Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Should we be miserable?

The rain certainly does being out the best and worst of some people. I remember when I was still schooling I used to love the rain, walking in the rain. I never did understand why people would run to their destinations when it started to pour simply because they were going to get wet anyway, I'd just make sure that my important things like my wallet and money weren't wet, because wet money is more trouble than you can imagine, and just take a nice long stroll in the rain. Some might've thought I was mad, some might've thought I was trying to be cool, but hey, I was just looking forward to a nice warm shower when I got home.

But that was before. As you get older you have places to go, and people to meet. Cliched? Most certainly. At times like these you really don't want to be wet. Perhaps the use of the umbrella comes into play when you are older. Now, many years later, I despise the fact that it's raining. Of course there is the occassion when I'd be home and it's raining in the morning and I don't need to get to work. That's cool. But if it's raining in the morning and you are running 10 minutes late, that's bad. Since it's just a short walk to your car, you will then decide to wing it, make a dash, the umbrella is too much of a hassle anyway. So you end up stuck in the car, semi-soaked, shivering from the cold because if you turn off the A/C the windows will start fogging and you'll be doing the interior window cleaner routine all the way to work.

Then you realize that visibility is down 30% and you wish you cleaned your windscreen or changed your wipers because you're trying to figure out what's in front of you. Like screeching bats who utilize sound vibrations to navigate, you in turn, will start swearing at drivers who don't turn on their blinking lights. And by 'blinking' I don't mean it literally.

Cold, miserable, angry and not completely awake yet because you haven't had your morning coffee, what would make it worse is the mentality of our fellow drivers who simply feel that every other car is just an obstacle in the World Rally Championships. You wonder if you're just being...how'd you say, selfish? Perhaps too bothered by trivial things? When you take a step back it does seem trivial, but compared to, say the suffering of war victims, how does the sufferings of a young mobile executive compare? They both suffer from some form of malnutrition, both trying to stay alive from life-threatening objects, on one land mines, and on the other, turbo-charged Kancils, pretty much alike, don't you think?, how about medical conditions? suffering from flesh wounds vs. contracting SARS, or even the eventual death from breathing in carbon monoxide, or second hand fumes from Ms.Marlboro Lights right next to you.

With all this happening, sometimes I wish the old adage still stands - Its a jungle out there. Perhaps the cobras and the tigers are more predictable.