I paused for a moment while standing in the school field. The students were completely silent, listening carefully.
"My second stage of life was adolescence," I began. "This is a very strange time in a person's life. During this age, we often feel that we understand everything… but in truth, this is when we make some of our biggest mistakes."
When I was about fourteen years old, I felt that I had grown up already.
Around that time, I made some new friends. They liked wandering around and having fun more than studying. Slowly, I began spending most of my time with them.
One day they said to me, "Let's skip school today and go to the market."
I hesitated for a moment, but finally I went with them. We spent the entire day walking around and enjoying ourselves.
A few days later, the school announced the exam results. My marks were very poor.
I felt deeply disappointed.
One of my teachers called me and said gently,
"Ariyon, friends are important in life. But the wrong friends can lead you in the wrong direction."
Then he added,
"You must decide whether you want to follow their path… or create your own."
Those words stayed in my mind for a long time.
Slowly, I started changing the way I spent my time.
Another incident happened not long after that.
A new student joined our school. He came from a very poor family and wore simple clothes. One day, some of my friends and I laughed at him because of that.
Later that evening, the old village teacher saw me on the road and asked,
"Why were you laughing at someone today?"
I felt surprised and remained silent.
He said slowly,
"It is very easy to judge someone by their clothes. But a person's true value lives in their heart."
Then he added,
"A person who tries to make others small can never become truly great."
I felt deeply ashamed.
The next day I went to that boy and spoke with him kindly. Later, he became one of my closest friends.
Another mistake came from my own anger.
One day my father told me,
"You should start focusing more on your studies."
But in my teenage pride I replied,
"I understand my own life!"
After saying that, I left the house angrily.
That evening the old teacher met me again.
He asked,
"Do you know why mountains are so strong?"
I replied,
"No."
He smiled and said,
"Because mountains never become proud of their height. They simply stand quietly."
Then he said,
"Pride closes the eyes of a person."
That night I returned home and apologized to my father.
I looked at the students again.
"During adolescence, people change very quickly," I told them. "Making mistakes during this time is natural. But if someone helps us see those mistakes, and if we learn from them, those very mistakes can help us grow."
A small boy raised his hand and asked,
"Sir… what happened after that?"
I smiled gently.
"Then came the third stage of my life…
the stage of youth."