One Self
Inspired by Elizabeth Bishop's seminal poem, One Art.
So tell me, when was the last time you did something truly selfless? Ah, I see a few wayward hands being shamelessly lifted up, but people please..hands down. I'm here to inform you that giving to the poor isn't a selfless act. It's societal.
A selfless act is something you do in spite of yourself. Like jumping in front of grenade, losing an arm and a leg for a squadmate. And no, doing it on the Xbox doesn't count.
The act of human generosity and decency is waning so vividly in our society that in time, even primates might supersede us. Hey, at least they share their bananas. When was the last time you shared your Big Mac?
We have crafted the art of Selfishness to such an extent that it has become unrecognizable; a blur among other inate human tendencies which have become fallacies that directly contributed to our follies as denizens of what should have been a more productive and conducive society.
The One Self (as i'd like to call it) isn't a gospel. It isn't even something you can grasp. But it's in each and every one of us; ingrained in our psyche like oil in our Teh Tarik. Oh you mean you thought that was cream? Wake up and smell the ghee for fuck's sake.
The One Self is the Zen of being selfish. We have crafted our selfishness (or kiasu, kerek, kelepet or any other k-words which might spring to mind) to such a new and enlightened level that even when we are being selfish, we call it as being "A means of Expression."
Wow. How good is that? We create a post modernistic term to justify what is quite simply known as being..a prick. Don't believe me? See if you find this familiar.
You fall in love, she loves you back, and for a good six months you love one another like Porn Stars on the set of Arma-get-it-on until she dumps like you toxic waste for some other guy and you call her a bitch for being so out of tune to your emotions. You would presumably start to call her selfish, and continue to create a delirious fantasy that had you been a greek god, you would've have felled here like lightning to a corn dog.
Idiot. Did you ever ask yourself if she had needs and wants of her own? Besides, even Zeus must've had his bad days. I mean, look at his beard for god's sakes. He must've struck himself AT LEAST once.
Children, children, children.. open your eyes (and stop doing that 3G maxis voice, you sound nothing like her). We're all in love with ourselves. Everybody wants an eye for an eye. Did anyone ever stop to think that if everyone wanted an eye for an eye..the whole world would go...Blind?
Tsk. We should really relish in the joy of helping others, seeing others being happy before One is happy oneself.
Nah
I'm too fucking idealistic.
The world is not based on an egalitarian system. We live in a world dictated by Supply and Demand. We believe that everything should have a purpose, and that everything has a price tag to it, even you.
We live in a world where the rich buy the Mansions and the wage earning proletariats (Machais to those unencumbered few) end up paying for it. We are cocooned in a society so self absorbed that even if someone had decided to rob a company for all its worth, we would barely even bat an eye. Unless it had happened to you of course. Oh, then you'd be dancing naked in the parliament. With a tattoo of the minister in places... best left to the imagination. Oh yes.
We are Malaysians after all.
So tell me ladies and gentelmen (nope it's not a typo, i really meant what i spelt). Are you the few road hoggers who love to drive slowly on the fast lanes of our multi storey highways? If you are, than give yourselves a big pat on the shoulder for you are definately a poster child for the One Self committee.
Oh don't feel left out for there are other One self nominees as well such as the ones who always turn up late for meetings. Oh traffic jam you say? You must simply give yourselves a bigger pat on your backs people! Who would've thought someone who has lived in KL for so long is so unaccustomed to the nuances of our traffic congestion(s). Amazing! Words cannot express how we feel. Truly Asia-lah lu.
So to the One Selfs out there, stand tall! Macchiavelli himself would roll, tumble and weave in his grave at the thought of us all being just as satirical as his writings.
How mesmerizing yes?
A resounding yes is on the tip of everybody's mouthes.
Yes. We are all, pathetically selfish.
Haiyo. Read the poem this post was inspired by and do something about our One Selves tomorrow.
So tell me, when was the last time you did something truly selfless? Ah, I see a few wayward hands being shamelessly lifted up, but people please..hands down. I'm here to inform you that giving to the poor isn't a selfless act. It's societal.
A selfless act is something you do in spite of yourself. Like jumping in front of grenade, losing an arm and a leg for a squadmate. And no, doing it on the Xbox doesn't count.
The act of human generosity and decency is waning so vividly in our society that in time, even primates might supersede us. Hey, at least they share their bananas. When was the last time you shared your Big Mac?
We have crafted the art of Selfishness to such an extent that it has become unrecognizable; a blur among other inate human tendencies which have become fallacies that directly contributed to our follies as denizens of what should have been a more productive and conducive society.
The One Self (as i'd like to call it) isn't a gospel. It isn't even something you can grasp. But it's in each and every one of us; ingrained in our psyche like oil in our Teh Tarik. Oh you mean you thought that was cream? Wake up and smell the ghee for fuck's sake.
The One Self is the Zen of being selfish. We have crafted our selfishness (or kiasu, kerek, kelepet or any other k-words which might spring to mind) to such a new and enlightened level that even when we are being selfish, we call it as being "A means of Expression."
Wow. How good is that? We create a post modernistic term to justify what is quite simply known as being..a prick. Don't believe me? See if you find this familiar.
You fall in love, she loves you back, and for a good six months you love one another like Porn Stars on the set of Arma-get-it-on until she dumps like you toxic waste for some other guy and you call her a bitch for being so out of tune to your emotions. You would presumably start to call her selfish, and continue to create a delirious fantasy that had you been a greek god, you would've have felled here like lightning to a corn dog.
Idiot. Did you ever ask yourself if she had needs and wants of her own? Besides, even Zeus must've had his bad days. I mean, look at his beard for god's sakes. He must've struck himself AT LEAST once.
Children, children, children.. open your eyes (and stop doing that 3G maxis voice, you sound nothing like her). We're all in love with ourselves. Everybody wants an eye for an eye. Did anyone ever stop to think that if everyone wanted an eye for an eye..the whole world would go...Blind?
Tsk. We should really relish in the joy of helping others, seeing others being happy before One is happy oneself.
Nah
I'm too fucking idealistic.
The world is not based on an egalitarian system. We live in a world dictated by Supply and Demand. We believe that everything should have a purpose, and that everything has a price tag to it, even you.
We live in a world where the rich buy the Mansions and the wage earning proletariats (Machais to those unencumbered few) end up paying for it. We are cocooned in a society so self absorbed that even if someone had decided to rob a company for all its worth, we would barely even bat an eye. Unless it had happened to you of course. Oh, then you'd be dancing naked in the parliament. With a tattoo of the minister in places... best left to the imagination. Oh yes.
We are Malaysians after all.
So tell me ladies and gentelmen (nope it's not a typo, i really meant what i spelt). Are you the few road hoggers who love to drive slowly on the fast lanes of our multi storey highways? If you are, than give yourselves a big pat on the shoulder for you are definately a poster child for the One Self committee.
Oh don't feel left out for there are other One self nominees as well such as the ones who always turn up late for meetings. Oh traffic jam you say? You must simply give yourselves a bigger pat on your backs people! Who would've thought someone who has lived in KL for so long is so unaccustomed to the nuances of our traffic congestion(s). Amazing! Words cannot express how we feel. Truly Asia-lah lu.
So to the One Selfs out there, stand tall! Macchiavelli himself would roll, tumble and weave in his grave at the thought of us all being just as satirical as his writings.
How mesmerizing yes?
A resounding yes is on the tip of everybody's mouthes.
Yes. We are all, pathetically selfish.
Haiyo. Read the poem this post was inspired by and do something about our One Selves tomorrow.
One Art
The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.
Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
Elizabeth Bishop
The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.
Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
Elizabeth Bishop
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