Chapter 73: Time Skip

Slowly but surely Christmas passed, so did the New Years, Ski Week and Valentines day. All the while Jeffrey settled through his classes and school. However, Jeffrey felt unsettled as if the specter of something haunted his very being. It was the feeling of being chased, a fear of the unknown, the worries of the future.

His science group was like a cluster of sailboats, at the beginning they all sailed off together in the same direction. However, some currents carried them further and toward different directions. Inevitably they all started to drift apart.

Preston and Samantha had their own meetings and competitions to attend, even Dresden started to stabilize his sense of greed as the initial novelty wore off. Jeffrey stayed very much consistent and the same.

The only difference was that the amount of books he read kept increasing, Isaac Asimov's "Man's Greatest Asset", Richard Warner's "The Prince of Yen", the various dreams of science fiction, fantasy, and economic stories filled his time. Jeffrey found his source of entertainment through stories.

Although all was not right with their bubble of detached reality, Jeffrey was well aware of the lasting effects headed for the world economy later that year. To be honest, Jeffrey flirted with the idea of becoming a stock investor god. Shorting the American economy, investing in Apple, Tesla and Microsoft. However in all his years of reading, he found those stories boring and unfulfilling.

Sure many of his compatriots in those stories drowned themselves in the happiness of female companions, philanthropy and a sense of purpose. Some of them had golden systems pushing them to greater heights and achievements. But Jeffrey wanted to achieve something, he wanted to challenge the world.

Perhaps he would become a scientist, mathematician or engineer. He might even want to be a doctor, however all those professions are far in the future.

Again and again Jeffrey was struck with the question, "What do I want to do with my life?"

There was no ultimate future he wanted to change, no tragedy he wanted to avert. His family although they struggled a little, made it through 2008. Life continued, he had no pressures of having to repay any debt.

Jeffrey with his share could theoretically buy bitcoin and after a decade become a wealthy millionaire.

"Is that what I want to do?", Jeffrey asked himself.

He did receive a second chance after all, the opportunity existed why not take advantage of it.

Put it quite simply Jeffrey was lost, he had absolutely no idea how to proceed with life. No grand ambitious or a sense of national identity. He could be a crisis fighter, trying to help relieve disasters and be a national hero like many Chinese Main Character Protagonists.

Although in the grand scheme of things, society existed to protect itself. Throughout the history of events of the past and present, each country had its share of problems to resolve and troubles to navigate, but life continued.

"Start a milk tea shop? Get into Harvard?", Jeffrey suffered this sense of detachment of being able to have everything but wanting nothing.

"You don't have anything yet, all these are but thoughts in your head", Jeffrey tried to humble himself.

"He could copy write music or reproduce future games and applications. Struggling through the business workplace. The future was full of possibilities", thought Jeffrey.

It all reminded him of Gary Paulsen's book series "Lawn Boy". Sure there were many philosophers thinking about happiness from Aristotle's Eudaimonia to Mills theories of utilitarianism. However books and stories was what spoke to Jeffrey.

For his short term goals, Jeffrey wrote on a notebook "Do something that makes me happy".

Jeffrey decided then and there that he wanted to get a job.