Meaning of Success? 05
Success? Dream — Being a Photojournalist and Being a Pilot
Being a Photojournalist
When I graduated high school I had a vision for my life: I was going to be a photojournalist. I had spent two years shooting for the school newspaper and one year for the yearbook.
I loved taking pictures. I used to say there are two sides to every camera—the one I belong on, and the one everyone else belongs on. I just loved taking pictures.
One reason I loved photography is that my father is a photographer, and all my life I wanted to be like him.
I also loved being the person running around with the camera—and the respect that brought. Finally I was something more than a “retard.” Suddenly, I got some respect. Something I was doing was worthwhile.
In high school I finally started learning how to beat the world at its own game. Okay, world—you want me to be dyslexic, not able to read? I will still graduate with honors and a GPA above 3.0. I bent every rule. I earned A’s in Journalism and Yearbook without writing a word.
Somehow, when I got to college, I lost that—not the love of pictures, but the drive. It didn’t mean as much to me. Today I still love it when the muse grabs me and I go shooting, but it has never meant as much as it did in high school.
The things that pulled me toward being a photojournalist were:
- Being creative.
- Earning respect.
- Making my own way and rules.
- Wanting to be like my father.
Being a Pilot
I never accomplished my dream of being an astronaut, but I did become a pilot. I never planned on flying as a career; it was something I needed to do to be free—to respect myself, to show the world it was wrong about me. Even today, the fact that I am a pilot gives me pride. I managed to do more than most people.
Today I don’t fly—mostly because I realized I didn’t have the time or money to be truly good at something where not being good is a sure way to die. But according to the FAA, and according to me, I am a pilot.
- Sense of pride and accomplishment.
- Sense of control over my own destiny.
- Showing everyone else that I am better than them.
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