I looked at the students standing in front of me. Some of them were whispering to each other, curious about what would come next.
I smiled and continued.
"The third stage of my life was youth. This is the time when a person begins to dream about the future. We start thinking about what we want to become, where we want to go, and what kind of life we want to live. But this is also a time when life begins to test us."
When I entered my youth, I had many dreams. I wanted to become successful and respected. I believed that the world was waiting for me.
But very soon I realized that dreams alone are not enough.
One of my first struggles during that time came when I finished school and started looking for work. I believed that because I had studied, I would easily find a good job.
But the world outside the school was very different.
I went to many places asking for work, but many people refused me. Some said I did not have enough experience. Others said there were already too many people looking for the same opportunity.
After many failures, I began to feel discouraged.
One evening I met the same old teacher who had guided me many times before. He looked at my face and immediately understood something was wrong.
He asked me,
"Ariyon, why do you look so tired?"
I told him about my struggles and my failures.
He listened quietly and then said,
"Do you know how a river reaches the ocean?"
I said,
"It just keeps flowing."
He nodded and replied,
"Yes. And sometimes the river meets rocks and mountains. But it does not stop. It finds another path and keeps moving."
Then he looked at me and said,
"Success is not given to the person who dreams the most. It is given to the person who continues walking even after failure."
Those words gave me strength again. I decided not to give up. Slowly, I kept trying until I finally found my first work.
But youth brings other kinds of mistakes as well.
During that time, when I finally started earning a little money, I began to feel very proud of myself. I thought I had already achieved something great.
Because of that pride, I started ignoring the advice of my parents.
One day my father tried to explain something about saving money and planning for the future. But I did not listen carefully.
I told him,
"I know what I'm doing."
Later that week I spent almost all my money on unnecessary things with my friends. When the month ended, I realized I had nothing left.
That evening I met the old teacher again.
He asked me,
"Ariyon, do you know why farmers store grain after harvest?"
I replied,
"So they have food for the future."
He smiled.
"Exactly. Wisdom means thinking about tomorrow, not only about today."
That lesson stayed with me for the rest of my life.
From that day, I started becoming more careful with my decisions.
Another lesson came through disappointment.
In my youth, I once trusted someone very quickly. I believed that person was my true friend. We started working together on something important.
But later I discovered that he had used my trust for his own benefit and left me with the loss.
I felt deeply hurt.
For a few days, I felt angry at the world.
Once again, the old teacher met me and asked,
"What have you learned from this?"
I said,
"I have learned that people cannot be trusted."
He shook his head gently.
"That is not the right lesson," he said.
"The right lesson is to be wise in choosing whom to trust. Pain can either make your heart harder… or make your mind wiser."
That day I realized something important.
Life does not become better because problems disappear. Life becomes better because we learn how to face them.
I looked at the students standing in front of me. Their faces were serious now.
"Youth is the stage where dreams are tested," I said. "It is the time when we learn responsibility, patience, and wisdom. And sometimes the lessons are difficult."
I paused for a moment.
"But my life did not stop there."
A boy in the front row raised his hand.
"Sir… what happened after youth?"
I smiled gently.
"After youth comes the fourth stage of life…
the stage of adulthood."