IB Days

There lies a time where you are what you are. A time where you relax with little care about the world of the future nor the world of the past, and focus on the world of the present - more importantly the world of fun. A time where your actions define your self, your speech defines your thought and your appearance defines your facade.

And in such a time we all once existed. Men in a carefree societal relationship. A simplistic one, but certainly an enjoyable one. And when one stays in a web such as this, one tends to do as the Romans do. And so did he; swear, be violent occasionally, sleep and skip work, and many other actions defining the norm.

Till elements change, there lies a social inertia which people do not tend to overcome. But elements do change, or life will never progress. And amongst the individuals, some stand out.

Take the poster boy; the respected senior and role model to three-quarters (make that five-sixths) the school, respected peer and person to look to when you need help (Be it essays, CIP, more essays or perhaps even psychiatric counselling - he's part of that group, after all) and pretty much well-liked by the peers, the girls, the teachers.

Really, quite the respectable figure. Always said to be someone the school is proud of, someone the school would love to portray to the world outside, the kind of 'someone' that would be put on the frontline of shows, armed to the teeth with comebacks, replies and the occasional epistemological quote.

Aims? Of course he went high. Harvard, even! Of course aims are even better if they are fulfilled (Or perhaps they are even worthless if they aren't!) He got in, even!

Now of course, people don't lead perfect lives. If they seem to, Murphy's law comes into motion. If it doesn't... well, ignore that. Murphy's law always comes into motion, whether by divine or governmental intervention. And if you ever heard anyone go in wonder about how he failed to get a scholarship, then remember that Zen is always at work.

Avid thinker, fluent speaker, awesome instrumentalist, cool dude, smart guy, the like. A deserving member of the first, they call him. Setting out into the world bravely like the scholarly global leader he was groomed to be.

But at that very point where the road took the crooked turn, he took a turn for the better - and joined the new world around him. A new time. A time where your actions and speech define your facade and your appearance defines your self.

And when he finally steps out of the school, his feet feel light. Just lighter, perhaps, but an improvement in any case. Now, he thinks, he can stop being the poster boy. Now, he thinks, he can rest and be himself.

Now, he thinks, I can get out of that accursed place and stop following them.

And when he steps out, he'll understand just how far a stepping stone can bring you.