On this morning’s “This I believe” segment of Morning Edition on NPR, they had an essay by 13 year old Ying Ying Yu titled “A Duty to Family, Heritage and Country.

To be honest … I feel very sorry for Ying Ying Yu … she is far to young to be as jaded as she sounds.

From what I read, she considers it her Duty to be a lawyer … while I believe that it’s a fine career to pursue … she should only pursue it if she really wants to be a lawyer. “Duty” is something you MUST do. But a course of study, and career, is something that you should WANT to do.

I think the statement that made me the most sad about Ying Ying Yu’s life is this …

I don’t want any more dreams — dreams are illusions.

Ying Ying … everyone should have dreams … dreams give you something to strive for … even if you know you can’t attain it.

I dream of being a respected nature photographer … but I doubt I ever will be one. That doesn’t stop me from taking lots of nature photos and making them best pictures I can … and learning from every one of them.

[tags]npr, This I believe, dreams, duty[/tags]