“Diametric” opposites

Student / Working adult

At the cusp of JC life and perhaps adulthood, I think myself as a youngster. I am a carefree boy who cares about results, who friends me, whether I can play sports well, and whatnot. Naturally, the thought of being an adult in just a few years time irks me. Just as Gabriel said,

“I am ambivalent of being an adult. On one hand, I want to be a grown-up. On the other hand, you are out of this easy system of exams and playing, going headlong into complicated adult…”

“stuff.” I interjected.

“It’s kind of nostalgic being in secondary school.” Gabriel mused, while some secondary school girls behind gossiped about school, about their parents, and about themselves.

Yet I know I must be a grown-up soon, because I’ve used up almost all my money today and cannot spend as I wish.

Aspirations / Earning money

I wonder if I would ever take the easy route, earning money and never thinking of contributing to the world. It seems obvious—this current moment—that my aspirations are much more crucial. But recent experience with the lack of money inevitably means that this might be a major concern in future. The allure of a leisurely and affluent lifestyle, and the power of spending (i.e. consumerism), may prove too great. I’m afraid that I may just abandon my ambition and target in life, do the easy thing that, albeit giving instant gratification short-term, ends in emptiness filled with regret.

Does it always have to be diametric opposites? Can it be like a dialectic, thesis and antithesis, eventually emerging as a synthesis?—a compromise as well as the best of both worlds.