by John Alexander Agujetas (Grade 10 – Luna)
I think it was easier when I was younger. Back then, there were no expectations after all: I could always just laugh it off with a smile and say some meaningless platitudes, plus a bright smile to placate myself and those around me. But of course, man cannot lie to itself and those thoughts fester.
At some point, it all piles up. The repression of things simply builds momentum after all- like a coiled spring winding ever tighter. When that dam you’ve painstakingly built up for so long eventually breaks, the torrent washes it all away, and all that has to go somewhere.
Maybe living life carefree wasn’t such a good thing after all.
Maybe I should’ve looked behind and around me more.
“Ah, I see.” I understand it better now.
The fear is there. I stake my reputation, my resources and my time every time I put myself out there. Of many ventures, not all will succeed. Not all my investments will bear fruit – some exist only to pull me down.
But there is value in the darkest of outcomes. There is always a lesson to learn – a scenario to play out, EXP to be gained, and levels to earn. The silver lining is there to justify each failure and the ground is soft, even without a net.
I think a healthy fear, the moderate approach, is the way to go. Time flashes by in the whisper of the seconds she, it, they.
Blink and you’ll miss. Take the leap.
Graphics by Justin Wingkee (Grade 10 – Luna)