Shitty things happen around the world every day. For example, last week, it was Libya's turn in the media spotlight, and for most of us, it was a news item that we could shake our heads over, maybe make some politically- or racially-charged comments about, and perhaps feel that, even though our lives are safe and boring, we're somehow involved with what's going on in the rest of the world.
And then something might happen that's much closer to home, and for some of us, it's a reminder of how insignificant and shallow our daily concerns really are. What's the point of getting irritated at a slow-moving tourist taking pictures at a temple when there's a looming nuclear meltdown (please don't let it happen, though, Buddha)?
I hope I'm not coming off as self-righteous or dismissive because I'm sincerely not. For most of us reading this, we can't do anything to help at any of the places that are on the news. We have responsibilities to others, we have jobs or schools we can't afford to leave behind, we have serious problems to solve, we have attachments to things that tie us down. And you know, to be fair, the world needs people like us who are responsible and help keep society orderly.
I know a lot of people who are wanderers and flit from country to country, who own nothing more than what they can stuff into a backpack. The kind, compassionate ones are usually the first to hop on an aid mission and assist however they can.
For those of us left behind, for some of us, maybe this is a chance to question whether the choices we've made, the material attachments that bind us to our current lifestyles, are the ones that are best. Again, I know this is kind of hypocritical for a blog that talks about shopping and eating in Hong Kong, but if what binds us to a lifestyle that forces us in a cycle of earning money in order to spend it, while preventing us from doing things that would make us (and others) happier, is simply material things like clothes and gadgets, well...perhaps it's time to re-evaluate.
It's something that I do struggle with, too, and so I don't judge others (well, maybe the really shallow ones a LITTLE bit). But really, if the only thing preventing you from being a decent person is a designer dress or an iPhone, it's time to rethink what you're doing with your life.
Some people will think that unselfishness will make them victims of unscrupulous assholes, but I can personally vouch for the fact that being less selfish and greedy actually does make you happier. The thing about buying stuff is that you're always going to have to buy more stuff to keep the pleasure going. If you have an iPhone 4, you're going to have to get an iPhone 5, and so on, just to stay happy. Imagine being free from that kind of insatiable appetite! Imagine just being content with what you have, wouldn't that be amazing? To find happiness in whatever is around you?
For the rest of us who have families to support, we can be grateful that we have a chance to support them. We should be reminded that, while we may not have the chance to show our compassion by heading over to help at a disaster zone, each day gives us a chance to show our compassion and decency in small ways to people around us.
Anyway, that's all I have to write, and since I've scheduled entries for up to mid-April, I'm just going to let things go as planned without any interruption.
