1 February 2017

“If we don’t create opportunity for all people, the disaffection and division that has installed our progress will only sharpen in years to come,” Mr Obama, the 44th President of the USA, said in his farewell speech.  He rose to his office by stating the need for “change”, he ended his office by a similar message: to make it happen. This spirit echoes a saying of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, “the best way to predict your future is to create it.” It does seem that leaders, even across centuries, see progress alike.

 

Indeed, if we want something, we work hard for it.  For example, our first term exam was conducted in January. While a lot of students did well, a few always regretted being not at their best; they had waited for the last minute to burn the midnight oil. Bad time management and effort wrongly invested are the two usual culprits. But we are not first-time students, we know what is expected of us throughout the school year. It is really up to us to decide what is important, what not; stop passing the buck: hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

 

At the beginning of the New Year, we should vow to change the bad habit, to create a fruitful future, and do our best in every waking moment. Do not settle for the second best, let alone mediocrity. As Max Beerbohm, an English essayist, pointed out, “only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best.”

 

 

 

Anson Yang