14 July 2011
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life was as simple as popia?” asked a friend during a phone conversation last night. Why popia? Well, all you need to do is place the stuffing in the middle, fold the skin and there you have it!
The statement cracked both of us and we ended up laughing hysterically at 2 o’clock in the morning. Upon hanging up the phone, I started analysing the things we talked about. I was fascinated about the whole idea on life being as simple as popia. I agree life can be like a roll of popia but is it simple? That got me thinking...
You see, there are many variations of popia. Some like it fried, brown and crunchy, while some like it unfried, wet and soft. Some prefer the vegetable stuffing while others go for the traditional shrimp based stuffing. With all this variation, how can popia be simple? How can life ever be simple?
To have a simple life, one shall not have dreams or aspirations. To have a simple life, one shall be satisfied with what/where he/she has/is at the moment. As human, we know that is impossible for we are creatures of great greed. Our needs and wants in life changes every second. When we are single, we seek companionship. Once we have a companion, we seek commitment. Once we have a committed relationship, we seek to be successful in our career. The list of our needs and wants are unlimited.
The weird thing is, the more our needs and wants are achieved, the more confused we get. What is confusion? Well confusion is a state of mind where we have to make a choice from the readily available alternatives. Do I eat the fried popiah or the wet popiah? Do I choose Mr A or Mr B? Do I stay single or commit to a relationship? Do I focus on my career or start a family?
Confusions are necessary in life. Without it, we wouldn’t know the course of action to take. It provides us with alternatives to fulfil human motives such as pleasure, sex, greed, laziness and selfishness. As human, we also tend to grow and evolve. We don’t let our mind remain in a state of confusion. We allow the experience from the choices we have made in the past to shape our future by learning from mistakes.
Everyone chooses differently; everyone learns differently; but ultimately everyone reaches the same conclusion. Whether it is our career or family or love, we all seek happiness. It is the one thing all of us seek for ultimately.
There is nothing wrong wanting to be happy. Our needs and wants and desires are a positive thing. It helps us grow. A baby’s desire for a toy that is out of reach motivates him to learn to crawl. A man’s desire to get that promotion he always wanted makes him go through multiple sleepless nights. A woman’s desire to look beautiful at whatever cost makes her bash her ass at the gym.
As we graduate from one desire to the next, we start living in a constant state of wanting and needing. There is no end to it. This is the complexity of our lives. The choices, the confusions and the desire in us keep growing every single day. So how can life be simple?
Life has never been simple and will never be simple. Life is a game with numerous aspects that you need to learn and master. And it all begins with choices we make. Each choice comes with risks. To live life is to take risks.
So, popia anyone?
No comments:
Post a Comment