Rumor has it you want to study law. Hmmm quite an interesting choice I must say. My question to you is WHY do you want to study law? I mean it's all good and well to say you want to study law but if you do not know why you want to study law or if your reasons for studying law are flawed, then chances are you won't last long either in your degree or in your career as a legal practitioner. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discourage anybody however, I am trying to get you to do a little introspection before you start pursuing something your heart may not be fully invested in.
5 Reasons NOT to study Law
1. 'My parents told me to' or 'my dad/mom is a lawyer'
I know we are to respect and honor our parents because they know what's best but let's be honest, if you go study law (or anything for that matter) because your momma or your daddy said so, you're going to find yourself constantly wanting to drop out of varsity because you utterly and totally DESPISE what you're studying. Is that disrespectful to your parents? I don't think so. I am a firm believer in doing what God placed you on this earth to do and let's be honest some parents don't really take the time to really cultivate the gifts and talents of their children. Instead, what they do is live their dreams vicariously through their children all in the name of 'abantu bazothini' syndrome (that translates as ;what are people going to say'). Furthermore, pursuing something just because your mom or dad pursued it and made a success out of it may be somewhat admirable or cute but it has the potential of taking away from your uniqueness and the call and purpose of God on your life.
2. 'All my friends are studying law.'
My problem with this is, you are your OWN person with your own IDENTITY. So why do you feel the need to be a copy? Granted, we learn by copying but we become great by being unique. Honey, you're a designer's original. There's no need to follow the crowd. Stand firm in your identity and run your race at your pace. Don't feel pressured to be like ANYONE. In addition to that, there has never been enough space for two cars in one lane so best to stick your lane before you delay arriving to your destiny or killing yourself trying to fit in.
3. 'I'm just doing it for the money.'
This line of reasoning is particularly dangerous because it begs the question as to what happens when the money is no longer there? or worse, what happens when it is required of you to defeat the ends of justice 'for the money'? See, the problem with making money the sole reason for doing what you're doing is that you might find yourself being willing to do anything get that paper - even going as far as compromising on your morals and sacrificing people on the altar of financial success. You might be thinking, "Oh no it's not that deep. You're being too dramatic." Fair enough but I would like to ask you to you recall a time where someone offered you money in return for doing something insane. The point I'm trying to drive home is let your reason for pursuing law (or anything in life) be bigger than yourself and certainly bigger than money. I'm a firm believer that, when it comes to pursuing law, your heart for people and your desire to see justice prevail should be #1. Otherwise, you're doing it for selfish reasons that could hurt a lot of people without you even being aware of it.
4. 'I didn't get accepted for my first choice of study.'
Rule number 1 in life - NEVER SETTLE! My goodness, settling for something just because plan A didn't work is the worst kind of self-sabotage one can do to oneself. Furthermore, rejection is not an incentive to settle for less than the best.
5.'I wanted to go study further like all my peers and avoid taking a gap year.'
This is kind of similar to reason #2. Honestly, a gap year is not that bad. heck, i took a gap year before i studied law and i can tell you that it was the best decision of my life (even though it was unplanned). I would highly recommend a gap year to anyone who is currently in matric and cannot seem to figure out what exactly it is they want to do after matric. A gap year DOES NOT mean you're going to be idle (PS: sometimes you just need a breather. do not allow the world to trap you into thinking that everyone whose life is busy is moving forward). A gap year is the perfect opportunity for you to really sit down with yourself and reflect. Let's be honest, no one really knows themselves in high school; majority of people are really just trying to get by by fitting in and succumbing to peer pressure. Hence, a gap year will help you to discover yourself and who you really are. It is a great way to grow personally, get rid of any baggage from your past and really have somewhat of a clear view of the future without your vision being clouded by the pressures from society, family and some of those so-called friends.
In a nutshell, i am a firm believer that one should pursue law because they love it and they know they will gain fulfillment from seeing the law work for people and not necessarily the money that comes with it. These people are willing to do pro bono work whenever the situation grants it and LOVE to see justice prevail. I mean, people have lost so much faith in the justice system and there's already enough corruption going on in the judiciary, the people of South Africa need the next generation of legal practitioners to change that narrative and in a sense make justice trend again.
Psalm 82: 2-4 "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
Proverbs 31:8-9 " Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Yorumlar