The Final Lesson

“Children, in our final session, I want to talk to you about hunger. Not the hunger for food though, but the hunger for your dreams!” exclaimed Professor Izmir as the students laughed. Professor Izmir had become an important part of our lives. She had shown us what was possible for us. As our time together neared an end, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of despondency.

“I do not doubt for a second that all of your dreams will come true if you have the courage to pursue them. However, there’s a tendency for all of us to become complacent once we’ve achieved our goal. Someone rightly said – ‘it’s not about achieving success but maintaining it’. That’s the hardest part, children. When you’re starting to work towards a goal, it’s often easy to push ourselves because we’re all pumped. Perhaps we want to prove a point to someone who underestimated us,” she continued.

“Perhaps it’s a personal goal that we think will bring us joy. However, once we achieve our goal and the drive and hunger are no longer there, we tend to go easy on ourselves and decrease the effort we’re putting in. We’ve already attained success; why strive for more?” asked Professor Izmir rhetorically.

“Remember that the opportunity that you have today will not last forever unless you commit yourself to it. You don’t want to look back 5 years down the road and hope you had stayed on the track that brought you success rather than becoming complacent. I’ve seen children with a tremendous amount of potential who after achieving something magnificent become complacent. For others, it’s when they land their dream job,” she added. I recalled what Dad had once said. Get a job with a big company and you will be set for life. I didn’t let that negative thinking influence me anymore.

Professor Izmir continued. “They believe that life will now work out for them solely on the virtue of attaining that position. It’s a fallacy; remember, you get value for bringing value to the marketplace. You know the bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger?” asked Professor Izmir. The students nodded their heads.

“This is what he had to say,” continued the Professor as she pressed the clicker.

“While you’re out there partying, horsing around, someone out there at the same time is working hard. Someone is getting smarter and someone is winning. Just remember that.”

“The moment you get complacent, you die!” exclaimed Professor Izmir. “Keep in mind what the actor Denzel Washington said – ‘ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship’. Out of complacency is born a life of quiet desperation,” she continued.

“Considering the pace at which scientific breakthroughs are taking place, you’ve got to be an expert in your field. Don’t just lay back and hope that things will work out. You know your method of attaining success has worked. Repeat it. First, you must set the standard, then you must raise the bar,” she added, moving her slender hands to make her point.

“And even if life miraculously works out for you, imagine the opportunities that you must be missing out in the process?” she asked. “Imagine the impact you could have if you took the same hunger and drive you used to get into college or land that job to everything you did?” she added.

“Upon achieving success, you will realize that there are more opportunities that need your time and attention. As Nelson Mandela once said, ‘After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.’ Discovering who you can become and what you can achieve is a never- ending process,” she paused and took a sip of her coffee.

“Remember the hunger you felt when you weren’t the top dog. When people thought you wouldn’t be able to accomplish something because they couldn’t see beyond their perception of you. Remember that hunger, and let it drive you forward!” exclaimed Professor Izmir.

“However, do it for yourself. You owe it to yourself. You are competing against no one but the best you can be. That should be your goal,” said Professor Izmir with a fierce determination in her eyes. She paused for a moment to take out her water bottle from her bag.

To our horror, as Professor Izmir approached her bag, she lost her balance and cracked her skull against the floor.

***

“Children, you couldn’t have enough of me could you?” a weak Professor Izmir asked jokingly as she lay in the hospital bed.

The room was full of students, most of them sitting on the floor. Professor Izmir had to be moved to a different room just so that everyone was able to fit in a room together. The doctor had complained about Professor Izmir having too many visitors, but the school was finally able to convince her. Professor Izmir’s permission had certainly helped.

“Professor, we couldn’t afford to miss your last session,” lamented Hassan despondently. Deep down, we all felt the pain of seeing the professor this way. She had a big bandage on her head and tubes connected to her arms. Her fall wasn’t life threatening but after all, Professor Izmir wasn’t as strong in body as she was in mind and spirit. I saw Sarah shed a tear and I clutched her hand.

“I see, Hassan,” responded Professor Izmir with her characteristic chuckle. Despite her weakness from the fall, Professor Izmir’s face still glowed. She took a moment and then recognizing her personal accountability to us, she looked at all of us with the reinvigorated energy we were used to encountering in class. It was as if her being in a hospital bed with tubes connected to her body barely mattered. Her students were here, and she was going to deliver her last lecture as best she could.

“Alright then,” she continued after coughing a few times. “But I must warn you, these medications have been making me very drowsy, children. Your professor might doze off in the middle of the lecture, so bear with me,” said Professor Izmir with a teasing smile. Her strength and resilience were inspiring.

“So, to finish our time together, I want to talk about gratitude and the value of loving yourself,” she added as the students took out their journal and began to take notes. Surprised to see her students carrying notepads, she smiled. She had successfully ignited in us a thirst for learning and a hunger for knowledge.

She started speaking.

“When I was very young,” she coughed before proceeding. “I came across a quote that said that everything you seek from others you must give yourself,” she declared. She looked around to see if we understood what she meant. Recognizing our eager expressions, she continued.

“For the longest time, I couldn’t figure it out. But eventually, I made sense of it. Wisdom can come to you from the strangest of sources. It can come through your affirmations, it can come through a book, it can even come through a conversation with a friend. You know what kind of friends I have in mind, don’t you?” she asked with a smile.

The room erupted in laughter. Of course, birds of a feather flock together! If we wanted to be successful, we would have to surround ourselves with other successful people. Professor Izmir joined in the laughter and after a brief pause, continued with what she wanted to say.

“To come back to what I was saying,” said Professor Izmir. “Give yourself all the things you want from other people. Respect? Admiration? Love? These are the things you seek, don’t you?” she asked feebly. “Even if others don’t understand or love you, you can understand and love yourself,” she stressed before she moved on.

“Why are we so quick to see the value in other people and yet so reluctant to see it in ourselves? Self-love is a beautiful thing. You have to love yourself before you love anyone else. You have to cherish and treasure yourself like no one else does because you know that you have worth. You deserve to be treated with respect,” added Professor Izmir.

“Of course you make mistakes but then again, don’t we all do? You have to be your biggest ally - be gentle on yourself when you make mistakes recognizing that it’s an innate part of who you are. Personal fulfillment is ever more valuable and satisfying than any gratification you can get from others. It comes from a deep sense of respect, love, and gratitude for oneself,” she continued with a smile.

“As I told you, there are thousands if not millions of individuals who would give anything to have the life you have right now,” she paused and took a deep breath before continuing. I recalled the out-of-school children Professor Izmir’s foundation had worked with. I promised myself that I would take responsibility and help as much as I could.

“In the frenzy of life, we often forget to take a step back and reflect on how blessed and privileged we have been in various areas of our life. An attitude of gratitude will not only attract more blessings in your life but also help you build optimism. It doesn’t matter what you believe in as long as you believe in something. Be grateful for who you are and what you represent. Make yourself your highest priority,” she continued.

“There is a rabbi saying that has a profound impact on my life and it goes like this. If you are not for yourself, then who will be for you?” she asked gravely before continuing.

“But, if you are only for yourself, then who are you?” she said, pausing for added emphasis. I couldn’t help but think again about other out-of-school children I could help. I was part of the solution. I could make a difference. Professor Izmir’s calming voice interrupted my thoughts.

“And most importantly children, if not now, then when?” asked Professor Izmir despondently. “Remember, if you don’t stand for yourself, if you don’t respect yourself, if you don’t love yourself - how do you expect others to do that for you?” she asked as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“If you don’t do the same for the causes you believe in, you will let evil triumph over the good we have on this beautiful planet. Be willing to do die for what you believe in!” declared Professor Izmir with all the strength she could muster.

“Remember that no matter what happens in our lives, we will be okay. I am might be on my deathbed, but I will have the satisfaction of dying empty. I will have the satisfaction of having lived a full life according to my principles,” she continued.

“Children, we have to always support us and stand by us. We have to stick to our principles and defend our minds from the roots of negativity. We have to accept ourselves fully aware of our flaws,” she continued, as another tear rolled down her cheek. Sarah quickly moved forward to wipe it with a napkin, unable to hold my tears herself.

Professor Izmir continued. “We must appreciate who we are and how we were designed. We must live our lives as a testament to the greatness that resides within us. We must love ourselves. Children, if we begin from home, we can really change the world,” said Professor Izmir as she closed her eyes, giving herself completely once more.