Thinking about life
Have been thinking and pondering about life in Singapore... what really makes life so stressful here? Besides the famous rat race, life here is basically running in and out of work and having Sundays spent in church to chill off. Even if one chooses not to be in the rat race, he wouldn't be spared from the onslaught of opinions and suggestions that would flood him over from time to time. Personally I was not spared, ever since from day one, when I was born to what I am now. The flood keeps coming. In my childhood, they, my parents and my relatives would prefer not to ask, but insist that I would be a medical doctor or a lawyer or an engineer when I grew up. So I have to study very hard for it because position like that is hard to get, especially getting into the university, where competition is steep. Henceforth, when I decided to be an artist instead, we had a hard time reconciling with each other. A big argument was inevitable. And even though we don't quarrel over it again, my parents would still ask me what am I doing now. Am I having an income or am I am having a proper employment. Questions like these are frustrating enough. They would irritate me even further by asking how much I am earning. Such is the chinese culture. What they are really concern over with is not my welfare, or how am I faring. Their chief concern is whether I have enough money to take care of them when they are old.I respect them and I would like to honour them with my substance. But I choose not to be imprisoned by the thought that I have to earn enough, not only for myself and my family, but also for them in the future. Can you understand that?
In Singapore, peers and friends can make much influence on your life too. Friends are very important in the sense they can make or break you. Bad influences are not only bad habits like smoking and drinking or even drug abuse. They can be subtle hints that you are not earning as much as them, or not living in a house as luxurious as theirs, or even not driving a car as big and fast as theirs. Soemtimes you wonder why the conversation changes so fast when you mentioned that you are not in a managerial position during a reunion. I hate reunion because I am always subjected to their fierce scruitiny. I am not a prisoner to their opinions and thoughts but words can cut. It is still quite difficult to find back the broken pieces after you are cut, even though you tell yourself again and again that you do not mind being cut into pieces. So avoiding that is wise, I think. I have the right not to subject myself to bad treatment right. If the service is bad, I would walk away. Why should I stay to be slain like a piece of meat?
I am saying all these because I am not stressed by the nature of my work. In fact I enjoyed my work and I will enjoy it forever. It is the people around me that stress me out each day. They can be christians and non-believers, but they do the same thing to you everyday. We are in an unredeemed world, where humans still have flaw and being imperfect. I understand their shortcomings and so on... even I myself is not perfect too. Therefore in a fallen world like this, there is no doubt that hurt would be produced....
posted by Don Low @ 1:23 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home