Saturday, November 10, 2007
Choices have consequences
During the 3 short days I've worked in Feng Shan Primary for Adam Khoo's, I've learnt quite some things during the 'inspirational' talks.
The talks were meant for the kids, but as the most mature member of the audience, perhaps I'm the one who understands the most content, and benefited most from it.
Kids were told words that are supposedly inspiring, and indeed they were to me. (but I'm not so sure about the kids, as some may just be too immature to understand the severity of the current results).
There's some irony here. They are the ones who pay, I am the one who's paid, and yet I'm the one who get the most inspired. Not that I mind though =P
Things like:
What are you fighting for in your life?
1. Your family? Are you sick of seeing the poor state of your family and you want to get out of it?
2. Your name? Are you sick of your schoolmates teasing you to be stupid, and do you want to feel good about yourself?
3 Blah Blah Blah
From there, I knew what I was fighting for.. It has been within me all the while, but this talk kinda woke me up and I come to realise exactly what I was fighting for.
But in the most succinct sentence lies the most simple yet relevant meaning.
The speaker will go..
"Choices have conse..."
"quences." The kids will answer.
Yes. Choices have consequences.
In life, we always have to make choices. Often we make them without really considering the consequences. Screw the economic theories that people are rational agents. We're aren't. More often than not, we base our choices on what we like, instead of what the consequences are likely to be.
This applies to me as well. I'm a choice-making agent, and I have to bear the brunt of the consequences of my choices. Just that sometimes, you don't expect them to come in such a full blow.
I thought I was rational (just like how all the economists will assume), I thought I was totally cool. But sometimes, I'm just not.
However, I should not be too surprised about it. It's not as if it has not happened before. I wonder if it is me or what, but after serving my term as the Agony Aunt, I'm usually discarded. Like how the aunties, after happily pushed their groceries to the roadside to take a taxi, discard the NTUC trolleys there, only putting a token one-dollar coin as a sign of appreciation. Maybe not as appreciation at all, as it is mandatory to put that one-dollar coin in, otherwise the trolley wouldn't even move in the first place.
Finally I come to understand what these things are about. I've played Agony Aunt to so many people, and I keep saying I understand, I understand. Now I realise, no I didn't understand at all. I thought I understand, but I didn't. Perhaps, next time, I should use the phrase, I can empathise instead of I understand.
But now, I understand, I finally do. Thinking back, all my advice, all my words of sympathy, all my so-called wise words are really nothing, and even to the extent of being pathetic. Words borne out of emotional imagination are not relevant words at all. But how does it help when I understand? When I understand, less words will come out even, and I've simply no advice to give. You simply accept things as they are, and make do with it.
I'm just so used to it, really. It's always like that, really. It's just endless repetition of cycles.
Perhaps this is then what we call 'life'.
lowtide blogged @
2:45 am
