I’m 17 and I’m decent. Just decent.

Perhaps. But I was thinking of kiasu in the sense of going to a good university, instead of striking it out at an intership or picking a stable job over doing what you really care about. I was trying not to emphasize the success points but maybe I gave one too many examples. I was trying to explain that what the education system gives is a very pointless, bland experience that leads to decency but no real significant learning or satisfaction. Pointlessness. I think that if we did do what we cared about, then we'd be beyond that spectrum you mentioned, because you'd be passionate about and enjoying what you did, instead of aiming to be a defined "winner".

I think this really reflects on how bad a writer I am. I wasn't trying so hard to compare myself to others, but rather to show that in my opinion, I'm not doing anything but the standard stuff, that's pointless in my opinion, while other people are doing things they care about and are interested in. It would lead to decency, but not satisfaction, contribution, or change of any sort. Might have missed the point a little while writing the piece.