When my father went off to study accounting in London, my grandfather “Papa” was not particularly pleased. It was his influence that pushed my father into accounting, but rather than choosing a local university for his education, my father was determined to go to the London School of Accounting. When my father stubbornly refused to attend any other school, Papa did what people typically do in my family when you don’t get your way: he gave my father the cold shoulder. Finally, one day Papa sat my father down and told him that if he chooses to go London for studying, Papa will pay for his travel and school fees, but otherwise my father is on his own and will not get any additional help from Papa. Also, Papa said that my father must comply with the following instructions upon arriving at this hostel in London. On a large sheet of paper he had to write a message to himself in bold letters. He had to stick that piece of paper on his mirror so that he sees the message every morning when he looks at himself.

The message was:

“Why are you here?”

My father did follow Papa’s instructions and he read the message every day. He went on to rank 2nd in the world in the chartered accounting boards at the conclusion of his training. Many years later when I went off to college, he gave me the same instructions.

Can’t help but think of this question now at the start of this blog. Why is this blog here? Does it have a purpose? Does it need a purpose? I don’t know. All I can say is, it’s an itch that needs to be scratched.