Attractive sin

 

Have people noticed that over the past few years, we as a society have almost demonised attractiveness almost as much as we worshiped it? Note that when I say 'society' I am not including the mainstream media which has been as distant from realistic society as it has ever been. I'm talking social media, youth trends, and well the usual bar/mamak/kopitiam discussions between people.

What was the load of crap in that first paragraph you ask? Let me explain, over the past few years we have made it almost criminal to be physically attractive. Think back to times you've complained about an upcoming artist being successful only because of good looks. Think back to the time you shared that facebook post about a girl with physical disfigurement being more beautiful than a model. Think back to the times you've condemned the world for giving good looking people an unfair advantage.

Yes, it has now become a trend to hate good looking people almost as much as we love them. Granted, I do agree that worshiping 'size zero' looks is beyond negative for young children, but we have reached a point where we actually disregard someone because of their looks. Think of Susan Boyle and the impact she has had about not being beautiful and having a nice voice. Yes good on her, she has an amazing voice and is now successful. But does she realise that her fame was generated due to the fact that she wasn't attractive? 

If Susan Boyle looked like a Victoria Secret model and had the same voice she has, we would either a) just forgotten about her as another 'attractive person who made it big' or b) used her as an example that the world only serves attractive people. Its ludicrous. We have gone full circle and now hate good looking people for not being ugly.

This is what i'm saying, good looks, are almost all the time genetic, which means given at birth. Sure you can do things to make yourself look better, but almost all the time it is in your blood. Now, think about all the complaints you've heard from social hipsters that artists nowadays need to be judged on talent because the way they are doing it is unfair. Last i checked, the 'talent' that people want on stage, was also genetic, was also given at birth, they just decided to hone it better. 

The same people saying artist should be judged by 'talent' are the same ones begrudging the fact that only 'attractive' people are successful. Which goes on to my next point, these are the same people that hate the fact you can get somewhere in life through connections and meeting people. I find it hilarious that we are now complaining about people socialising as a means to be successful. 

Here's my theory, 'talent' is a God given birth right, social connections (except inheritance) is actual work put into something. Now i'm not saying talented people don't deserve recognition, they definitely do! But so do those who have worked their way up the ladder, who have had to kiss their bosses' ass and forced to be pleasant to everyone, those people deserve to be wherever they are too. 

In other words, if your argument that TALENT should be more successful than people with connections is because they deserve it more, than you are also supporting the face that ATTRACTIVENESS (which is also God given at birth) deserve their success regardless of what field they are in.

You might then ask me where do I stand. Well I'm gonna go against all trends here and actually think our system is somewhat working in this respect. People are successful because they deserve to be. Whether they are talented, or they kissed ass on their way there. You work with what you have. Then again, that is just my opinion. Feel free to now bombard me with your replies on how I am a retarded bigot. Thank you.

Love overcomes fear

As I was walking to college today, I saw an elderly lady who could barely walk and was incapable of standing up right. She was trying to climb down the stairs on the SS15 side of the bridge while carrying 2 small recyclable bags which seemed like 50kg weights to her. As she crept inch by inch along the surface of the concrete, a million thoughts overwhelmed me as i stood there watching.

Instant reaction was to feel pity for the pain she was going through. The next came the fear of asking if she needed help for I was afraid it would get awkward if she didn't understand me or she mistakes me for trying to harm her. Then my mind traveled to a darker place where I thought it was a scam and someone would come and rob me if i tried to help her. 

She noticed me and mumbled a few words i could barely make out. I understood it as she wondered what i wanted, so i tried to signal to her to ask if she was ok or needed help. She continued mumbling while still staring at me. After 2 or 3 more attempts at trying to get my message across that i could help if she wanted to, i noticed what i thought was a small wave of a hand that i instantly took as a "dunnit la" sign and i took off. Problem was, i don't think that was what it meant at all.

As i continued walking to college, I've never felt worst. The guilt crept inside me and i glanced behind to see that she still hasn't made it up the step that i saw her at earlier. But still, i kept walking. Besides the fact that i stood there for so long and took no action, besides the fact that i witnessed her small wave of hand and took it as a way out, the worse was that despite how bad i felt, it was gone within the next few minutes.

We as a society have reached a breaking point where we refuse to help homeless people for fear of getting mugged. We refuse to donate to some elderly citizens who come to you during your lunch and try to sell something for fear that it is a scam. We secretly scoff at the well dressed youths who come up to ask for money they are trying to get for a children's foundation or an orphanage because we feel they are frauds and we are not going to be fools of that. That is sad.

It is sad that we value money we get in a day, over potentially helping someone who gets the same amount in a month. It is sad that we fear getting robbed while 8 times out of 10 we could actually be helping someone who really needs it. If we get scammed, we lose RM5-RM10 of our allowance or pay. But if we turn a blind eye on these people, we potentially cost them a week's meal. Is it worth it? Is saving that spare change worth the pride that you successfully foiled a plot to steal your money? A plot you don't even know if it is for real.

But worse of all, as sad as it is that we refuse to help, it is even sadder when you realize that people are being morally hailed when they do help. Have common courtesy or a single sign of humanity become so rare, that when we do see it, we worship it? Or even worse, we dub them as lucky to have not been taken advantaged of. I am guilty as ever for i have turned away many beggars or people asking for donations and chances are i will again sometime in the future because that was the way i was brought up in this world.

And i feel sad for living my life this way. 19 years. I'm almost 19. I've known nothing but luxury. I've never had to struggle on the streets where you sleep at night not knowing if the next day will bring food or will ever come at all. Who am i to say how these people should live their lives? Who am i to have the audacity to ask them to find better means of getting money. And how should i feel if in their shoes? How should they feel about people shunning them because low lives around the city have been acting like them just to scam others. They've never done anything wrong. I once watched a video where an elderly man said of a homeless person to a bartender "If you've never struggled, you wouldn't know what it is like." These people struggle and we have the spine to tell them how to overcome something we barely know anything about.

It ate me up when i left that elderly woman at the steps today, but not nearly as it should have. Even as i am typing this, i am carefully considering if i should type a promise that i will jump to help the next time i encounter such a situation. Truth is, i'm a coward. But i'm making a step to grow. A step to do better. A step to be human. It starts with admittance, and then comes repentance. Life is bigger than this.

The roller coaster

Roller coasters have always been symbolic to some. You start off at the station. It's pretty mild at the start with a few curves and bumps. Then there starts to have little ups and downs. Then they get bigger and bigger. And finally, there is the huge ass one that goes all the way to the top and the drop looks scary as hell. Then you survive it. You went through everything. You're a little weak and frightened. The ride continues on much milder. No more slopes and drops. Just a few twist, turns, and then you're back. Back at the station. Where it all started.

To me, that sounds a lot like life. You start as an infant. Nothing really matters at the start. You're still learning your way. You will have a few falls and mishaps. You may cry once in awhile. You think its a little too much because you didn't know what to expect when you hopped on. You notice how people view your problems as minor and small compared to theirs.

Then you go into childhood. You start having problems like school and exams. You still have the ever frequent cry and weep. Something has changed. These problems feel bigger now. They are scarier and harder to solve. But you also have a little more fun. No more mere curves and bumps. You start to experience little giddy climbs in your life. You find friends. You go on imaginary adventures. You pretend to be superheroes. You dream of being an adult.

Then along comes teen/youth hood. Where the climbs and falls suddenly seem to get so much bigger. It is no longer cute when you go through these like you used to so people aren't as willing to help you. Your problems are still not as big as the adults, but they are too big to bear. There may be a corkscrew here and there. You may think this is the worst you are ever going through, yet you are close enough to the big hill to be able to see it. Which makes you even more frightened.

Then you venture into adult hood. You went through all the stages. Now you're climbing up. It's getting scary because it is slow and you can see how far you have left to go. You also look down and something inside you wishes you could be back down there. But there is no going back. You have to reach the top. You start to see how those little bumps and turns at the start were preparing you for this. You start to realize that this is the biggest you will ever face. You almost reach the top. It's almost the end of the journey already. You then feel a pinch of regret. You can't believe this is already the highest you are ever going to get. And then before it hits you,

You plunge down. Everything you work for has set the foundation for this. There really isn't anything else to do. You just have to go through this. There are no more climbs you can experience, no more ambitions you can chase. You are where you are and you have to stick with it. Then you come back near to the ground. You are in retirement. Things become mild again. You first start to enjoy how you are back to lower ground. Life is a little easier. No work, no debts, kids have grown up. Then it get's a little boring. You face health problems and your senses start to fade. Then you start to find peace. You are satisfied with what you've been through. You can see the station again. You can see eager people waiting for their turn to do what you have done. The cart strolls slowly towards the station. And then it stops.

Life is a lot like a roller coaster. When you see it from a far, you focus on the biggest hill and that is what attracts you to it. All throughout the start you wanted to just get to that hill. That was the main aim. To reach adulthood. To reach your ambition. What i was trying to do with this symbolism was to say that as hard as people try to plan life and to work out how we are suppose to live it. It really is kind of impossible. It is impossible to cut out the problems as it is to make your cart not go through a particular twist or hill. It is impossible to work out a way to feel happy at some parts and sad at the others. 

Life happens. It just does. And no matter what you do or try, you reach the end the same way. What you can do however, what you can control, is how you feel throughout the ride. It is how you feel on the way up to the top, and how you feel when you ride it back down. It's how you treat every twist and every bump. Life is going to happen. The problems and the joys are all going to happen. The inevitable arrival to the station. However, as fixed as life may be, how you treat everything that it brings you through is up to you. And i feel that that freedom, that freedom to feel however you want about things in life, can sometimes be liberating. Just imagine this, life is going to happen, it's going to bring you to the same conclusion, so why not live it the way you want it. Treat things the way you want to and be happy about the things that come and go. You are going to end up back at that crummy station anyway, might as well enjoy the wind or something on the ride. :)

Humanity

Humanity has reached a point where it has become stagnant. With all the fuss i have been facing about choosing my degree and making sure i make the right step towards where i want to be, something hit me. We as a society have reached a point of self satisfaction and are no longer trying to improve. We are now merely trying to maintain our survival. It is as though we feel we have reached our full potential and are just trying to not let it slide. I often take personal pride in having a view on life which says we humans are at the top of the food chain. I never once realized how true that was to a point that we are now just planning on staying there. 

We have become stagnant and are almost fixated on everything staying the same. This global mindset is the cause of creativity and invention now taking a back seat to well drilled processes and mastering the usual 'soft skills' required to make it in the real world. It is why accountants and managers are now in great demand to manage our economy, to continue supplying society with their demands. Designers and philosophers, two fields that are so different in nature, but are common in their dropping value to our world. Even scientist and mathematicians, so often regarded as 'the smarter ones' of our generation are being turned down simply because the world doesn't need that anymore. 

Sure, there have been advancements in technology and architecture, but those are the exception, not the rule. Even if there would be a demand for such things, most would have gone through the same classes and same lectures and come out with the same mindset. Only few great ones would be able to succeed. And the numerous academic haters on facebook would be happy to point out, the ones that do sometimes don't even graduate from college. Nothing new is being invented anymore, nothing revolutionary is being produced. Guess the future of flying cars and robot dogs would have to wait a little longer.

Now i didn't write this to complain about being forced to be put in a degree i don't like. I didn't want to make a fuss about how parents are always forcing kids to take the 'safe route' because i know it's true and i would be doing the same to my kids in the future. It was just an observation that hit me. We have really gotten to a point where we don't plan on improving anymore. With the falling economy, who can blame majority of society for being safe regarding their future plans. So before you start blaming your parents or teachers for preaching the same old boring thing, think about how you actually plan to continue with your passion in this world. A world where your passion is not even considered beneficial. With my degree in a communication/business path starting to take a clearer and clearer shape, there are numerous other degrees i would actually rather pursue but i know would get me no where.

I've said it before i would like to test how good my math is in actuarial science, i would like to do more research on philosophy and what state humanity really is about(this post should serve as evidence of my interest), i would like to try out motivation psychology, i would want to do a little bit of literature too. But where would all these take me in reality? I would be a very knowledgeable person with no roof over my head and no food on my table. I would hope that one day i have enough money and would still be young enough to pursue these fields. But till then, i'm gonna play it safe. And i have no regrets about it. It's just a little shame though for the ones that can't accept it. And i understand their frustration.

Hunger Games

So, the Hunger Games. Where do I begin? 1st of, i feel the story behind the beginning of the games was abit weak. I didn't have an idea of how it was gonna be like. But i certainly expected something a little bit more complex or expanded then a simple 'reminder/punishment for the districts rebelling' story line.

2nd of all, i found the whole idea kinda sick. Yes, i do see what people like in it. An alternate universe, a different timeline, a sort of si-fi feel about it. But still, i couldn't help but think what a messed up idea it was in the 1st place. And I felt even worse about it when it became apparent that the people behind it had a certain bias-ness to Districts 1 and 2 which i assume are more modern and advanced then the other districts. I just felt the bare idea of the Games was good enough without the added touch of conspiracy. But of course, it was that conspiracy that i assumed spawned the opportunity to publish the following books. Still, it just didn't have a nice feel of it. Maybe because it wasn't explored as much in the 1st movie/book, thats why it felt just a bit in the way.

Another thing i didn't like was the love story between the 'star-crossed lovers'. I don't know if it was due to bad acting or i'm just sick of watching this stuff. But the love story just made it feel forced and fake. Yes, maybe it WAS suppose to be fake. But i just felt it was screwing with the feel of the movie. Would be really awesome if they formed like some sort of really good tag-team partnership though. There were also a few moments is the movie that just screamed of stupidity, but i wont bother to mention them here.

Overall, it was an alright movie. Not an outstanding one. Just alright. The action and suspense was well played out, that i credit to the director. But i was disappointed by the story. I hope the next 2 movies can help me get interested in the whole big plot, but this 1st one was just plain mediocre.

p/s i freaking hate the line 'may the odds be forever in your favour'