‘A Beautiful Mind’ Is Changing My Life

I have not even finished reading ‘A Beautiful Mind’, actually I am not even close to the middle of the story, but after I read the first few pages, I already knew that this book would have an impact one way or another upon me. In fact, as soon as I finished the prologue (yeah not even chapter one!) it was confirmed: the biography of the mathematical schizophrenic genius, John Nash, is going in my ‘books that changed my life’ list.

I am taking this book everywhere I go. It’s always in my bag. One night, I even decided to go to Starbucks at 9 p.m. on the spur of the moment just to read it with a *Christmas edition* peppermint mocha 🙂

But I don’t want to finish it. I am taking all my time to read it, a few pages – okay I can’t help it, a few (fortunately short) chapters – at a time. That’s mainly because, since after I got this life-changing epiphany from the prologue, it seems like the book is making me feel more… alive. More passionate, more ambitious… It simply sprinkles more stars in my eyes…

Okay, I won’t keep the suspense for too long. In what way does ‘A Beautiful Mind’ have such an impact on me… on my entire life??

Well, among the many things that struck me when I started reading it, there was this part where Sylvia Nasar (the author) described John Nash as someone who found things like socializing and leisure activities such as dance classes as being obstacles to what he was most passionate about which was reading and studying and discovering mathematics. Such ‘unnecessary’ practices that he had to indulge in only ‘slowed’ him down and annoyed him, but he did them anyway to please his parents.

And you know what? This was exactly what I felt at some point this semester in university.

Anyway, I believe that I often felt this way previously especially concerning writing, because so many things have previously ‘slowed’ my creative writing down… even school. Well, most especially school. It’s not a new feeling, but… no I’m digressing from the point I want to make. Okay, let me rewrite it:

What John Nash had felt in that particular part of his life was exactly what I felt at some point this semester in university; i.e., there came a time when I was irritated by any time-consuming activity that took me away from my assignments and studies, because it really felt like these non-academic tasks only prevented me from making any progress in something I am passionate about. Like… the way Sylvia Nasar wrote it felt like she had read my mind word for word! (By the way sorry for not including the exact quote but I’m too lazy right now and besides I can’t find it anymore.)

At that time I remember I had also confessed to my best friend that I did feel that way towards my studies and she was like: who can ever feel that way?? Towards SCHOOL WORK???

It’s okay. I know not everyone can understand.

But yeah, that’s mainly why I was instantly drawn to ‘A Beautiful Mind’ just after a few pages. Because at least someone had understood.

So yeah I read and read… and it was not long before I realised that if my studies (which is in social sciences by the way) had such an effect on me, to the point that I even forgive the school for keeping me away from my creative writing for four months (’cause anyway I have 3 months’ holidays to catch up on it!), it means that in the end that is probably what I was born to do.

What I mean by that is I believe that I was born to do research work.

Get a Bachelor.

Get its Honours.

Write academic journal articles.

Write books.

Get a PhD.

Contribute to existing theories or develop them into beneficial real-life practices.

Tutor.

Lecture.

Write more.

And yes, when I say ‘write’, I mean to say… Write BOTH for academia and fiction!!!!

And that’s how I will eventually reach my lifetime dream of being a writer.

Thank you for illuminating my path, John Nash!

An Evil Nymph.

P.S.: My exams are over!!!! YEAH!!! There will definitely be more blog posts. And meanwhile, the serious work begins again: I’m back to my novel-in-progress!!!