CHAPTER 1

"The act of talking about something is proof that that something exists. The fact that you talk about god proves god's existence."

St. Thomas Aquinas said something along those lines.

To some, such reasoning behind proving an existence is very irrational. The lack of empirical evidence and systematic processes makes it not a very appealing approach and is simply an incorrect way of thinking.

However, to some, they can't help but reflect upon those words. If such a word exists, doesn't that mean the very thing it represents exists as well? If not, then how come such a word comes into being? Is it simply just a product of an imagination which is purely accidental or the result of it being a reality which is inevitable?

Either way, something will continue its existence regardless of what people think about it. The existence of something is completely unaffected by people's way of thinking of how such should be proven.

…

"Eyy kid. I don't like your glasses. You fragile weak little ass. hahahaha," a tall guy blocked my path as he spat a gum on my face.

The way he acted towards me is interesting at the very least.

The fact that he came up with such an abrupt conclusion based on my appearance shows his lack of consideration to many variables that might say otherwise about me. I could be someone who could turn him upside down if I wanted to.

A very narrow minded individual who cancels out many possibilities and options which can be very detrimental to his future decisions. Not very rational if I say so myself.

Being spat at by such a guy is not such a so-good feeling though.

"Did someone cut your tongue, huh? Why don't you say something," he grabbed the left collar of my uniform and pulled me closer. Without any warning whatsoever, he slap my face with considerable force but not enough to make a bruise.

His strength is quite something. I can see why he has such arrogance in his voice. He is tall and big, around 190 cm in height and 90 kg in weight. He has a very athletic physique compared to me who's only 175 cm in height and looks frail because of my glasses.

"Maybe he's scared and shit his pants. hahahaha," said one of the guys behind him, followed by their laughter.

There are 5 of them in total. Looking at their height, especially the guy holding me, they are probably upperclassmen or just genetically gifted individuals of my age.

We are in the school ground so my options are limited within the school laws in this kind of situation. However, despite my current predicament I didn't show a slightest bit of change in my expresion.

I looked at my watch to see the time. Approximately 3 minutes left before the break ends. All the students have gone upstairs to their own room.

Lifting my head and readjusting my glasses to look at the guy holding me, a fist suddenly came flying towards my face.

Me, ignoring his previous threats probably infuriated him which is very evident in his not so-fairly good looking contorted face.

However, like they always say, ignorance could be a form of mercy or it could be a cause of suffering. In this case, their ignorance is …

…

"Ouch. Well, that hurts."

Walking home from school, I can't help but groan everytime I touch the bruise on my stomach. Actually, I'm starting to question my decision earlier. At least I was able to get back to class on time though.

If I retaliate, then I will not be able to do what I will do next. So it's better that I just let them do their thing and be done with it in just a minute.

Still, I'm wondering if those guys ever thought of the consequences of their not so-smart actions. We are still in high school so there's still opportunity for maturity. Well, only time will tell.

Honestly, I kind of understand where they are coming from. What if they are experiencing something unfortunate and it's their coping mechanism to bully people? What if it is just a way to satisfy their desire? Is it wrong to follow one's instinct integrated into one's very own being?

Violence for example. In primitive times, our capacity for violence allowed us to survive in such harsh environments and a way to set hierarchy within their group. It is a necessity in a world ruled by the laws of nature, the survival of the fittest and the elimination of the unfit. Who's to say what is wrong and what is right in those kinds of conditions?

Perspective, culture and belief plays a big role in differentiating good from evil.

As a human person in a modern time, violence is a form of deviant act, a violation of the norms. The social standards set by the society will always label such behavior as wrong. There's simply no justified reason for unnecessary violence towards others. Even with enough reason one cannot say that such action is justified.

But these rules, standards, regulations and laws are still made based on the convenience and l benefits of the human community as a whole. Majority takes priority as oppose to satisfying one's own desire.

There's nothing wrong with that as it is a consensus agreed upon by the masses, but that does not mean that it is absolute. That is only one part of the whole picture. Ethics, like I said, is still a standard. But without these standards, the world would be a living hell for others and a paradise for some. Isn't that what's already happening though?

How about morality?

As someone that treats violence as a part of their daily lives, those guys obviously think that there's nothing wrong with what they did. For them, their action is reasonable and morally right as long as they are the ones doing it. One could even say that the victims are the ones who are in the wrong for being weaker and therefore tolerating such acts.

So, what is my verdict on such an action?

…

--House--

"I'm home,"

Although I said that, there's no one home at this hour -- 2:30pm -- but still there's nothing wrong in making sure.

My parents are both working from 11:00am to 7:00pm in the same company. Their salary is not too high but enough for a family of 5 to live comfortably. And in our case, we only have 3 members -- me, my father and my mother -- so we doesn't need to worry about financial problems.

We have a two story house which is quite spacious for only 3 people. There are 3 rooms on the second floor and each has their own shower. 1 room for me, 1 for my parents and 1 extra room for guests. And on the first floor is the living room, the kitchen and the dining room.

I got to my room on the second floor. Opening the door, what greeted me was my normal looking neatly arranged bed. Across it are my medals hanging on the white wall and my trophies on the cabinet next to it.

There are exactly 208 medals and 33 trophies I accumulated since I started school, from 1st grade of middle school to the 1st year of senior high school -- from the age of 6 to the age of 17. I get those awards from many competitions I joined, both academics and sports related.

I got on the chair and opened the laptop on my desk. Opening the browser, I went to our school's social media page. We just took our class picture last month so I'm sure the school already posted all of it on the page.

"I see," I said while looking at the picture in front of me.

...