more. They are all now in my mind; thinking of them each time, making my mind never stops thinking and analyzing and solving.

The third thing shaping my life is: consulting about Maria Goretti to my counseling teacher, Bu Ivon. What's the matter with that? I used to hate my chemistry teacher, Maria Goretti, or usually we call her Buret. Her attitute made me mad: angry everytime, sarcasting, never smiles, and lots more annoying ones. It made me coudln't put up with each of her class.

So, I came to Bu Ivon to consult about her. However, after giving full rein to her, she said calmly that she actually is a very good person, a very kind one, and a very smart one. She asked me to think positive. Because a good person can be a very person just because we don't think positive of him/her. And, it was right! I was later thinking positive. Now I see her as a very good person, a good teacher. So, now I always think positive.




Those are the 3 things shaping my life - which shapped me into the Alain-now: I care about the world and always think positive to everything, even though I hate them.