Avoid or engage?
So... people say we shouldn't dwell on the negative. Life is too short. Live it up. Don't worry be happy. Lets treat life as one big happy hour.
It looks to me like if you have an opinion about something that isn't amusing or mindless or if you go near anything thought-provoking, then there's something wrong with you. At least that's what I gather from comments in other people's blogs.
I think that's a fair representation of not just blogosphere but society as a whole. Hip-and-happening lifestyle blogs outnumber thought provoking ones by something like 500 to 1. That's normal. I remember in school, if you enrolled in philosophy or theology class or anything that requires you to think about the human condition, you're pretty much a freak. Outside of school as grown ups, saying anything thought provoking still makes you a freak. The only exception is when you're guessing who's gonna win the season's American Idol.
But no sweat... I understand people need a defence mechanism to protect their fragile minds from life's harmful ugliness. We only want to see the pretty flowers and keep quiet about the rotting ones. If not we'll lose all hope in life, at least according to one blogger.
Hmmm... if I didn't know any better the dude just admitted that life is indeed hopeless (since no one lives forever) so the only good way to deal with it is to stick our heads in the sand. Oh, and to say happy things all the time.
If that hits close to home, then there are more delusional people than I thought. No wonder they call mental institutions "happy" places, where everything is always happy 24x7. XD
I'm kidding. But I can see that a vast majority of us prefer avoidance rather than enlightened engagement. Along the way we developed a new ideal - that we can "buy off" our problems with money. It leaves us free to pick and choose "happy" things only.
Wait... let me get this right. We prefer to drag ourselves through 30 years of torturous employment - wrestling with the pigs in the office mud pool just so we could have enough $$ to qualify for a bank loan to buy off our problems - than learn to neutralize them with enlightened engagement at no cost. Yeap, got it.
Yes I am weird. I depart from the majority when it comes to engaging life. Perhaps my exposure in social work and martial arts taught me something. It certainly has made me a happier person (I think) than the guy whose life is dedicated to getting a hotter chick than his friends.
Just to share, these are a few simple lessons I learnt.
Lesson 1: No matter how much money I have or how good I am at avoiding, I can never outrun problems.
Lesson 2: A problem is not always a problem. Sometimes it is a teacher that teaches me patience and humility.
Lesson 3: The satisfaction from engaging a problem can be more enriching than avoiding one.
Lesson 4: Its far cheaper to understand life, predict its difficulties and not do stupid things to cause them to happen than to barge headlong like a bull and then look for money to buy off the problems I create.
This is why in spite of life's little knocks and bumps, I can smile.
And if you ask me if it feels good being able to "walk" anywhere I want to and be the 20-something guy I am without needing to hide my head anywhere, the answer is YES!! ^_^
11 comments:
Hey, seriously, I've had this experience with ALOT of people.
a) Why think about this? You're so wierd, whoever thinks like that.
b) Stop your nonsense.
c) They always try to keep conversation minimal and escape as fast as possible.
d) Guys fear me.
e) Girls... love me because... guys wouldn't like me. Something like the gay best friend.
f) Most chinese mentality people think I'm time wasting because it's not money making or money flaunting. They think they can take advantage/bully me.
g) So not in the in-crowd if you talk like that.
h) Can you please talk about something NORMAL?!
i) No, this is so much EASIER! See?! DONE!
j) They'll mock you for it.
It's so wierd. And another expection is betting. Football, lottery, horses...
there problem with this kinda post is ...
everybody who reads it thinks they are the 1 out of the 500
:P
typo..
there *the
@Xen,
Its been a bitch of a week so my responses have been slow, sorry about that. My mom would agree with your point (f). She says the Chinese are practical people. Practical = money. If what you do isn't related to money - making the stuff or spending it - then you're being impractical. How's that for a bit of folk wisdom, hehe. ^_^
@gapnap,
You got your random thoughts thing which puts you in the 1 in 500 group, hehe. I notice your commenters are mostly in the 499 group though. They wanna respond only to the fun stuff. ^_^
Well, it keeps us focused on the dough. Which is money. Will not starve, will not go cold and will ALWAYS have a roof. And focus... is good for me. LOL!
And speaking about money, I was dragged to a MLM talk and the speaker was saying that money is the most important thing. You have money you can help people, if not, it's only in words. You cant do much. I told a good friend about it and he said to look at Jesus. He didn't have money. LOL! Mother Theresa too...
But you know despite all that he DOES have a point for all other people. LOL!
P.s and damien dear, it's YOUR blog, not WORK so you're free to comment anytime you want. Don't make it chore ;)
Nice post !
well , you see Damien , you blog with your heart and your thoughts . i don't . that is why i enjoy reading this site
I am sure you can tell that my blog is purely marketing , creating a public figure that is not even myself , etc .
1 day i wanna start a blog like yours too :)
no , i didn't get buttf*cked before .
yeah ..poor thing my random thoughts isn't as hot as my crap ..LOL
well , you know what they say
Like attract like ..
your blog is not for everybody :)
@Xen,
That's the spirit girl... got money won't die! Hahaha.
But no money no help? How quaintly Singaporean of that MLMer. Lets see, when I became a volunteer counselor in my social work, I sat down listening to people's problems, just to let them get it off their chest. And to ask some questions I was trained to ask. They felt better after that. I gave no money and they didn't give me money. But they did say, "Thanks for your help." ^_^
So you can add my name next to Jesus and Mother Theresa, hehe.
@Anon,
Are u gapnap? Why not set up a second blog to express the other side of you? There's a reason why I separate my other blog from this one and that's becoz not everyone thinks a fun-and-work person can (or should) be a thinking spirtual one. It scares the shit out of people.
@gapnap,
Yeah I know this blog is not for everyone which is fine becoz I wrote it as a personal sounding board, not for fame. Like I said, thinking deeply scares the shit out of people. I accept most folk prefer to be led rather than find their own way and that's cool with me. You can't have leaders without followers.
Your random thoughts isn't hot because your blog visitors come to be entertained, not to think. If you've built a blog around rock muisc and subterranean cultures, then that's your brand. Putting serious thoughts in it can be a bit like setting up a bible seminary in the middle of the Vegas strip. Makes people go wtf!
ROFL!!!!! YOU"RE SO FUNNY!! YUPP i'll add you're name next to theirs! That's a fast rise in ranks!! XD
Xen
Yeah, you can put my name up there, just don't mount my head like a hunting trophy! ^_^
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