Sunday Pictorial Reflection

I know all these are valuable but you must also think of the boat, the oar, the assistants,.....Otherwise we may all end up at the bottom of the sea.

Confusing confusion

I like the way Charles Dicken wrote the first sentence of his famous novel  A Tale of Two Cities. He was describing the dual nature prevalent in France before the French Revolution in the 18th century. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going to direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way . . ."

Though the background of the above story is now a well known lesson in history, I somehow, inevitably, feel that there are many parallels, in the events that occur around us whether directly or indirectly involving us. Everyday we are exposed to barrage of news, happenings, promises, rhetorics,... that can easily be fluctuating between belief and disbelief like a pendulum that swings non-stop so much so that at the end of the day scepticism takes over and we are left confused, unable to make a clear conclusion for the day.

At a more personal level, the person who character assasinates you, insults you, uses all kinds of strong words to make sure these words will still appear clear and loud to haunt you in your dream may afterall not be the one who really hates you. The very words or concepts you use and share with others may be used, and in most cases, inappropriately and incorrectly, to hit back at you. You are left with a dilemna, not sure whether to laugh or to cry. On a more positive note there is someone who pays attention to your lesson and try to apply the theory that you hope to share. On the other hand that application comes back to you like a ball that bounces of the wall and hit your nose. At times your kindness and intention can be so twisted and distorted, and you are even unsure any more whether it is intentional or unintentional, due to hatred or love, maturity or foolishness.......

At another level, the power-that-be who once appreciated your talent may now finds that same virtue threatening and uncomforting. People who likes to remind others to keep up with new skills and knowledge may be looked upon with suspicion and controlled with care so as not to threaten the doldrum nature of the harmonious ignorance. To many, truth hurts, so why bother to listen to it after all due to some skewed nature of situations these may not be important to certain advancement . Why not listen to more sweet music rather than the annoying siren of warning? Why the trouble to look at the macro when the micro can win you fame and honour with much less efforts?

Friends who admire you, support you, cooperate with you may not really understand what you are actually doing. Nice words may please you but may ring hollow when it comes to a real test. People who understands you may not actually understand you. People who frequently misunderstands you, doubts you and query you may afterall understand you better.  You may grumble and think that you should not bear the burden of inefficiency and unnecessary red tapes but you continue to break your back with the loads. You may like to share ideas but at the same time dislike the idea of acting like a  clown infront of a crowd whose only intention is to be entertained, just that.

So, in this state of confusion and ever swinging pendulum of mood, recalling the beautiful yet tragic story told by Charles Dicken, I wrote this confusing article to at least entertain myself.