I have almost always met a lot of tricycle (三轮车) drivers on the exit of the subway station every time I go home. Their tireless merchant calls are always the same: "Come friend, where do you want to go?" (来朋友，想去哪里?)...
They serve commuters who need to otherwise walk for about 15-20 minutes from the station to their home. Since I live less than 5 minutes away from the station (on foot)...I never have the slightest idea of utilizing the service which is about three RMB per ride (1 USD = 6.99RMB at the time of writing). Oh by the way, four RMB if it was raining...
To say that these people are very tenacious is an understatement. They work until the last train is gone...which is over 11pm. Granted that I am not acquainted with their "office hours" hence I do not know when they start. Nonetheless, being there for three RMB, sometimes in the rain, through countless of rejections, not to mention the police chase (because it is illegal) and competition from cabs...(Cab ride's fare is 11RMB for the first 3Km - to some, this is not much of a problem given the benefits). That is why sometimes we just have to be patient if their attitudes are...annoying at best...
On one late night, I was walking out of the station and hearing the same calls again...
and suddenly...a thought occurred to me...
Why would they still be doing the same thing over and over again? For something that is not really worth the effort?
And the answer was...
Because they do not know how else to live...
Ever imagined the life of an addict? He honestly tried to get out of his addiction. He knew it was wrong...he kept telling himself to stop...to no avail. Time went by and he decided that this was the only way of living...and so, the courageous endeavors...halted...
My dad's friend still goes out to his store selling textile materials in his golden years. He is practically financing his business out of his pocket since it does not make money anymore. He is not willing to stop because he does not want to retire with the assumption of being inactive and getting sick because of that - and so the medication cost could be higher...He has decided that this is the only way of living...
Do you know how to live your life?
Better still...do you know how else to live your life?
The way you live determines the state of your life...
Are we like those tricycle drivers who repeat the same routines every day with abysmal results? Shall we blame circumstances and others when we want progress without change?
(oh by the way, I am not implying that I am supporting Obama)
As business school graduates, we are taught to believe that firms buckle under competitive pressures if they do not change...I certainly think that this is applicable to life in general too...
Do you want to stay the same?
Do you want to increase to another level in life?
Are you content living in the same old rut?
Are you seeking fresh breath of life?
However, I acknowledge that it might take more than just "knowing how" to change...
And therefore I shall hear the calls again...
来朋友，想去哪里?
I am so tempted to answer...
送我回家吧...我天父的家...
Always defeat yourself - then there is no battle you could not win
Sunday, June 8, 2008
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