Growing up – a painful process

Sorry to all readers that I have not update my blog since the Paris post. I did not have any internet connection 4 the past few days as my housemates have decided to stop the old internet service with an internet company which costs more then the current one. The old service has been stopped but the new modem has not arrived. I was “deprived” of my “basic needs” during these few days.

Through this experience I have realized that I have been addicted to internet, despite refusing to accept this fact earlier on. Internet has been playing a huge role in my life after arriving in Germany. Reading of Emails, chatting thru MSN, blogging, finding out the latest football result and rumors, etc. I’m always online, unless I’m on holiday w/out my laptop. Slowly but surely, my dependence on the internet has grown. It’s now like electricity n water to me. W/out them, life would be miserable. When I was told that there would be no internet service 4 weeks, my heart sank. I did not know what shud I do. During these days I felt something missing in my life. I can’t chat with frens anymore. I can’t read about any football news ( I dint’t even know that Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager was sacked). My life was turned upside down.

My addiction to the internet brings me to the point that I would like to share to everyone today. Growing up. Since young, we have been dreaming of growing up. As a young child, I always thought of things that I can do when I become older. I always had the thought that being older means gaining more respect from others. Being older allows me to do things that I always wanted to do. Being older means having more freedom. Yes, those were the thoughts when we were a kid. But when we really did grew older, reality strikes.

I have read about a joke that says when we were 7 years old, we hoped that we can be 13, where we can be in a secondary school. When we were 13, we hoped that we can be 18, where we can get married legally. When we were 18, we hoped that we can be 21, where we r adults then by law n have the right to vote. When we were 21, we hoped that we can be 30, where we have a stable income n a happy family. When we were 30, we hoped that we r 60, where we can retire from our job. But when we r 60, we hope that we could be a child again. How ironic is that?

Days w/out internet has taught me something. It seems that God is telling me: Daniel, it’s time to grow up. Have u ever seen ur mom or dad struggling when the internet is down? Have u seen ur dad playing computer games all day long n being very depressed because he has just lost in a Dota game? No, I suppose. They have grown up. Grown from a boy or a girl to a man or a woman. Everyone gets older, but not everyone becomes a grown up. From the fact that I was clueless on what shud I do after knowing the fact that I cant use the internet 4 quite some time proves that I have not really grown up n became mature enough 4 me to call myself a man.

What defines a man? By law, being 21 years old makes one qualified enough to be called a man. Jia Jin, my senior, taught me stg important. From a book he read, a man shud be defined as a king, a warrior, a mentor and a friend. Take note, it’s AND, not OR. To be a successful man, one has to try to fulfill these 4 criteria.


A king. Our body belongs to us. We r the king of our bodies. A king shud be someone who provides 4 his people or subordinates. As the king of our own bodies, r we capable of providing good and useful elements to it? Or are we abusing it? The definition of King can be expanded when we r married. Are we capable of providing the needs of our spouses and children?

A warrior. Are we strong enough to protect ourselves from evil and temptations? Are we fit enough to protect our spouses and children from harm and danger? Are we capable enough to fight the evil and protect the good?

A mentor. Are we wise enough to teach? Are we equipped enough to pass on our knowledge to others? Are we capable to know what is right and what is wrong?

A friend. Are we good enough to be a pillar of support to others around us? Are we caring enough to attend to the needs of our friends around us?

Growing up is really a tough and painful process. Old and bad habits which do not benefit us have to be left behind. Immature actions and behaviours have to be eliminated. One has to be brave and decisive enough to make decisions by his or her own. One has to be totally responsible 4 his or her own actions. No more dependence on our parents anymore. One must be ready to take responsibilities.

But, God will always be with us in each and every growing up process. I’m very thankful to God that He has provided me with many wonderful examples that I can follow. My seniors: Jia Jin, Yong and Jia Uei are living examples that have grown up not only physically but also spiritually. The way God works in their lives is a living testimony. They are not only successful students but successful God’s children as well. The way they balance their studies and God is stg that I need to learn.

I want to grow up, do you?