Poison or Medicine?

 

Poison or Medicine?

During his life, my father used to boast, “I’m a man who is neither poison nor medicine (I harm no one, but cure no one either).”

As his son, I used to listen with admiration, thinking, Wow, someone can actually take pride in that.

But you see, the twist is that I, his son, am both poison and medicine. By that, I mean people who dislike me reject me completely, while those who like me fall for me wholeheartedly.

My father became a corporate worker at a young age and worked faithfully for decades, living what looked like a perfectly ordinary life from the outside. Yet, that same father often used to say, “I wish I could have traveled all around the world.”

What I actually learned from this is that every single human being possesses self-esteem and pride — so much so that someone can boast about being completely ordinary and “neither poison nor medicine.” Normally, it wouldn’t be surprising for someone to look down on themselves, thinking they have no special talents. But he didn’t.

As a teacher, my own life has been fairly ordinary, too. However, I think I was able to travel more freely than my father could. Now, I have reached the age of 65 and retired. Reemployment has proven unexpectedly difficult, and I have been rejected by over 60 companies. In this moment of mental and emotional hardship, I remembered my late father’s words.

I deeply believe that there is a position out there just waiting for me — one where I can say, “This is the one!”