Lessons in the Duality of Reality

May 17th, 2008

one - friendship comes cheap these days. in today’s world of volatility, the earning of friendship has become a business transaction with steadily weakening currency and even weaker principles. i ask myself, why do people give a shit? the answer i am repeatedly slapped with is - because giving a shit is politically correct, clever and beneficial. while it may make you puke a little bit in your mouth for now, in the big picture it’s all about the long-term gain. and aren’t the people with the long-term gain the ones who laugh last, the ones with more clout and pull, the ones whose risky investments paid off in the highest returns? yes, very clever and all. but you can keep that last laugh and that little bit of puke in your mouth. you can keep your sweaty money. and you can definitely keep all your flotsam friends. no, don’t scorn us - the ones too foolish to grab and manipulate an opportunity ruthlessly when we see one. don’t sneer or look down upon us. because at the end of it all, we are the ones with principles, and we are the ones with real friends for life.

two - mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself. on one side of the coin, this can be viewed as naive ignorance; on the other, it is unrelenting ego. huge egos, i read somewhere, is nature’s compensation for mediocrity. i lend this wise adage my humble agreement. greatness doesn’t need trumpeting, greatness doesn’t require the putting down of other people. it is when one resorts to pitiful tactics like this, it is then that his or her truly unexceptional being is betrayed. what little spark of talent becomes unimpressive in the sharp and unpleasant glare of conceit. our existence is beautifully designed in that everyone recognizes greatness the instance they see it, but the precious potential to become great is sadly diluted by that slice of mediocrity that, with unrelenting ego, knows nothing higher than itself.

three - life sometimes gives us lemonade when we expect lemons. truly, i am the biggest pessimist you will ever find, and my whole life is surrounded by visions of huge lemon trees that threaten to swallow me alive in all their faux yellow splendor. you see, i recently did something and expected to get lots and lots of lemons as a result.. but i was surprisingly greeted by lemonade. tall, icy and sweet. it was the most amazing feeling. explosive. exhilarating. but then i felt bad for my excessively generous pessimism. very very bad. i felt like i didn’t deserve the success, like i’d somehow cheated and won it unfairly. well, to the great big lemon-squeezer in the sky, i want you to know how grateful i am. i have never ever had anything more beautiful than what you gave me. so, thank you. thank you for not giving me lemons.

four - everyone pays a price for their price. i was once let in on a big secret : everyone has a price. it’s true and relevant, and the honesty of that statement climbs and climbs with each passing day. or month. or band. so we have become this nation of commodities, being bought and sold like whores, but happy whores who recognize that this is a mutually beneficial relationship. but are whores ever truly happy? we’re starting to fight and claw at each other. the rookies are quickly sussing out the big guns to play with, in order to climb the brothel ladder a little faster. and quite significantly, the sex just isn’t as good as it used to be. and of course the question remains, are whores ever truly happy?

five - owls dont get any worms even if they are early birds. i used to really like the fact that i could stay up late and study/do work when everyone is asleep and it’s quiet. but now i find that i am a full-fledged insomniac, able to sleep only after staying up for more than 24 hours, and even then it is restless sleep that feels like only 10 minutes. tomorrow i have to go to the doctor for my first ever bottle of sleeping pills. le sigh.

Entry Filed under: Musings

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