179. A crap I realised.
I have yet to understand why the world chooses wealth over health, and why money over love. I have yet to understand why the world nourishes materialistic feeling as an assurance of life’s value. Are we collectively choosing the former (wealth, money, materials, etc) subconsciously? Why do we choose this anyway?
We gave money so much credit and importance thus allowing it to control our lives. For now without it is impossible to live. Good food and shelter are determined by how much money one has. Then, there is that implication; a race of who owns the most and the best wins. So no doubt there is that rich and poor divide and the notion of the rich getting richer and the poor gets poorer. It is conspicuous you know- no one can hide part of a face pretending to not know that such exists in today’s world. Quite ubiquitous, no?
If you stand at the rich-end, you’re very truly lucky. If you’re in the middle, you’re safe. If you’re at the other end however, the world that revolves around you would seem harsh and unfair. And yet the rich would not necessarily help the poorer because they are afraid that one day their positions as the “rich” would be taken away and above all, they all like that sense of power and being in control. So all the talk of ending the rich and poor divide is to no avail. Plus, those in the meeting are usually the rich. No?
It is rather frustrating (ironic, too) to see how collectively, we have been talking about peace and tranquility yet we are the lot that impede ourselves from obtaining them. Absurd.
I wonder where would this lead us to.
We want more materials; we consume far too much. We create more dumping grounds, we are further killing our only home, we are destroying between and within us. Is this the right path?
One can make a difference. And let that difference be someone who has found a solution to all the crap we have made or let that difference be someone who can stop the proliferating mess we are currently producing. Let that difference be strong enough, right enough, and true enough. One We can make a difference.
Season's Greetings!
In my opinion, this strong notion that the ones with more stuff / money (which usually means more authority, power and prestige) is a very unfortunate thing nurtured by violent history: looking at stories of colonies / empires (the actual barbarians i should say) who bullied and thread on what is not theirs, claiming it is theirs because they had the ‘courage’ to take it by force and ‘tame’ it, make it ‘more civilized’ – manipulate it to suit their own selfish wants. Those who can ‘own’ people to do their bidding have power. These people who ‘owned’ slaves / servants already acquired large amounts of property that need tending and maintenance. Translated to modern times, more stuff / money = power. Take a guess (or even a few) at the ones who have left the world feeling that money is power… But blame isn’t the answer as evident from 9/11.( What was that famous quote again about learning from history to avoid repeating it’s mistakes?) I think the only way to veer away from the end result of continuing down this destructive path is to be less ignorant to history, which explains why things and societies are the way they are now (many Asian youths treasure other cultures above their own. Look at their choice in toys, fashion, attitudes, music, etc). Be aware of what happened in the past, and I think it will help us in making more conscious and intelligent decisions with concerns to consumerism, choice of attitude, mindset, how we bring up and groom the next generation, etc.
It’s sick that the world is such a capitalist place now, bringing mother-nature and her beautiful beasts to their knees (look at the ridiculous market of Apple. Every little implement is being sold separately, no doubt at hundreds of percent profit. But yet they are thriving because of our greed and desire to look cool and prestigious and be in the know. They are part of the system selling the idea that more is better. Raw materials are extracted from the habitats of species that are going extinct). Be wary of advertisements, a lot of them exist to tell us our culture and way of life isn’t ‘up to standard’, and theirs is. We should stop looking to Hollywood, its people and products and those celebrity magazines for life inspirations – where consumerism is as necessary as breathing. Start supporting your community little by little: maybe buy organic produce from the local markets – these things will help sustain our local economy and lessen the adverse effects on mother-nature. Buying from abroad involves transportation costs, fuel, import tax, etc, which exhaust the local economy and/or environment. Local produce is probably less chemically altered / treated anyway (or so i hope). Start contributing back, maybe plant a tree, rev your car engine less, carpool, reuse, reduce, recycle, be more aware of local charities and the goings-on worldwide (in terms of news with more substance and more in touch with reality instead of E-news Hollywood).
Look at your own children or the children around you, in the malls, shopping centres, food courts: they are now having their own mobile phones, carrying around hand held video games, wearing the latest juicy couture apparel, talking in slangs that turn heads, ignoring their families and paying more attention to whether anyone is looking at their dress style and what they have and opinions of strangers. And some of us wonder where our societies are headed. Yes, some advancement has benefited the human race, like medicine, science and technology, making the world smaller and allowing people to appreciate other countries first hand. It has even helped to uncover some of history’s worst atrocities, crime and investigations and so on. But keep in mind that advancement means ideas are being passed around more easily. People can be manipulated more easily, e.g. ads telling us to buy their culture above ours – a culture that prizes mindless consumerism, greed and other values (which feed and thrive their markets) whilst subtly telling us that ours is substandard (which starve our societies). The lines of limitation are blurring and it’s becoming more and more difficult to tell when to stop. To some, there isn’t even a stop sign.
I would like to believe that we are here to co-exist, not to dominate and take over what we should not, and naturally cannot claim. Not to be brainwashed that one culture is more superior and elegant and prestigious than another. Not to be brainwashed that if you don’t get that latest LV bag or Lexus / Humvee gas guzzler, you’ll be a thorn in society or considered poor. The signs are everywhere: if you consume this or use too much of that or be too exposed to this you get all sorts of illness, some terminal, like the big C. We have already upset the natural balance too much and it’s biting back. Good luck greedy humans, you’re making all the rest of the human race – who are genuinely trying to sustain nature – suffer.
As Alvin Toffler said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
btw, js wanted to add. some go through life rich and ignorant, feeding themselves only. some go thru life poor but with a world of knowledge and very kind hearts.
put a rich brat in the outdoors with limited or no equipment, contrast to putting a poor individual in the same situation – which mentality will degenerate to anxiety faster? js generalizations. to some cultures, this life is but js a passing frame and they see past the money.
Hi e.t! Glad you share your thoughts!!! Much of what you have said is indeed true but the thought of how not many share the same views or the fact that not everyone share same view make it all so difficult to make things “right”.
ya, i hate sounding preachy, haha. but sometimes we all get frustrated and need an outlet. anyway, everyone’s got something to say.
E.T! haha.. maybe you should start a blog too!! akekeke… Reading your comments actually got me brains thinking!! It’s like fusion of so many thoughts – so hard to be put into words! haha xx