The Perils of FB

Facebook is highly pervasive and because it allows users to make singular spurts of writing, there is very little need to develop the entire thought process into something credible or useful. This is not good if we intend to develop a thinking masses.

The ability to make a proposition and thereafter craft a sustained argument for or against the proposition is an important skill that people ought to develop. Social media like FB (and Twitter and any other simiar kinds) where a singular sentence or utterance is sufficient to pose as a response or entry is particularly disheartening.

Initially, the novelty of it all makes it chic to be a user of FB. Thereafter, one ends up being hooked to FB because it is there. There is almost no such thing as a writer's block on FB because one needs not always begin a conversation. One can easily make a comment on an existing conversation and be noted. In this regard, the attention given to the utterance is in fact a kind of reward to encourage repeated visits to make more of such entries.

By and large, one starts to prefer FB over other forms of social media requiring more writing and less instant gratification (of being noticed). Very soon, we will see arguments made that are of deteriorating quality. This is alarming but until the trend can be reversed or people can overcome their tendency to choose the lazy way out, society risk become stupider and less able to sustain an argument.

Madness

There is so much one can endure... and then some. Some people are suckers for punishment while others thrive doling out stupid requests.

Sweet sweet rainwater...

Singaporeans must be made of sugar and spice and everything nice.

That's why they fall apart in the rain.

They fall down, their cars skid, they get into road traffic accidents, they are scared to touch rain water...

Choices

What's wrong with choice? What's wrong with no choice?

No choice is sometimes easier.

This *has* to go out

This is probably my 5th attempt at publishing something since 2011 began.

Work is not that bad. It's hectic and random but I rather enjoy it because... because. I think it is good to enjoy work and I appreciate things better, especially when I'm in my post-retirement job.

I now understand Mary Poppins better, when she sings,

In every job that's to be done
There is an element of fun
You'll find the fun and snap the job's a game

In every task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark, a spree
It's very easy to see...

- excerpt from "A Spoonful of Sugar"

Now, thank god I've not have to resort to the spoonful of sugar or I'll really expand exponentially (given the amount of work to be done).

Still when you are able to toss out career prospects and forget about promotions and ranking and so on and concentrate on getting the job done, you realise you can be in a position to negotiate things far better than before.

Maybe that's why people say we create our own cages. I've broken free and I stay happily free.