Life feels like a fleeting illusion, a dream so vivid yet slipping beyond reach. It exists as a story recorded in the depths of memory—a collection of moments, faces, and emotions that seem real until time erases their certainty. Everything moves too fast, shifting and reshaping itself so completely that we often wonder if the past ever truly happened or if it was merely an echo of imagination.
Change arrives unannounced, an unstoppable force that makes no two moments the same. It bends our desires, alters our choices, and dictates our needs—many beyond our control. We grow, adapt, and chase the promises of adulthood, believing it to be the pinnacle of freedom, comfort, and self-sufficiency. As children, we dream of finishing school, earning a living, and starting a family, convinced that adulthood will be our reward, the long-awaited escape from the struggles of youth. But how wrong we were.
Looking back, childhood was not the prison we once imagined—it was paradise. We were free in ways we never understood, unburdened by the weight of responsibility, untouched by the struggles that would later define our lives. I remember the simple joys of childhood: running through the neighborhood with friends, bound together by unspoken loyalty, sharing everything from meals to dreams. We had so little yet gave so much—eating from the same plate, sleeping under the same roof, wearing each other’s clothes, and offering what little we had without hesitation. It was a time of boundless hope, where kindness was repaid not with money but with even greater kindness.
School was not just a place of learning but a world of solidarity, laughter, and shared struggles. Every experience was imprinted in memory, though time now makes them seem like fragments of a distant dream. We lived with the certainty that success was within reach, that hard work and merit mattered.
We were inspired by the stories of exceptional kids—those who defied expectations, who dreamed big and dared to believe in their future. I still remember the legendary student who, after taking an exam, boldly declared, “Even if God doesn’t approve, I know I have all A’s.” Or those who mapped out their university choices from junior school, their ambitions clear and unwavering. How inspiring those times were! But now, even first-class graduates stare into an uncertain future, where success is not just about merit but about connections, privilege, and favors exchanged behind closed doors.
The world has grown harsher, colder. The simple joys we once took for granted now come with a price tag. Even the poorest could once celebrate life with laughter and shared meals, but today, even the working class struggles to eat comfortably. The cost of transportation confines people to their homes, forcing them to ration resources as if the luxury of yesterday was merely an illusion. Sachet water—once the cheapest necessity—is now unaffordable. We lived in paradise and didn’t know it.
And then, there is the unbearable heat—the sun now an unforgiving inferno, its intensity compounded by erratic power supply. It is no longer just economic hardship; it is physical torment, the world pressing down on us in ways we never imagined.
As children, words like kidnapping and drug abuse existed only in storybooks. Now, they have evolved into banditry, terrorism, cultism, and human trafficking—grim realities that shape our world. The innocence of childhood has given way to the brutality of adulthood.
Time has not only changed the world around us; it has transformed us. I look around and see people rise from nothing to wealth, and others fall from greatness to ruin. Friendships that once seemed eternal have faded into memory. Love that once burned bright has been replaced by new passions. People move, adapt, and reshape their lives, sending old versions of themselves into the past as if they never existed.
Yesterday, we were children—wild, fearless, and full of dreams. Today, we are adults, burdened by responsibilities, distanced from the ones we once called family, unable to give as freely as we once did. We long for the past, but time never stops. It moves forward, indifferent, carrying us along with it.
How life has changed!
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