Normal. Well... I'm normal. At least I feel I am. I earn about the normal amount of SGD10k per mth. Drive a Lexus, drink only Bordeaux wine and have a condo and a HDB. I don't see what so special about my life. I work 5 days a week. Everyone else is living about this level or even better than me... I don't want kids. They are a liability.
I'm normal too. I earn about SGD1000 per mth. Life is good. My employer give me travel allowance of SGD30 to take bus and food allowance of SGD2.50 per day. I have 2 kids and I don't have much savings. I work 5 days a week and on alternate Saturdays. I'm trying to get them to study more so they get better results and they can earn more by doing some office work. Hopefully they can earn SGD1800 per mth. That would be good.
Now, back to this post... So what is normal?
Well, it really depends doesn't it? If you're comparing against the average Singaporean? Or against your neighbours? Or against your colleagues? Who are you benchmarking against?
If you study in some of the best schools, getting A's or distinctions are normal. Students from the more "branded" secondary schools might not think about getting into Polytechnic. They aim for a certain score in their graduation exams to get themselves into JC. Students from less well known schools are happy just to pass and move on to ANY next level which is available to them.
When I go out to supermarkets, I sometimes talk to the helpers around the area and get familiar with some of them. They ask me on Saturday. "Oh not working today?" To them, working on Saturdays is normal. I humbly reply, "Nope today I'm not working." I don't try to make it seem that it's normal for me not to work on weekends. I try not to dwell on that topic and move on to how they are getting on with their lives, etc.
Maybe I'm affected by how much comparison there is in this world. So many people are looking at each other and thinking they want to do better than each other. When in reality, the differentiation is so large and many of us are really just benchmarking against the nearest people around us. When in actual fact, we are really our own benchmark. If you keep comparing, what happens when you surpass your peers? Well, I think by then, you'd know new people, new benchmarks. As you'd probably be moving up with social ladder at the same time. So "normal" just moves up to the next rung. So when does it end? What is normal? What is average?
If you're always on the ladder where someone is on top or at the bottom, then there will always be comparisons to the different positions. Understand that each one is his own unique being and wants different things. Actually, YOU want different things from the other person. But you might think he's better off, so you try to do something and overtake him. Does it really matter?
I find that usually I feel happiest when I'm by myself, reflecting on my own life and drinking my coffee and looking at faraway scenery and daydreaming. When I'm in that zone, I'm better off than anyone else I know. Really.
How about you? Do you feel at ease at any one place? Or enjoy something simple so much that really nothing else matters? That just by existing and doing that thing. Life is good.
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