Angel and Devil

I guess there are an Angel and a Devil accompanying each final year student.

The Angel tells the student to study hard and run the last leg of the paper chase with the utmost effort. This is the final burst to the endless years of studying. A time to end with a joyous triumph at the end of the finishing line. So the Angel nags at the student’s ear, encouraging him to work hard on the FYP, play less and keep up with the tutorial.

On the other hand, the Devil tries to coax the final year student to enjoy the most that he can. After all, this is the end of the student life and the start of the hectic working life in months to come. If you do not play now, when is the best time to do so? So the Devil seduces the student with many nice, new computer games and super interesting movies and TV shows. Often asking the student to leave the FYP and tutorials to go for supper and “la teh” sessions and leave those studying schedules until tomorrow.

So the conflicts between the Angel and the Devil continue day in, day out. The one who suffers in the end is the mortal, the student. The student strives for the best. Study hard, plays even harder. The student who wanted to meet both studies and play, plans the time to the fullest, sleeps late, wakes up early, answering calls to the Angel or the Devil, depending on which party wins in the event of a conflict. Sometimes, the conflict last so long that the student eventually ends up doing nothing, pondering over the stuff to do in priority.

Mortals are vulnerable beings. The extent of the conflicts which urges the student to drive his body to above its own limits and to an overdrive causes it to breakdown. At the point of malfunction, the Angel and the Devil ditches the student and the student is finally left to himself again. He sees his own vulnerability finally. All plans to play, to work hard were given a halt. The student answers to himself, understanding what he needs. He needs a rest.

It is not about meeting expectations but knowing how to let go.

Something easy to say but difficult to action.

The student feels that he needs to learn and time to adapt.

Not the Angel or the Devil.