In Praise of Phu

Phu is kind. He wants others to be happy. He took me on a walk when I had trouble getting out of bed the other day.

He's always offering to help. Usually I refuse, because I see his offers coming not from a concrete theory of change but rather a pathological fear of imposing. I see my 15 year old self in his posture. But I'm glad for the offers, it's very nice to know your roommate is conscientious.

The double-edged sword of anxiety has a positive side too. Phu always tries to carry his own weight and carve his own path, despite lack of resources and plentiful challenges. He often forgoes social activities—opportunities I would readily take to distract myself—in favor of working towards his goals.

Phu's work ethic is matched by his relentless curious. He starts from a totally blank slate and questions very basic things, like a child. He has no preoccupation with technique as I do. He has far fewer mental hang-ups. He evaluates various approaches objectively, in terms of outcomes as opposed to methods.

Phu meditates and enjoys a monastic lifestyle. He will not tell you exactly how his brain is processing things, in part because he does not know or perhaps it's more convenient to keep his verbal cognitive load low. As a result, he's humble and lets his actions do most of the talking. Why say many word when few word do trick?

Due to language, cultural, and economic divides, it's easy to write Phu off. He doesn't emit standard signals nor easily fit a particular mold. His smarts are unobvious, his ambition quiet. Effort is required to interact with him sometimes.

But to me, it's always worth it. I sense that there's a system and a rhythm behind his seemingly chaotic trajectory. He's in a state of constant progress, even if an outsider wouldn't categorize his motion that way from their frame of reference.

Phu inspires me by being himself, and each day he grows more into his own. I believe his success is inevitable.