Monday, February 09, 2009

Cause and effect

Someone complained to me that Chinese guys are very nonconfrontational and wussy. That is probably true...

Cause
I've come to note that people complain about very little things. My housemate once parked in the gargage, and the person upstairs yelled at him, telling him that she's had that spot for 3 years. Umm...no you haven't. Between myself and Karen, CCF has held our house for ~5 years...she parked there all the time. There 5 other spots in the garage, calm down.

I don't think it'll ever stop to amaze me how things that doesn't matter to me invokes such a strong reaction in people. Me, I cook choy in "sand tea sauce" (translate to chinese). When people found out, it invoked alot of reaction (ignoring the fact that they ate like half of it before saying anything...)

But I suppose this is a matter of personal priorities and values. I'm sure I irrationally defend something absurd myself. I can rant all I want about how people should be a little more considerate and take an alternative point of view, instead of doing stuff like parking on the line or leaving their stuff in the public laundry machine for three days. But that ventures into the realm of heart changing, which is really God's domain there.

Effect
Most people have a very "don't rock the boat" mentality. It's dangerous. It's risky. People don't like being wrong. The consequences of their actions might be too much. Perhaps it is a friendship on the line. Or reputation. Personal safety, perhaps. Maybe people are just plain lazy.

I was once told that people act tough and scary because they're scared of the people around them. Not sure how much I believe that, but I can see how that works. If you can keep people away, they can't do anything to you, right?

I suppose you can view it as two different path of growing. Don't challenge the guy putting random seasoning into the food and get a stronger stomach. Or be confrontational and get your way, and so boost your social esteem. Just another thing of personal priorities and values.

Hmm...
I guess this is nothing but musing out loud, resulting from an event that happened earlier today. There are many things that I just shrug off, that seems to bother people alot. There are also things I'm adamant about that other people just shrug off.

What do I want to say? I dunno. Be considerate? Stand for what is right? Everyone has these cliche sayings in their back pocket. It's weither or not you live it, that sets you aside from the crowd.

3 comments:

blkmage said...

Other than the fact that that sauce will probably nullify any nutritional value that the vegetables had, it sounds like an interesting idea that I will investigate further.

ally said...

i happen to love cooking and eating anything with "sand tea sauce". although i think i could do without the strawberry milk business, but of course, that is a matter of personal taste (pun intended).


hahaha

Elena said...

If someone were to leave their stuff in a public laundry machine for 3 days, I'd move it. I have no reserve and no shame when it comes to public laundry machines. I don't care that I'm touching their underwear... I think that person should be much more grossed out than me. Besides, it's clean because they just washed it.

Man thinking about this makes me angry, haha.