“No man can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself.”
- James Russell Lowell.
Sincere eh? Such a word and feat is hard to get by this days; especially when things that surrounded us; one that is bestowed to us not by our choices but one says IS compulsory - aka "work", "assignments", "studies" (with added student debt and interest) and "duties" (one that you do not choose for yourself)... but I do wonder, since when did I made this "work" of mine been such a bother? Or should we say "burden"? Robert Kiyosaki terms - ratrace.
Why is it my current perspective right now differ to the one I had before 2 years ago? Or to be exact, 5 years ago? Back then, I always had a fire in me that goes without saying - doing things happily - no whining, excuses whatsoever and even-though things are rough I do not complain. Being as positive as I may be, I just said to myself back then, "Lantak la org laen nk ckp apa, janji aku happy bwat keja aku."
But things change drastically since then. I've been asking a lot about WHY is it that I've done things that I've done; and see the people - the senior and friends that have go through things that I have to go through; does scare me. I don't know whether the "education" that I had give me the "intelligence" that I need; surviving in a jungle - where the strongest had to consume the weak to survive - moral hazard, profit motive and all the things that someone says to keep being "competitive" - deep in my heart I know that I'm not dealing with democracy anymore.
People are not doing things that comes from their own passionate feeling. Most of them doing it because "life" make them do so; believing that they do not have much choice in life - just get on and be done with it. Most pursue respect, reputation and above all, fame. Sincerity has gone down the drain; and sometimes they do fools people by telling and act sincere, but by the time shit happens, they're saving their own skin.
Somehow, I did notice the system really did broken. Some say that capitalism - free market, people can build wealth and buy things they craving for with heart content - are turning loose and the influx of advertisement and catchy new gadget, cars, house do turn people away from the bigger picture. They fall into debts, interest, monthly installment and many more accounting terms I can't understand that seems to me are trapping people with things they don't really need.
They're working end to ends meet, getting a salary that are not worth for them anyway in the first place, and then laundered it away in things that they do not need.
"Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns." - a warning from Jimmy Carter.
Hell, it does sicken me when people around me talks about you have to go through this and that, to get this car and that house; just so that you can have a place in the society. Yeah, it does make life easier, but all broken system do perform well at first (example: Nazism, Communism), and when it collapses, and it did nearly collapses in 2008; saved by bail-out and resulting in each and every US citizen share at least
$40k+ worth of debt; it's just a matter of time before it really collapses - and then drag the world in its blight.
Some may say I might have speak out in frustration, a bit vengeful that I failed in following the very same system that has giving us the highest form of living standard. But the very thought of it and somehow deep in my gut I know this just can't be right. (the very thought of indulging in interest money really doesn't suit me... religion issues btw.) Why is it the poor are getting poorer and the richer are getting richer? Why is it the numbers of bankrupt people rising throughout the year (mostly because of credit cards anyway. (Mostly cuz of 300% interest piling up O_o) and even-though people can get by to by, things are not improving for the better.
Maybe all of this things that happening can stay true if it stays
laissez-faire, by people or government whether they choose to follow or digress with it; but the message remains clear: it is not perfect and the symptoms are already rotting away our value as a human being and by letting it roam free, we may be someday end up like the one pictured in the movie Wall-e; Earth, depicted as rock with a lot of thrash and human just fly away forgetting what mistakes they had cause...
There's still hope... is there?
Agree with what Gekko said, "It's just a game... Money are not important. It's just a tool."
p/s: This post is entirely inspired by Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story + mix up with my personal vendetta with the notion that "Happiness can be bought by money." Been brought up with that notion been repeated over and over again really do sicken me... -_-
But I do support Steve Jobs vision - make business to innovate, not monetize. O_o
