Life goes on and on and on. It might seem quick to you all, but if you want to focus on the tiny parts that make up this journey, you will need your Shakespearean goggles to really admire it. Think of your life as an art piece. We all start from a blank canvas, then start adding the unique paints and designs. When the end emerges, the canvas is no longer what it was; rather, it turns out to be a creation that reflects a collection of our ideas and virtues heaped into a concrete form.
Every art piece starts somewhere but its purpose is to guide us towards the end. In life, we start as a cell growing to be a baby, then a teenager and then an adult. The thing is, when we become a cell, a baby and maybe even a teenager, we don’t know our purpose as we just follow the path that has been laid for us by our parents or teachers. When we become older, we realize rather than just following the given path, we should break from our shell and explore the horizon where we might find the true meaning of this life. Most of the artists seem to paint the same way in the beginning- putting the paint, blending it and turning it into a picture. But often it is realized that their strokes, mediums and application are unique and they all paint to represent their own meaning. It could be how they stroke the brush to how the colours blend, but they have their own uniqueness. So, as you grow up, life gives you choices, but they all lead you to seek your own unique purpose.
In our journey of growth one of the most fundamental things that all living beings experience is failures. For example, in Martial Arts, we all start at white belt, but we must grow and face challenges to reach the final goal of black. Georges St-Pierre is widely known as one of the greatest UFC champions. At his first attempt at the first-degree black belt test, he completely broke down physically due to the test being brutally demanding and he ran out of stamina entirely. It was his lowest point, where he thought that one failure had stopped him from his dream of a black belt. But, instead of being embarrassed, he used his failure as a fuel for motivation and worked to pass the grading in which he dominated the UFC. This shows that although growing up comes with its own set-backs when it seems like the end, but just like Georges St-Pierre we must break through and reach the ‘finish line’.
In life we might reach a stage where we may pass our prime and start falling down. That time we realize that we need to look at the past and enjoy the tiny moments that have made us, in order to keep growing up well. Manoj Nelliyattu “M. Night” Shyamalan is an American filmmaker who is one of the best scriptwriters for the supernatural genre. He is known for the film The Sixth Sense in which Manoj got a nomination for the Oscar and the best original screenplay. It was his career’s peak, and he followed with other movies like Unbreakable and Signs. As he passed his prime, his writing became more clunky and bizarre, with most of his recent films like ‘Knock at the Cabin’ being heavily panned for confusing character logic and unrealistic dialogues. From his story we understand that our journey of growing up comes with all kinds of shades. At one stage in life, we might be at the highest, but as we get older, we may face downfalls, be met with ridicule or even be shunned in professional and personal spaces. The beauty of this journey lies in cherishing each moment, past or present, as we may never be able to reach the prime that once was.
Thus, growing up is a piece of art- a work in progress. We must enjoy each part of the step to reach the final masterpiece. We start somewhere totally clueless of what may lie ahead and end with a purpose which arises out of the heap of mistakes, failures and set-backs, along with unforgettable moments that bring a smile to our faces. So, let’s cherish each moment of growing up as each stroke is unique and might never get recreated again.
Writer : Hari Govind
Grade : 8 (Year 2026)
Place : Sydney, Australia
