Mirage

Ever had the experience when you're pratically starving, and you go around town, looking for a place to eat? Chances are, pretty much everything looks good to eat. Ever had the experience when you're looking for a particular something? It would seem that the slightest things would look like what you're looking for, but upon closer inspection, disappointment would most often be ecountered. Ever had the experience when you're in love? And even people who don't look the slightest bit like your loved one would be mistaken for him or her.

Then, you are all too familiar with how the mind can play tricks on us. Mirages. What you see, may not be what is present. Sometimes, you just wish to see something so much, that you are blinded by prejudice, assumptions, mistaken impressions... If only we had the eyes and minds of children, ever so pure, inquisitive, taking in the world with open hearts and minds, seeing things for what they are.

Now, why am I saying all these? Because so much of what is in this world are like mirages. You walk into a shopping mall, and you're bombarded by advertisements everywhere, telling you how lacking your life is if you don't have that new Nokia phone, that Nikon dSLR, that LV bag or that pair of Adidas shoes. You turn on the television, you browse through magazines, you flip through the newspapers, read books, somebody is always telling you how you should live. And it's not only that, parents, family, friends. The ideal? The paragon? The perfect life? You must be kidding. Mirages. All mirages.

There is so much in this world, why cocoon ourselves? It's easy to stay in our comfort zone, I do that too most of the time. But by venturing out into the unknown, the unexpected can happen. And by taking that chance, life ensues. Remove those glasses, grimy with years of preconditioning. Open your ears, hear both sides of the story, analyse and not blindly accept, but keep an open heart and mind. Know when to speak up, meet new people. Because frankly, life is all too short to waste by staying in ones comfort zone. And that is something I have to constantly remind myself. So, shall we? The world is out there.