By Editorial Board
Christmas has come and gone, New Year was a blast, and now the Spring festival is afoot. Now, everyone is a year older. Despite the sentiments of these festivities, the middle of the school year hardly feels like the time to start anew; to change old habits, develop a new hobby, and reflect on your aspirations. It all feels futile in the drowning of the IB pressure cooker. As we’ve progressed to the latter semester, grade 10’s have finished their exhibitions, grade 11’s their EE proposals, and grade 12’s now have to reckon with the forthcoming horrors of the Red Dot examination hall. But in the process, we have learned so much.
It’s a repetitive routine; study, sleep, eat, assessment. But amidst the worries, ultimately, we need to remind ourselves of the transience of our current experience. Irrespective of whether or not we choose to thrive acting out the pre-ordained script our education demands, the rest of our lives will require us to improvise. The ever-changing state of our world – from the integration of AI into our daily lives, growing polarisation in political perspectives, to debates on climate change – the uncertainty of our future demands us to think for ourselves and choose what role we play. Will we concede to the status quo, and become infirm in complacency? Or shall we open ourselves up to enlightenment and oppose ignorance?
The matter of growing up is a truth no one knows — Ask the adults I’m sure they’ll agree. What does it mean to be grown up? There may be customs, etiquette, and rules to abide by, but how much of that is arbitrary? What is the difference between the assimilation of custom and the wisdom to make our own decisions?
Whether it be learning how to cope with the pressure, completing work to meet deadlines, or even simply waking up each morning, it has all been fundamental to shaping who we are, our character, our hopes and aspirations.
Thus, it seems only right to carry forward the sentiment of the Dragon this Lunar New Year; with all of its promise of intelligence, resilience, strength and fortune.
