Sunday, January 11, 2009

Gnothi Seauton

The past few weeks, I've been spending some time with young people. People my age.

One time was a front-yard movie projection potluck party at Tapai's house, where some artsies congregated. My suggestion that we watch Religulous was not met with enthusiasm because of the heavy subject matter, albeit being a very funny movie.

Religulous makes fun of faith. And shares filmmaker/comedian Bill Maher's dread that leaving rationale and logic out the door in favour to what is the equivalent to following the readings of the entrails of a chicken, will eventually lead to a self-fulfilling prophesy of armageddon.

With the recent Gaza massacre, another one in a series of Israeli bullshit, is making Bill Maher sound like a prophet. Like Richard Dawkins.

Anyway, we watched Ocean's Eleven. Rodek wanted to watch Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Booo.

Anyway, the artsies commenced playing Oasis songs with their guitars. I never really liked Oasis. So I stayed away and made my cough worse by eating ice cream.

I bought, for the party, two chickens. Having failed to locate KFC, we went for Ayamas which we saw by chance. Cheepork and I ate one of the chickens, and left the other one for the rest.

Spending some time with these people, I find that most of them are grappling with some things that are quite alien to me.

Rodek has his mission to redefine the performing arts scene, by making more real, inventive, and fun plays. Tapai wants to be an actor.

And most of these people, the people at the party, they seem to be talking about stuf f I hardly even think about these days.

"Tertiary education is a farce."

Yeah. And?

Having a degree gave me RM2,000 extra when I started out. That's 2,000 more than the next guy without a degree.

And people seem to still be comparing resumes. What you do. What you did the past few years. Bla bla bla.

I hate comparing resumes, because it will often blow up into some sort of invisible, unsanctioned competition.

I hate it when people ask me, what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do. I have plans. I always have plans. But that doesn't mean the plans are gonna unfold the way I want them to. The next best thing to come along, I'm jumping on board. I don't know what it is. Not yet.

I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. And I'm not going to waste my time worrying about it. What do I look like, a future stock broker? Hedge fund humper?

I also don't know what's gonna happen after I die. No one does. Anyone who claim they do - holy men, PIS-M fuckers, idiots, politicians - are claiming to be God. Saying 'I don't know' is humble. Certainty about this shit is arrogance.

And arrogance usually comes from insecurity.

So anyway, young people. People my age. Been spending time with them. And...um...yeah. That's all.