Who Are We?

I am so tired of trying to be deviant in my blog. It is but a feeble attempt at trying to put myself up there. Can people actually get a glimpse into my life this way? Even in expressing points of view, I have to lie. Hence, they cannot. At most, they would come away with a possibly twisted perception of me.

Who am I? The "me" that is presented before you is one that has undergone the brainwashing of society. It is one that knows how to act and behave according to what society wants, or at least, to work towards it. So much of the world is in me that my true being is lost, being crowded out.

My perception of beauty, of success, of joy, of peace have been so distorted -- Joy is interlinked with success, success with money, and money with security and peace. Despite the uncovering of such deep-rooted beliefs have been uncovered, they cannot be removed because society does not yet provide a suitable alternative to replace the misconceptions within. Still, this is proof that I am not me and evidence that I am something the world has crafted, not something God has.

I believe that I am not the only victim of society. The success of this world is proof that many people, too, have lost themselves. They think the way they are supposed to, and this generates a lot of wealth and development for the economy. In our pursuit of society's definition of success and beauty, one can only in turn help the country grow -- exactly what they intended to achieve in the first place.

Indeed, we have lost ourselves.

Exceptions

Now, seated before my computer, my head feels like it is being burdened down. There is a numbing pain that overwhelmes. There are so many ideas that would have seemed good as an entry, but they are stuck in my mind, too lazy to crawl into my fingers. The perfect tapestry of such points of view are always holed by the few exceptions that always exist in this world. I have attempted to rework such thoughts, but to no avail. My mind, overworked, is now shutting down quickly.

People always try to be different, always want to stand out from the crowd. Whether they become terribly rebellious or unbelievably obedient, everybody wants to be special. They want to challenge the way of life, and this is especially rampant amongst young people, for they are full of excess energy that needs to be spent. Recent developments in the entertainment industry have helped channel these into one aim -- to be different.

Exciting people become famous actors and actresses. One example is Nicole Kidman, where her bold outfits on the red carpet have won her a lot of fame. Her perfect figure, as described by famous designers (I was watching "Style Star" yesterday night), have made her a media darling. The message has thus been planted -- be different, gain attention, become famous.

It is the trap of the commercial world. To stand out, money must be spent. To look better, there is a price to pay. Many youths easily fall for it, for who can deny something they desire so much? The waste money on clothes, only to discover that many like-minded people dress similarly. More cash leaves their parents' pockets, for how can their small income feed their hunger? It becomes a vicious cycle, and while the businessmen rub their hands in glee with a twisted smile across their faces, parents rub a hole in their pockets, watching helplessly as their child falls deeper and deeper into the trap of the commercial world.

All this because youths have a need for attention. So people, be content with the family you are given and the friends one gains in school -- they are all the attention anyone ever needs.

Pressure

The post-exam syndrome overtakes many -- the feeling that it is all over, the relief that comes with no more pressure. Yet, in a society like ours, can we ever afford to slacken our pace as we surge towards success?

From Geography, we learn that rocks under high pressure are weathered when the overlying earth is removed. They crack parallel to the ground. Likewise, from young, we have been weighed down by the hopes of the individual, the desires of the parents and the needs of the nation. Can we ever afford to say that it is finished, that now comes the time to relax?

Let us now take another example from Physics. We know that when a car is forced to start from rest, it is difficult. However, if a car is forced to move faster when it already is moving, it is much easier. The same way, our society demands that we constantly push forward. Even when the exams end, they still expect students to keep alive the supposed passion for studying in our quest for knowledge. Such individuals are eventually rewarded with success (the ability to live comfortably which is equivalent to being able to earn a lot of money).

Partly, this proves the failure of examinations. However, it also shows that examinations are not the peak of education. They are merely stepping stones that we are forced to take on the path to national recognition. There is no resisting. The only way that we can have it easy is to move with the tide. Our society places us under such high pressure ever since birth that relieving ourselves of it will definitely crack us up.