Progression

It wasn’t easy for me to grow into a teenager. I think it took a few years of struggle. But I’m sure I came into my own when I was 15. That was a great year. That year:

- I discovered a lot of great rock music
- I found my talents in writing and music
- I made a few very good friends
- I started being a proper philosopher. I think that the potential for deep thinking had always existed. I always knew the principle that behind an idea lay another deeper and greater idea, and you had to follow the trail and find them one by one.

I think the next great transition in my life was when I was 22. I became a kidult. That year:

- I developed a faculty in language that helped me become more articulate
- I had a great cyber-relationship. At least it was great while it lasted, because after that it was not great.
- I learnt to make peace with myself. At least for a while, up till then.
- I got interested in a lot of academic learning, especially the humanities. Economics, political science, sexual politics, complexity theory,

And regrettably, I don’t think I’ve moved on from there in a big way. For me to fully become an adult (and there’s not much time left)

- I have to learn how to manage my life (at least much better than I’m doing now)
- I have to learn how to manage my wealth (or at least whatever that word means in my context)
- I have to mingle among adults and do stuff that adults think is cool.
- I have to enjoy at least one expensive hobby. Otherwise running around like a headless chicken trying to grab every dollar you can find will be exposed as a great sham.

Problem is, a lot of those adult things don’t make sense. Enjoying an expensive bag, enjoying expensive clothes – I don’t mind dressing up elegantly but that’s a matter of artistic taste. Buying something expensive – that’s the kind of insanity that Thorsten Veblen had so much contempt for when he wrote his “Theory of the Leisure Class”.

A lot of teenage life made a lot more sense. I enjoy rock music, I enjoy philosophising. I enjoy learning new things. But you could come to

Then again a lot of adulthood makes sense. How to progress from being a keen observer of life to an active participant in it. How to play a game and win. How to raise kids. How to keep on going even when you’re tired.

Who I am today is still the legacy of my college years. The things I learnt or picked up during those years. To be sure, they were turbulent, problematic times. But they were also some of the best years of my life.

1. Knowledge is fun
2. Movies
3. Jazz
4. Travelling
5. Groceries and housework
6. Exercise
7. Psychology
8. Slow and steady
9. CD Trading

Think I better explain # 8. I decided that it was best to live life at a more leisurely pace, but to adopt a slow and steady. I decided not to give myself too much pressure to do things, but to keep on pushing steadily and not to worry as long as things moved forward always.

It was a good idea, but it didn't always work.