Changes for MysteriousFaith
Turning thirty and electing to pursue a new career path is certainly not unique to me. As some of you may know, I have made the decision to quit my job and pursue a J.D. focusing on two areas I am particularly interested in: international and constitutional law. My decision to pursue law involves divorcing myself from a certain amount of professional success and the predictable stability that my current path within industry had promised. The questions of how I have come to this point, why I have elected to pursue law school, and what this decision means to me personally and professionally are a part of what I will share here. The path that has led to law school is marked in part by a realization that my current professional role lacked the intellectual challenge I longed for. In addition, my job rarely affords me the opportunity to impact the lives of others or engage in societal issues, specifically the means by which we govern ourselves and ensure that the ideal of equality is articulated clearly and fought for passionately.
I was previously the Vice President of a company specializing in plastic materials within a variety of markets. After accepting this position it became obvious that, if we were to maintain our revenue levels, we would need to deal with an industry-wide recession coupled with customers moving to off-shore manufacturing centers such as China and Mexico. The plan I designed, fought for, and implemented dealt with this realization and has resulted in successive years of record revenue in the face of mounting challenges. This is the second company at which I have held the position of Vice President, the first being a much larger German company where I was initially hired as Sales Manager and then promoted to Vice President and General Manager. As a consequence of these jobs, I have traveled widely, leading negotiations and evaluating strategic business opportunities in the Pacific Rim, South America, Mexico and throughout Europe. In an effort to balance my life and give back to others in need, I have worked with medical teams traveling to remote and impoverished areas of Eastern Europe. Of all my international experiences, the medical team trips have enriched me and opened my eyes, forcing me to see things I would never have seen were I to limit my international experience to the business world.
During a trip in October of 2004 to China, my commitment to pursue law was solidified. While the business portion of the trip was successful, I was much more impressed, curious, and concerned about the tension that exists between China’s cowboy capitalism and its political, legal, and social systems whose Socialist roots seem to be at odds with the needs of a free-market. How will the Chinese people come to cope with the rapidly evolving needs of their free-market at the same time their antiquated institutions of law and government resist relinquishing the power that legitimizes them? During this trip I realized more than ever that I desire to be a part of the discussion and debate as to how this type of situation is resolved. Of all the options I evaluated, only law held the promise to have a voice across the breadth of issues that are important to me. As local communities and international bodies determine their response to new challenges posed by modernity, fields of specialization will come and go during the debate. Whether discussing the morality of scientific advances or questioning how we can function and govern in increasingly pluralistic societies, I believe law will be the discipline that guides, shapes, and determines if the interaction between the advancing tide of technology will be productive or damaging. For me, law represents an opportunity to participate in a wide range of important issues that will impact the formation of productive societies coping with the complexities of modernity.
As a manager, I have frequently counseled those who work for me to audit their skills and ambitions when they find themselves professionally unfulfilled. From this introspection, most will come to recognize a new path in life that is better suited to their most intimate of desires and abilities. Finding myself in this same position, I have followed my own advice. This self-audit produced a more specific recognition that my core aptitude and desire centers around written and oral communication, critical thinking, and an ability to synthesize and compress complex ideas into meaningful forms. While exploring options to harness my skills, law became increasingly clear the more time I set aside to talk with those who know me personally and professionally. It has been confirming to hear others agree with and argue for my decision to pursue law school.
In June of 2004 I sat in a cramped living room in Alba Iulia, Romania. I was the guest of a family whose youngest daughter had been an interpreter for me three years ago while I worked with a medical team in the same area. The father, a common working man whose hands and mannerisms spoke volumes about a harsh life I will never be able to fully appreciate, spoke no English. Our conversation moved quickly; he spoke rapidly and passionately in Romanian, his daughter translated, and then I responded. For most of the evening, the topic of our discussion centered on Romanian life, the changes after the revolution in December of 1989, and what I thought of their country’s current state of affairs. Mid-way through dinner, one of his questions needed little translation: his voice went up, the staccato was more precise as he said “libertate.” It was more a statement than a question. His daughter paused and then translated for me words I will not soon forget: “my father wants to know if you believe he thinks free?” This man, who I would learn later that evening had stood up against the Communists, wanted to know if I, the inheritor of the American gift of freedom, liberty, and justice, believed he thought like a free man. It is a question, as I told him that evening, that I was not worthy of answering. It is the measure of a man’s life, not the words he shares over dinner that will provide the answer to such a question. Going to law school is, for me, a fundamental decision to rework my life into a more meaningful use of my skills, abilities, and ambitions. It is a decision born of frustration and questioning, but in the end a steady realization that we are never so at peace with ourselves than when we are true to what motivates and inspires us.
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About MysteriousFaith
“If anyone can show me, and prove to me, that I am wrong in thought or deed, I will gladly change. I seek the truth, which never yet hurt anybody. It is only persistence in self-delusion and ignorance which does harm.”
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