Time. Age. Humans.

Aoyumi Jung
Jan 14, 2020
5 min read

20.00. 14.01.2020

Feeling the tribute concert for Avicii – one of the best artists in the world.

Recently I have buried myself in essays related to sustainability and youth empowerment. I also take care of my youthful club by facilitating online discussions and giving guidance for the core team to manage the club by themselves. This sounds dump? Need to wear on the old coat again to cover my soul with reflective stories. It is the first time to write blog and open songs with lyrics. I just feel like writing while listening to this special concert. It is a DJ concert but generates some sense of sadness and regret. I wanna jump with this flow of humans to celebrate this shiny talent, and to fly with my own mind.

These are some last days of the age of 20. What to do to treasure every moment of it? One of the goals of 2020 is to quit drinking beer but this is difficult. I drank it on the first day of the year. And on the second day of the semester, we are required to write a huge research project about alcohol and urban space. My first popup thought about this theme is to be comfortable and free. Probably this Thursday, 16 of Jan I will have some drink with my closest dude at GSSE. I am lucky to have her as my partner at this wonderful land. What I most share with my friends about SGS is the favorite studying curriculum and caring Ajarns. But without my friend, I would have been quite lonely. She is internally and externally mature, I could see it. Friendship means a lot to me.

I have another ingenious and unique friend. Being tortured and mentally abused by his parents since young, he is now living with a bunch of mental health issues including PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Major Depressive Disoder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Autism, Body dysphoria, and Dissociative Identity Disorder. One of his eyes is not functioning anymore for a genetic reason. He has ability to capture new knowledge super well, explain all terms clearly within a second to think meanwhile my brain needs finding words to articulate the questions. He used to be bullied at his old school which forced him to commit suicide. He shared his story about Antisocial and human rights at TEDTALK several months ago. I first came closer to his mind on a class of Social Innovation in which we became the innovators to develop the prototypes to solve our friends’ problems. It was striking. It was way worse than “cancer” that I usually hear. How can a person take all those pains to continue breathing? To be reflective again, my life is comfortable enough.

Days go by carrying along ilk of stories. They are new stories but they all go around social issues of human rights, air quality, or sense of self-identity. Humans are the center, yet the root of all problems, too. One topic we discussed today in the Social Innovation Project Course is the difference between problems and challenges. Challenges can be barriers to let humans down. Challenges create contexts for humans to try and conquer. Challenges can be seen as some end goals to achieve. Differently, can anyone pick problems as their objectives to reach? Problems encompass both negative and positive aspects. Many humans do not dare to overcome the problem because they might be afraid of failure or judgments, and more. What drives them to grow and learn? Maybe nothing. Or they have not tried enough to discover it. A story must have the drive of someone. That’s what makes a story unique.

My story of a 20-year life is…

I read one Facebook post today saying that “Many people ask about our’s lovers or salaries because at this age, many others already have certain things like that. But there are also many people who have suicided at our same age, why no one asks whether we die.” Even I have free time, I won’t think when I will die. Individuals have the privilege to do things in their own way. I go to a wedding, I wear my cloths politely not to the extent of disrespecting others. Isn’t it enough, at least for me? My friend told me, you look weird bringing along that bag, just leave it there. People here don’t get dressed that way. Why? I don’t think I am weird. Who creates a format for everyone to come to a consensus?

On the other spectrum, I had some fun hangout with my friends at SGS. Suddenly we asked our age after knowing one another for several months. “At SGS, we don’t often talk about age.” In a warm afternoon, on the the largest urban rooftop of Asia, came a stream of joy and belonging. This is a dream community for those who like following exceptional paths should be. No boundaries. My studying day finished by the Social Inquiry and Assessment Course of Ajarn Tao. His explanation is clear and critically research-based, except for his speed of delivery. But I am happy to get my brain forced to process fast. I like all Courses/ events that ask for rules set by the learners or participants, not only the teachers or organizers. This is the call for inclusion and mutual respect. Interestingly, Ajarn asked if we want to join his Bouldering in the rock-climbing area at Gym 7 at 430 after class the next day. Is it strange for university lecturers in Vietnam to talk about? Any evidence saying not?

The beginning of this decade has welcome me by several unexpected news which is shocking enough to be burst in tears. As such, the melody of life seems to be higher and more diverse than any mountains. It is physically and emotionally high. The height does not allow anyone to look up. Probably, it is enough to feel the lyrics and the weather. At times, a second or a minute approaches as if it stays still so I just can’t feel any sense of space and time. But when some shocking news arrives unpredictably, the entire world suddenly turns disrupted.

Less expectation, more joy. Unfortunately, no expectation, no certainty of no pains. It did occur to me within seconds, I went through the pains. Toughness and acceptance. Let face it with the most of my vulnerability, then live in it.