Shengliver’s Note: Teen Zechen is perplexed by his pals’ degeneration.

 

One day last month, I had a get-together with my ‘brother’ Peter, by eating out. He has been my best buddy to be honest. Although we are not one family, we have been together through thick and thin for the past ten years. Right now, his school performance leaves a lot to be desired. To cheer Peter up, I have talked with him many times. It seems, unfortunately, that no difference has been made. Either I am not influential enough, or he does not have the will to change. I am at a loss.

Another friend of mine, Huang, and I used to live in the same tower block. We hung out a lot. In primary school and middle school, he outperformed me in lessons. However, when Year 12 began, he started to hate school, his family, and almost everything not to his taste. He sleeps in class, listens to music plugged with earbuds at school, and does his favourite PC games at night. He used to get over 600 points, no sweat, in an exam, but now he barely makes 500.

Kong, another friend, was a courteous, friendly and warm boy. One year he started to frequent net bars in the neighbourhood. Now he often curses, shouting obscenities that I cannot tolerate. His schoolwork is now a total mess.

So many guys around me have strayed from the right course. I cannot figure out why. Why don’t they want to be a better person? Why don’t they desire to do something good for the world? Good is a nice word; better is a thing everyone is supposed to strive to be. It still baffles me why those friends of mine stop trying to improve themselves and are heading into nowhere instead. Who can tell me why?