I don’t want wings to fly, I want roots to grow.
What if I didn’t dream high?
The sanaysay by Daryl Pasion once wrote, "Mangarap nang malalim is to give them not wings to fly, but roots to grow."
As a kid, I’m always an ambitious person who, whenever he sees something cool, he’ll also want to have it, or, may we say, I’m an envious person. Whenever we’re watching television, especially "Wow Bilib," if a photo of a cosplayer pops up on screen, we’re always saying "ako yan" (that’s me), or whenever a cool car pulls up, we’ll say "guys, andyan na sundo ko" (guys, my fetch is here).
Growing up, I’ll always say, "Mataas ako mangarap o mapangarap akong tao" (I dream high or I’m an ambitious person). There’s so many noble pursuits I want to pursue: "Pilot, Architect, Engineer, Lawyer, Accountant," as I was told, "Libre mangarap, kaya kung mangangarap ka siguraduhin mong mataas na" (It’s free to dream, so if you dream, make sure it’s high), not realising it’s giving me false hope and not building a foundation to support who I really want to.
"Ay magaling ako mag-drawing mag-architect ako,", "Ay mahilig ako makipag debate mag-law ako," "Ay ang saya mag hawak ng pera gusto ko mag accountant," "Ay magaling ako sa math mag-engineer ako.".
My vision for life is "Ang taong mapangarap ay may mararating sa buhay." I’m always taught to dream and chase whatever I want, but is that really what I want, or it’s just that there’s money in that field?.
I’m always dreaming big but not looking at the cost or what I’m capable of. Maybe someday I’ll tell myself, "Mangarap ka ng malalim" (dream deep), so it gives us the opportunity to grow and explore what we can and will while having a strong foundation along the journey and being the best version of ourselves.
I don’t want wings to fly; I want roots to grow. The higher you dream, the harder you may fall. But the deeper you dream, the higher you’ll succeed.
Maybe if I wasn’t told "mangarap ng mataas," I wouldn’t regret that my course is far from what I imagined. Maybe if I dream deeply, I’ll understand that I don’t have the privilege to dream high.
In the near future, I’ll dream deep, so one day, if my passion draws me to my future, I can say, "Ay malalim kasi ako mangarap." I’ll dream deep so I can be what I’m destined to be because I’m passionate and happy, not because there’s money or practicality.
What if I didn’t dream high?
Imagine if I become an architect not because I dream high but since "nangarap ako ng malalim."
