hey ppl, was surfing and saw this entry posted by an rgs student. I realized that their English language is much more superior than ours. and tht really made me felt inferior to them. anw, the following entry, "A Moment of Growing" is extracted from campusmoblog by the rafflesians.
enjoy. btw, ive excluded the 'and- so tht dere wont be arabic characters being shown. ha.

Teach us to care and not to care. Teach us to sit still.

In this fast-paced society racked and shackled by modernization, changes, and the need to be dynamic, we adolescents are locked in the cocoon of carefree perspiration, self-indulgent thirst, naked immoratality, and wild preparation for something big. Emotional dross is accumulated and categorized, revisited in our states of torment and grudges borne in the midst of our stressed constitutions. We never quite grow up in that sense, I feel. We lack moments of realization, we lack instances of introspection, when we can sit down and ponder about our future, what it holds, our aspirations, that of those around us, etc. I dont know about you, but I feel that somehow as a teenager in Singapore, I lack the time or the energy to really “grow up”, claim that moment of realization as mine. Rather, I grow up according to protocol. My resolutions are formed because they are Necessary Life Skills, and because im steadily running out of excuses of youth. Lets use an analogy here. There are steps, well-calculated and measured steps, to the timeline of induction into the wide world of make-up. First, dabble with lipgloss at fifteen, eyeshadow, at 17, grapple with acne breakouts through JC, get over it and kickstart the use of foundation -GROW UP, get a job, muster the facial armour of the workplace. Somehow, I get the feeling that growing up isnt so much a choice, it is a necessity. It also doesnt seem to me to be a process in this society of ours, but an oscillation into adulthood under the durress of reponsibilities and expectations. Admit it, theres a fissure in our chrysalis.

What really shook me, even though it happened last year and has probably been swept under the cobwebs of our memory, was the tsunami. I was left in shock at our gigantic hubris, faithless in our technological know-how, compared with the sheer raw power of nature; we and all our knowledge are small dust. The first thing that struck me was how shocking it was that we are able to cushion ourselves from understanding, while millions of the worlds poor have no such luxury. We are often tangled in the swelteringly sour actuality of life like our grades, our GPAs, our material possessions, our CCA competitions, that we forget that our often unnecessary worry makes us blessed, unkind fools who resemble colossal juggernauts treading softly between suppurating streams of strident and jarring teenage angst. That surge of realization was stark, unforgettable and definitely not momentary for me. I felt extremely embarrassed. I think this is what characterizes growing up, not expectations, but enlightenment. I think it requires it to re-examine, develop new sensitivities and enhance the maturity of our cognitive and affective processes.

From the tsunami (okay I admit this a very delayed reaction, but it was this incident that hit home for me), so, I also gained more insights into mankind. We humans are raping Mother Nature, and perhaps we do need to overstep our boundaries before we can at long last define our limits and witness our folly. Us man, crouched over Natures nightgown, sewing up the lacerated pieces of clothing after passion and naked tenderness, after rough and sinful lust, needles used so long their pinprick points are blunt sensations drawing no blood. The swelling anger, the injustice inflicted, and the shame suffered, all back to plague us. Every action had to have a consequence, if it did not arrive at once with unceremonious spitefulness, at least it made its presence known later to teach us a lesson, or rather, let us teach ourselves that lesson. Realization, raw and frightening, caught me while I was unaware, making a much deeper impact than if it had been better timed. It grabbed me when I was most vulnerable, when I was still caught in that lulling state of blissful ignorance. At that moment, I recognized the end that was in sight, we have committed too many transgressions and it is time we rethink our actions, mellow our impulsivity, and tame our avarice. We have been clinging on so tightly to earthly gains, been for so long insubstantial, insecure on the inside, that that our lifetime passes by in a whirlwind of infatuation, glumness, psychosis and depression, till, all too soon we find ourselves frantic in our dying days to find something more. It took a disaster of such palpable proportions to wake me up.
We each have our own moments of realization, and through these moments we develop clearer conceptions of the world, and become more complex ourselves. In the words of Blink 182, "Well, I guess this is growing up. " and I am looking forward to far more such moments, during which the bigger picture will be agonizingly clear but edifyingly apparent. And Im sure you are too. So, take your time to grow up, make sure you understand before you take the plunge.

WAITER.

cbox recommended.