The Art of Oversocialisation
How many of us are truly thankful for all the things we have? How often do we show appreciation to our dads and mums for all the big and small things they have done for us? Or when was the last time we showed concern for our loved ones when they needed it most? Some fundamental things to ponder about when everyone seems to be so caught up in the rat race of striving for good grades and earning big bucks, so much so that ANY thing else becomes relatively less important, and EVERY thing else becomes apparently unimportant.
Most of us lead a good life here in a “first-class” city. We have handphones, even kids today have handphones too.. we have TVs, HI-FI sets, microwaves/ovens, air-conditioner, etc. and these are already considered “basics”. Water and electricity are just one press of a button away.. and btw, supply is unlimited. Life is so comfortable..we have much much more than what we really need to lead a decent life. What do we have to complain about?
At least we do not have to endure the sufferings of endless wars and live in chaos and instability like many others in other parts of the world; we enjoy peace and order in our country, which is being taken for granted. Our high standard of living gives us the means to fend ourselves from harm because we eat well and we have access to plenty of facilities. But remember there are people out there in some corner of our world who drink the same water they used to bathe themselves, and they are totally helpless when diseases attack. Thousands of people lose their lives from our so-called ‘minor’ sicknesses. When we lie comfortably under our blankets on cooling rainy days, think about the destitute who don’t even have a proper house to live in. They feel cold and insecure, but for us, we never have to worry because we have a secure roof above us and we feel warm and safe.
It remains a fact that we ARE indeed very fortunate. We are so much better off than millions or even billions around the world. We never have to search for these basic yet vital things..there were just there since the very first day and our duty was just to enjoy them. It’s understandable why we tend to neglect their importance since it sounds too far-fetched that we will ever lose them. But this doesn’t mean we have the right to take them for granted. This is exactly the reason why people nowadays are easily discontented with life. We don’t have to fight for our survival, so we are able to channel our energy to attaining material goals. Grades and money become top on our priority list and our lives begin to be organised around these superficial things. Our mentality is: everyone else seems to be in the race..the more the better, the higher the better.. if I don’t join in, I’ll lose out… I cannot lose out! But the race takes away our minds.. we lose focus, stuck in a vicious cycle, and we are willing to sacrifice a lot of things just to keep ahead of others in this ugly race.
It saddens me when I hear of people around me who fall out with their family members because of money issues.. siblings’ relationship with each other sours because of very mundane matters.. or siblings who quarrel badly over problems with taking care of their elderly parents. One question. How many fathers do we have? Two? Three? And mothers.. and siblings? Are they all over the street so we can just grab any tom, dick, harry to be our family member? It’s a sad thing when people see material things as more important than priceless human ties. Money cannot buy back a life.. If we learn to cherish some things only when we lose them, it will be meaningless.
I guess it’s only when we learn to be thankful for every single thing we have in our lives now, especially our health, that we can be contented and be truly happy. It’s ok to grumble abit.. about how our stressful school life is.. about how unreasonable our bosses are.. or how unfair this world is probably most of the time.. BUT when we are sincerely thankful for even the smallest thing we have, we can recover from our discontented thoughts quick. When we encounter “down” periods, no matter how upsetting things may appear to be, we can tell ourselves “It’s okay”, because ultimately we know we cannot be worse than say, someone in a third-world country and no matter what we STILL have a lot.
Society expects a lot from us, but it is our choice whether we want to be part of the race. It looks glam on the outside, but we never know whether it is just an empty shell on the inside. It is always the little things from the heart that do not take a lot, but means a lot to others. Money and material things only feed our impulses, but they don’t feed our hearts. Hearts are meant to be filled by love and warmth that money cannot buy. It comes from the people around us, so cherish the people around us and show them that you care. I make it a point to remember all the kind things that people have done to me.. and I’ll leave them to next time. Hugs and Kisses for now~
Most of us lead a good life here in a “first-class” city. We have handphones, even kids today have handphones too.. we have TVs, HI-FI sets, microwaves/ovens, air-conditioner, etc. and these are already considered “basics”. Water and electricity are just one press of a button away.. and btw, supply is unlimited. Life is so comfortable..we have much much more than what we really need to lead a decent life. What do we have to complain about?
At least we do not have to endure the sufferings of endless wars and live in chaos and instability like many others in other parts of the world; we enjoy peace and order in our country, which is being taken for granted. Our high standard of living gives us the means to fend ourselves from harm because we eat well and we have access to plenty of facilities. But remember there are people out there in some corner of our world who drink the same water they used to bathe themselves, and they are totally helpless when diseases attack. Thousands of people lose their lives from our so-called ‘minor’ sicknesses. When we lie comfortably under our blankets on cooling rainy days, think about the destitute who don’t even have a proper house to live in. They feel cold and insecure, but for us, we never have to worry because we have a secure roof above us and we feel warm and safe.
It remains a fact that we ARE indeed very fortunate. We are so much better off than millions or even billions around the world. We never have to search for these basic yet vital things..there were just there since the very first day and our duty was just to enjoy them. It’s understandable why we tend to neglect their importance since it sounds too far-fetched that we will ever lose them. But this doesn’t mean we have the right to take them for granted. This is exactly the reason why people nowadays are easily discontented with life. We don’t have to fight for our survival, so we are able to channel our energy to attaining material goals. Grades and money become top on our priority list and our lives begin to be organised around these superficial things. Our mentality is: everyone else seems to be in the race..the more the better, the higher the better.. if I don’t join in, I’ll lose out… I cannot lose out! But the race takes away our minds.. we lose focus, stuck in a vicious cycle, and we are willing to sacrifice a lot of things just to keep ahead of others in this ugly race.
It saddens me when I hear of people around me who fall out with their family members because of money issues.. siblings’ relationship with each other sours because of very mundane matters.. or siblings who quarrel badly over problems with taking care of their elderly parents. One question. How many fathers do we have? Two? Three? And mothers.. and siblings? Are they all over the street so we can just grab any tom, dick, harry to be our family member? It’s a sad thing when people see material things as more important than priceless human ties. Money cannot buy back a life.. If we learn to cherish some things only when we lose them, it will be meaningless.
I guess it’s only when we learn to be thankful for every single thing we have in our lives now, especially our health, that we can be contented and be truly happy. It’s ok to grumble abit.. about how our stressful school life is.. about how unreasonable our bosses are.. or how unfair this world is probably most of the time.. BUT when we are sincerely thankful for even the smallest thing we have, we can recover from our discontented thoughts quick. When we encounter “down” periods, no matter how upsetting things may appear to be, we can tell ourselves “It’s okay”, because ultimately we know we cannot be worse than say, someone in a third-world country and no matter what we STILL have a lot.
Society expects a lot from us, but it is our choice whether we want to be part of the race. It looks glam on the outside, but we never know whether it is just an empty shell on the inside. It is always the little things from the heart that do not take a lot, but means a lot to others. Money and material things only feed our impulses, but they don’t feed our hearts. Hearts are meant to be filled by love and warmth that money cannot buy. It comes from the people around us, so cherish the people around us and show them that you care. I make it a point to remember all the kind things that people have done to me.. and I’ll leave them to next time. Hugs and Kisses for now~
posted by Jshan @ 8.7.05
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