Throughout our lives, we are bound to have close encounters with / hear about at least some of the following, if not all:
- Friends who betray us
- Bosses who make us feel worthless
- Teachers who only know the textbook theories
- Lovers who make us stop believing in love
- Doctors who have no interest in helping people, only making money
- Politicians/ Leaders who are corrupt and hypocritical
- Charities that cheat
I used to think that life is cruel, and because of that I would rather adopt a child in the future than bring one to the world. Now I'd like to correct myself. No, life itself is not cruel, it's just.... as such. It's the expectations of what life is all about, and what the world can promise you, that make the exposure to reality cruel and disappointing.
I had this discussion with a friend/colleague in a coffee shop in Auckland. We find it cruel that our teachers, storybooks, Disney movies only tell us about the Utopian world. Everything seems to make perfect sense in that ideal world: people fall in love and live happily together ever after, political leaders grew up wanting to improve lives and bring peace to the world, bosses eager to pass on their knowledge and help you grow professionally.....
No, no, I am not bitter, I have learned about the real world the hard way (like everybody else) throughout the years and have come to accept the world as it is. No, it's not all bad of course - just that it is not perfect and simple. In fact, it makes me appreciate the goodness and beauty that I encounter even more. Still, I wish I had known about the "imperfections" as a child, so I wouldn't have had such unrealistic expectations of my life and the world around me for so many years. It hurts to be disappointed.
The person I have become has serious trust issues. Though, I am still quite naive compared to many people my age, stubbornly believing that miracles do happen occasionally, and gambling with my happiness sometimes. Despite my seemingly pessimistic view of the world, I believe that life is meaningless without hope.
A friend of mine only listens to happy songs. Another friend only hangs out with happy people. Who am I to judge them when I rush to the beach whenever there is the sun, so that I can pretend that South Bay IS Hong Kong, that life here is all sweet and lovely without all the noise and pollution and craziness.
It's nice to be a happy fool in a complicated world......
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