The value of values.
I put a lot of heart in what I do. Sure, it’s important to be intelligent and resourceful because these are skills that have some capital value. Nobody pays for passion. Nobody pays for empathy. Nobody pays for heart.
I know, I’m unprofessional enough to not really separate work with my emotions but seriously, what good is it to be doing something, if you’re doing it without heart?
The fact is, feelings have little to no value in life. Well I think differently. I think we need to start redefining the value of values.
Passion, empathy, hope, faith (blind or otherwise), strength, patience and sheer will are basis of what ALL our skills are based on. Let’s stop underestimating how important it is to fight on even if we lose our jobs. Bread and butter issues can all be solved if such values are present.
So what if we have no house, no car, no jobs? These values are free, they come from inside and they are most of all, they are not for the government to decide for us. The government cannot beat our spirits or dampen our hope - no matter how hard they try.
Some half-baked ‘journalist’ once accused me for working with a useless news organisation and said I did not study my degree properly after a debate over defamation laws. Under normal circumstances I would’ve taken it seriously but these days, I’d like to think I have more spine than to react and have immense load of heart to forgive others for their shortcomings. When somebody pisses you off just think before you react - what values do you think you have compared to your proponent? Pick the good ones and you are on your way to victory or have peace with yourself, at least :)
The saying - ‘it’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice’ - has never resonated so loudly in me before.
Sometime the opposition loses because we are all caught up with what can they do, how big an angpow they can give, what actual powers they might have. We forget to see what values they stand for and what principles they have.
Same can be said with the government for course … what values do they have and what principles do they stand for?
It’s like respecting the retired judge awarded with all possible titles and has a cushy chairperson job in a major corporation; and forgetting it is more important to respect a castaway Lord President who spends his days away from the limelight, work on his farm and spend time playing with his grand children.
We’re screwing our priorities up. Time to put back value into values and not on materials. When we die, we will not be remembered for what we owned but for what we did. And it’s not just what we do for ourselves but for what we do for others.
The year is close to an end. How would you like to be remembered for this year?
Or better, how would you like to be remembered for NEXT year and what will you do to achieve it?
December 17th, 2007 at 12:49 am
oh yes I agree that heart is very important.
Emotions are what drives us to do things. Whether they are good or bad, they lead us to some form of action. Ever had trouble deciding where to eat? You’ll find that at that point of time you just don’t have any feelings for any kind of food. And ever had a craving for something? That’s when you go out and get it.
Frustration, anger, sadness, hope and love for the country drives socio-political bloggers (at least that’s what i believe) to do what they are doing. Ask any half-baked (I’m borrowing your term here) Malaysian who cannot care less about the country and you’ll find the above lacking.
Emotions and heart are important.
December 17th, 2007 at 1:30 am
Decent blog entry. Of course, I’m not saying other entries are not decent enough. ;-)
When it comes to job, it’s truly about the passion and not just the money. I have recently received a job offer from a well-known organization, but it didn’t take too long for me to make a decision to turn them down, simply, I do not want to lose myself from doing something that I will never be passionate in.
My current job is so much about customer service and support to the open source community, it has greater contribution to the people.
I also had a talk with my employer, regarding action to be taken to protestors if employers are demanded by the government to do so. “For a lot of reasons, you (a company) work under the authority; For us who know what we’re fighting for, we go against the authority (if it’s wrong).” That’s what I said to him.
- yc
December 17th, 2007 at 5:00 am
I hear you.
December 17th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Hear hear!