Willful Young

Definitely, I was not a good student when I was younger. I used to invest in the stock market and spent all the money I earned in travelling. I played truant from school, picking up my luggage and going away without any permission. I never had a plan and no one knew where I was going. Once, my coordinator was driven crazy by what I did. He gave me a long-distance call and kept yelling at me and blaming me for my improper behaviour. However, I even felt a little proud of my self-assertion. I  went back to school one week later after he asked me to go back immediately.

I believed what I did was an impulsive action that every passionate young person should take at least once. However, as I grew up, my wilfulness was eroded by the lectures on morality from my elders. Everything was regulated. I felt pitiful that I was not a brave person any more. I felt restricted in my actions as different generations have different perceptions of the world.  As time went on however, I began to restrict the actions of my younger relatives and began to conform to the ways of my elders. Inside I was grappling with contradictions.

Doing things under regulations is the typical education pattern in China. Since cultures are different from each part of the world, please can you tell me, do you have the same opinion of youth? Have you ever done the same things as me?