Chi Kang Pai●

Choosing People Over Puzzles

May 1, 2025 · Life, Thoughts

I sometimes print International Physics Olympiad problems and treat them like word searches—circling clues, scribbling arrows, delighting in each tidy solution. Puzzles feel safe: every symbol fits, every answer waits.

Yet life pushed me toward a messier, more human arena.

I spent my late teens and early twenties shuttling between hospitals and classrooms. Watching my family cycle through illness has shaped me more than any textbook ever could.

Those years made me calmer. At the Asian Physics Olympiad I once panicked over a single unsolved problem; now I understand there are trials far harsher than an unanswered question.

They also taught me to guard my own well-being. Unquestioning sacrifice helps no one. Self-respect, clear decisions and a mindset of abundance let me serve the people I love more effectively.

Because of this shift, pure theory in physics and mathematics excites me less than work that eases suffering. Advances in biotechnology, the tireless hours of medical professionals and the steady progress of healthcare kept my family healthier than they might have been a decade ago; I want to contribute to that momentum.

Financial gain and intellectual riddles once drove me; today I’m moved far more by the chance to improve lives. I still respect money—not for indulgent steak or five-star lobbies, but for the security it can give my family, the talent it can attract, and the impact it can underwrite.

Having endured dark hours, I hold a deeper gratitude for every moment, bright or dim, and for the resilience we will need in the shadows ahead.