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"I am heading back. This place is so strange. And I am so scared."

"You know what: for the next weeks you will have jet lag. You will be missing your parents like never before. You will be so unfamiliar with the customs, the food, the code of practice here. You will face devils and death at times. But there is no need for you to worry when I am here."

This is an excerpt from one of the short stories I came by one day when I had to while away the time before going to bed. Hearts should be throbbing with sympathy to this, shouldn't they?

Hold on to me as we go

As we roll down this unfamiliar road

And although this wave is stringing us along

Life has never been easy. Our lives are predestined to have bumps, small ones, big ones, even gigantic ones. All of those are perfectly, abhorrently designed to knock us down every single minute.

Nor has life been predictable. Roads are never normally straight, there are astonishing intersections, serpentine alleys, most of which baffle us as to which to choose, distract us, hamper us from achieving our goals. Roads do not necesssarily lead to abominable destinations, but merely how winding and bumpy they are can do us harm.

Life can be spontaneous as well. Or may be it is ourselves who are spontaneous. Spontaneity occurs every time we are not in total control of ourselves, well, in this case we are so most of the time. It is akin to games - they must have a random number generator, and that thing may mean sink or swim.

This happens to everyone - life is fair. If you have had the privilege to live, you had better prove you are worth it. Unless you are smart, you are out.

But we are young. We are inexperienced, are impressionable, are chicken-hearted. How are we supposed to cope with such difficulties that life bestows upon us as we mature?

Just know you are not alone

Cause I'm gonna make this place your home

We humans are born in company with others. We grow up in the bosom of our parents. We sow our wild oats with our cohorts. We work alongside our colleagues. This is partly what makes humans humans - the strongest creature in this planet. We use our brains wisely with other brains to build up our own guilds, see off those natural challenges and make our name.

Take the example of the kings of the jungle. Tigers are stronger, faster, stealthier, crueler than lions. However, lions take the throne, because they always come in groups. One tiger can certainly outrun one lion, but if the battle is between one tiger and ten lions, the gang is second to none.

If we are helped by others, we can easily move forward in our journeys. With greater experience they are able to guide us through the darkness, point out the shortcut, evade the traps on the way. They can acquaint us with unacquainted places, so we can feel safer.

Settle down it'll all be clear

Don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear

Who would not freak out as their first few steps into life stagger? Bear in mind that this is what life intends to do to you. Life is a vicious circle, and your job is to not fall prey to any kind of phobias that try to eat you away. Or try to control you.

There was once a girl who was born into a rich, yet scandalous, family. At the age of 6 she lost her mother, who died by a bullet straight into her heart. As she were in her teens she found out much about the hideous past of her family. Her father's affairs, her lost brother, and even murders that took place in her house, all seem to scare her. She was trapped in a place of her own. And as she was drowning, a lifebouy appeared. As magical as it could be, an old friend of her father was able to see her condition and decided to save her. He explained away every single occurrence in her house, gave her mental treatment, and gave her a job. And just like any other clichéd fairy tale, she got used to her new life and clean forgot about the past.

Now there is one problem: will it be better if at times we are left to our own devices? We all know that if we count on others so often, we will not have anything. That is the time when we need to estimate our own capability. I will not say that: yes, there are helpers around, so why not exploit them; or no, do not be so chicken-hearted to rely on others. It is a matter of judging ourselves and counsel others so that we can, on our own, pave way to our bright future.

Still, if troubles that might drag you down"arise, and if you get lost, just remember, you can always be found.

Because you, and I, we will never be alone.