By Venkatesan Ranjana (23A01D)

There is undoubtedly a voice within you preaching that ten years from now, you should be on a perfect trajectory to becoming the top in your field, attaining widespread recognition and numerous accolades. What is worth examining for many of us is whether there is another voice—which may be slightly quieter, or raving more loudly—that questions the first.

That first voice represents what we can refer to as the typical Rafflesian path of success, in which the only definition of success deemed acceptable is three-fold: regard, position, and service.  

By Shreya Singh (23S03C) and Cece Cao Chenxi (23A01E)

Our modern world is characterised by a deep, relational hunger. We’ve found ourselves aching for connection, even though developments in technology have allowed us to keep in touch with others on the other side of the globe. 

However, with loneliness increasingly seen through rose-tinted glasses after pandemic restrictions prevented face-to-face interactions, it is interesting to explore how the romanticisation of loneliness has affected our day-to-day lives.

By Lim Zhi Qi Victoria (23S06B)

I want friends like that, I want his popularity, I want a partner like that, I want eyes like hers, I want her bravery and his intelligence, I want their happiness. Nobody intends to actively compare themselves with others, but it has become inevitable in the society that we grow up in. It’s natural for us to collect information about our surroundings, and use it to evaluate how we are doing in life. 

Though not all forms of comparison lead to envy, envy always starts with self-comparison. I think the envy that we experience nowadays goes far beyond just wanting something, but also includes the element of not wanting the other person to have it. 

By Shermaine Lim (22S03N)

On the first day of the January Induction Programme, I sat in the middle of the lecture hall, amidst 200 restless students who were visibly reeling from the effects of the never ending series of perfunctory talks. 

However, there was one particular talk that piqued my attention, that being the one titled: How to Thrive in JC. Intrigued, I craned my neck and paid special attention to the Year Head, who introduced the concept of being a multi-hyphenate. 

For those unfamiliar with this term, a multi-hyphenate is described as a person with varied skills with a certain level of expertise. These are your Kylie Jenners, the actress-model-business owner-celebrity, of our society. They refer to a group of outstanding individuals who excel at a range of areas of expertise, with a multitude of titles under their belts.