Monday, May 21, 2007

11:45 PM

Thoughts

Don't know why I'm doing this and sacrificing my beauty sleep, but just felt the need to put these thoughts down.

Remember all the Chinese drama serials you have watched, be it Taiwan, HK, or Singapore, which will have this young, upbeat newbie enter the workplace, filled to the brim with ideas and ideals, trying to make a mark for him/herself? Then at the workplace there will be this complete opposite, a veteran who's been there done that and scoffs at the young'un, while informing him/her that ideals only exist in dreamland.

Do they?

I'm starting to think so. As much as we see such shows as old clichés, one can't help but see some truth in them. I used to laugh at those idealistic youngsters in the show, and think that they were just caricatures of people new to the workplace and society in general. But as I enter into society, albeit a hiatus from school, I find myself in the role of that idealistic newbie. When someone describes a job to you, there are the things that you are supposed to do. What they neglect to mention is that every job, in essence, is the same.

Building human relations is extremely important. If you are popular, no one gives a damn if you slip up on the job. In fact, they might give you a hand (unless you are competing against them for a major promotion or something). If you are not, then good luck to you. Bosses will like your work, but not you.

While I might have thought that those shows did not reflect the truth, I saw myself in those portrayals. Despite all my cynicism, I am still young, and very inexperienced. It's hard not to be idealistic when you possess these two attributes. While those dramas usually opt for a happy ending when old, skeptical people rediscover their zest in life and start believing in ideals again, how true is that in real life? Can one really reach a compromise between the two?

There will always be people who have grand ideas, but these usually rest on the assumption that society, and people in general, is kind. The average man on the street thinks about himself first and foremost. This is why there is still life - because only the fittest survive.

I know I sound very cynical now, but I really wonder, if man were not such a political creature, would society be a better place? As it is, internship has let me experience lots of things that I only knew in theory. I think those cliche old shows we all used to watch for laughs are actually reflecting life. Maybe that's the reason why we get the joke - because we all, deep down, can relate to it.

This is not a light and fluffy post, and might not be highly readable, but I just wanted to express this out. Depressing, I know, but I think this is a fact of life, and can serve as a reminder for myself.