Each day, many people are counting their days to the weekends as though they are born for weekends and the rest (weekdays) are merely part of the process. If we were to only 'live' when the weekend arrives, we only use 29% of our lives. Or in a more negative way, we fail to live in 71% of our lives. Ain't that sad? For a terminally ill person, every extra day is a bonus and here we are, criticizing it, treating the week days with no respect.
If we hate what we do so much during the weekdays, why do we still continue doing? Why don't we just stop what we hate doing and move on to something we like? Why don't we create an escape plan that can help us get out? Is it really the environment that forces us to continue doing what we hate, or is it just a case of plain cowardice of not having the guts to face a new world?
I have the chance to talk to a foreign worker recently. After knowing him for about 6months by now, I find his thinking is much more advanced than a lot of the lucky people in Malaysia who prefer to label themselves as 'some poor guys trapped in the rat race'. This foreign worker has a clear escape plan. He knows exactly how long he wants to stay in this country, how hard he needs to work, how much money he needs to earn and save and what he wants to do when he goes back to his home country. If he is caught by the police for illegal staying, he knows it's still worth the risk. If he has to wake up at 4 am to work, he knows it's part of the master plan. To him, everything is clear even if he doesn't know what the next odd job is coming up next week. Such is the power and vision of an unskilled laborer. As uneducated as he is, it is not an excuse for not being able to plan his escape route. The only thing he has is 'carpe diem' - seizing the day.
'Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That's why it's called Present' - taught to me by my son when he was 9 years old.
