Necessary.

In the months that have passed since I graduated from Manipal in April 2016, I've been possibly the most emotionally stable I've ever been. It was a period that I used to relax, to recover from the physical, mental and emotional exhaustion throughout my life as an undergraduate student. A lot of soul-searching was done, and I made happiness as my first priority. I made a conscious effort to stop caring so much about many things, and to stop working my mind any more than was necessary. My goal was to calm the storm in my head, as well as to take measures so as to keep it that way as much as possible.

It might have worked; then again, it might not have. Sure, it's almost ridiculous how calm I am most of the time these days, but that's not hard to do since I actively avoid conflict and other situations that could potentially get me going. The only emotional excursions I regularly undertake involve playing FIFA and following the football.

All good things come to an end, however, and it seems that this sheltered period is coming to a close. As much as I would love to, I can't stay in this protective bubble for the rest of my life. Too much has been invested into me, and it would be a waste if I don't make the most of my potential.

I don't actually feel bad for being so unproductive for so long. Plenty of people take time off, and for various durations. Sometimes you just need a break, and these things take as much time as they need to. Admittedly, mine probably took a bit longer than was necessary, but there are some circumstances that you just can't control.

My Master's program looks to finally be properly starting after being stuck in bureaucratic purgatory since October. I signed up to be a facilitator at a motivational camp for school students. I offered to help train my old university's debate team for an upcoming tournament. I'm beginning to give a damn about current issues and consume intellectual content again. It's safe to say that I've started crawling out of the cave I've been chilling in for almost a year.

I've learned that we human beings are not individuals, but merely components in the great machine that is society. We each have a place in this world, a role to fulfil, and all that we do to improve ourselves is merely just so that we can carry out our roles better, or even to move to a different one. And I really have no problem with that. Why else were we all put into this world with each other, instead of each getting our own? The reason the world is so messed up is because too many people choose to be selfish.

Was I choosing to be selfish by sheltering myself for ten months? Some might say so. I, however, see it as a necessary break I had to take for my long-term wellbeing. Even machines need to be serviced every now and then to ensure they continue to perform at their optimum levels.

Now it's time to get going, to use my freshness to take myself to a new level. It's never easy to step out of your comfort zone, but I, for one, am relishing it.