experiences in this weirdly-spent holiday

I now take the time to pause and reflect on the things I've experienced. I learnt a few things, and here are my thoughts:

The path to maturity is laid with sacrifices. A person matures as he/she understands and commits to the sacrifices that have to be made. That statement brings me to the notion of dying to self, and to God. Everything that we have is from Him, and we have to be willing to let go - everything. Friends, and relationships should all be at that altar of sacrifice. Sometimes, this can be difficult, but it has to be done.

I did some not-so-good things. I let people in on the many areas of USP life - some not so good, some alright. Things, such as the social structures and the social realities of USP, and the good and bad of it.

I'm now doing things with Rag - busy making floats and stuff. I never committed, since I knew very well that I could not commit. I salute and respect the people who have committed their time, effort, tears and blood to this project, but I cannot help but feel...

Social credibility, standing, acknowledgment of the work done, of being a team player, of not fooling around, of being treated seriously, of being respected - these are the things that you gut should you choose to commit and do the right things. If not, social pariah awaits.

Alas, but at the end, the rewards are... questionable. I never did the freshman activities during my time - but I have still managed to enter into the social relationships in USP. It is possible to enter into cliques should one make the effort to spend time and crap around, but be serious during crunch time. This is what it takes to be visible. But after that, what?

Its not about the organisers, its not about the leaders... its not about them at all. It's about people getting value and the relationships being made between people that matters. But all of that only takes place at that moment in time and in place - after that, these things are all up in the air, and relationships change. Throughout the semester, we will learn new insightful revelations about particular people, and perceptions change.

Perhaps we find, even with close friends, how apart, or how close we really are. Close friends become distant, and strangers become the best of friends. I have experienced these, and then some. People come together, people fall apart. But we are made of more than stars.

Some of this brings me tangentially to leadership. Leadership gets found out. Its about whether you serve to glorify yourself, or serve to add value to others. If people ask me how I define the meaning of life, I'll say, find it in God, and how you give value to the people around you. I think that might be the whole point of Christianity, since salvation is the ultimate, valuable thing. But if they don't like it, continue to give value to others in different ways.

Haha. I could do a help-others (as opposed to self-help) gig on this thread. haha.