Well, it’s that time of the year again. And this year, I’m 25 years old.?

That’s right. As of now, the year 2023, a quarter of my life has already passed. Maybe even more. Gone. Never to return again. The years still exist, just in the form of memories, and some items that I have with me that I’m lucky enough to not have lost.?

But whether it be the tangible items or the untouchable memories that don’t exist outside of my head, I got these things with me by going to different places and doing different things. And honestly, that applies for every one of you. We’re all going from somewhere to elsewhere.?

It’s funny, because, before university, while I was in elementary school, middle school, and high school, I used to think that school was my entire life. Studying, extracurricular activities, playing games at the computer lab, those were all that my life encompassed. I finish everything, and that would be it. I wouldn’t have to do, worry, or even think about anything anymore.

And every time I graduated, I would act like the protagonist of a movie or a book or a video game after achieving the good ending. Nothing happens after the words “the end” appear on the screen. The screen fades to black. The curtain closes. And then nothing else would happen. The protagonist would live his life happily in eternal peace, never to be disturbed, because nothing else happens in a story after the ending.?

Of course, we are not characters in a story. Once a stage of our life finishes, we just move immediately to the next one, and get prepared for all the problems there. And every time a major change happened in my life, I would start out really misadjusted and awkward, until eventually I change my ways and get comfortable. This cycle would continue until the third year of undergraduate university, when I was truly serious with my career and what to do in the future.?

Yes, I know. Little me read too much fiction and knew too little about real life. Because in real life, we are always at a point of moving forward. Time passes constantly, so what do we do as it happens? We have to do something, not just let it flow past us like wasted water.?

I guess “making use of time” is an extremely commonly known adage that we should know of ever since grade 2. But this feeling that we’re constantly moving from place to place just puts this in a whole new perspective. Funnily enough, I’ve travelled quite frequently in my life, for both education and employment.?

Every time I moved, I did it for the sake that the new location would allow me to do something that can better my life, one way or another. Now, I believe that was the case for almost every relocation attempt, but one thing I can say with most certainty was that every new location offered an experience very different from the previous. I’ve had to change my life quite drastically to adjust to the new environment, and I got the privilege to enjoy what each place had to offer. Every time. And that brings me to where I am now. I can say this for practically every stage of my life.?

And, looking back to my time in elementary school, middle school and high school, what originally felt like my entire life, is now nothing but a cluster of distant memories. Most of them don’t even represent who I am now as a person, and even fewer have an effect on me anymore. In fact, I could just throw them away or forget them, and absolutely nothing would happen. And the same can be said about everyone else.

Everyone moved on.?

It feels difficult to imagine right? Something that was once the most important and predominant part of our lives, would suddenly become something completely irrelevant and have no effect on us at all, just because some time has passed? But I guess that’s the magic of moving on. We don’t stay in one place forever. We advance to different places.?

Ever since I’ve started my studies at Tongji University, this feeling of constantly moving forward has been particularly strong. For one reason, it’s because my friends are travelling all the god damn time, so it feels like they’re always on an endless voyage. But a much larger reason is because of where I am now. I’m one year away from graduating with my master’s degree.??

So now, the ageless question is: And then what?

Much like time, life doesn’t wait for anyone. You are allowed to have rests. You are allowed to pause and think and catch your breath. You can even start over if you want. But those who want to better their lives should never stay satisfied with the status quo.?

Furthermore, don’t be too concerned with what was or what will be. Because if you only worry about the past and the future, you’ll miss out on the present: a time that you truly live in; a time you can use to move yourself forward. The best thing you can do if you cannot stop time is to go to a place that might be better than your current one should the opportunity arise. After all, we all move on, and life goes on and on.

And going.