I know you're fine, thanks.
“I wish you good luck.”
“I wish you a speedy recovery.”
“I wish you a happy new year.”
“Happy Birthday!”
“Bon Voyage!"
It’s like “how are you”, which every single bl**dy one says every single day.
“I feel terrible, man. My dog ate my passport (true story but not mine) and my washing machine went kaput. I broke TWO nails playing basketball, so now I’m off to the nail salon to get a manicure, which means that this month’s budget is going to hell and I won’t be getting that pair of shoes I’ve been eyeing all month, and also, my shitty leg hurts, so now I can’t go to the gym like I wanted to, bleh, which means I’m going to be FAT for this Sunday’s pengawas high-tea.”
Honestly. When you ask someone “how are you”, do you really want to hear all that?
No.
Because if you did hear it, you’d have to say, “Aww, poor thing. I wish you good luck and hope that everything will be better soon.”
Well, it won’t, because you’re not a miracle worker.
Even children are given 10-year-series model answers to the question of: “How are you?”
They’re taught to say, “I’m fine, thank you,” and they have it memorised so well, they can’t say anything else, not even "I'm not fine, thank you." under punishment of death.
this is what they do to you in kindergarten if you don't say it right.
It doesn’t matter if you’re really fine or not. You have to say “I’m fine, thank you” because it was drilled into you as a kid and it’s rude to say otherwise.
So you’re always fine, thank you, because you don’t know how to say anything else.
So we now have a world full of people greeting and wishing nice without really meaning it most of the time.
Perhaps it makes the world a better place when people keep their troubles at home. You go out and everything is nice because people will ask you how are you and you’ll answer fine thank you and maybe you’ll start believing yourself after a while.
But it is totally senseless. I am annoyed at how senseless it is.
Every time you ask someone how he or she is, it’s the same damn answer.
Stop asking. You already know the answer. And stop saying happy new year because it doesn’t do a thing.
Why must we go through this charade every day of our life?
Unfortunately, that’s life, as they always like to say, and I’m kinda stuck here indefinitely, so I have to make like a normal human being, strange as it is.

2 Comments:
ah, actually, i read something similar to this in an edition of "Phases" some years ago.
and c'mon yuen, at least the thought of your well being crosses their mind. :)
yeah, for some ppl it's actually sincere. as for the rest... =D
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