He realised that, sometimes, it is easier to comfort people by putting himself down.
"I'm so sad that I didn't do well."
"Erm, it's okay. I got B for the Inorganic Chemistry paper last sem, remember?"
"Ouch, that sucks. But I didn't do well for that 2nd experiment on surface tension."
"Erm, it's ok. Failing in the sciences is natural. My string of photolysis experiments failed just yesterday."
Is there something wrong with this approach? How else can he cheer people up? It is difficult to bring happiness to others when they are determined to be unhappy.
Is he taking the easy way out with such reflexive responses? Should he even be demeaning himself?
Or is he merely being competitive? Since he can't be happier, he might as well be more miserable?
And why is there a need to cheer friends up with his failures? If they indeed draw comfort his failures, are they genuine friends?
Or is this all part of the human condition? We remind ourselves that we're fortunate, when the ugliness of others stand afore.
How to cheer others up? So many questions, so many cyan shades.
"I'm so sad that I didn't do well."
"Erm, it's okay. I got B for the Inorganic Chemistry paper last sem, remember?"
"Ouch, that sucks. But I didn't do well for that 2nd experiment on surface tension."
"Erm, it's ok. Failing in the sciences is natural. My string of photolysis experiments failed just yesterday."
Is there something wrong with this approach? How else can he cheer people up? It is difficult to bring happiness to others when they are determined to be unhappy.
Is he taking the easy way out with such reflexive responses? Should he even be demeaning himself?
Or is he merely being competitive? Since he can't be happier, he might as well be more miserable?
And why is there a need to cheer friends up with his failures? If they indeed draw comfort his failures, are they genuine friends?
Or is this all part of the human condition? We remind ourselves that we're fortunate, when the ugliness of others stand afore.
‘And all of our beauty, which was hers first and which she gave to us. All of us – all who knew her – felt so wholesome after we cleaned ourselves on her. We were so beautiful when we stood astride her ugliness. […]And she let us, and thereby deserved our contempt.’
- The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
How to cheer others up? So many questions, so many cyan shades.
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| Source credit: http://www.purpleartgallery.co.uk/ |
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