Individualism

human beings are selfish by nature... I mean... we live for ourselves right?
and I am a total individualist who do not really go for group action... in a sense... I believe that things we do, we should do it for ourselves, not for "oh... because my friends are doing this, so I will do it with them". It's probably ok to move in groups and to do things in groups I suppose... but when it concerns important things in life, like the school you're going to and the field you intend to work in, it's a better idea to choose what you think you should choose. Many other factors are more important then "what my friends are doing".

However, when individualism gets overboard, it becomes selfishness. When a person believes that the world revolves around himself and cares about nothing but for himself, things can really get ugly. A catholic priest who taught me when I was in secondary school told us in class this line that I feel is really thoughtful: "do anything you want in life was long as it does not affect others". Feel free to fulfill all your dreams and get all your desires. But make sure that your personal gains are not made at the expense of others.

Seriously... how many of us can say that we don't do that at all? I won't be able to say with confidence that I have not gained at the expense of other people ever in my life. But I feel that the concious effort to be considerate to other people and their feelings is important.

Wealth vs Happiness

How important is wealth and power and status it to you?

Sometimes I see "rich people" enjoying all the luxuries of life, but somehow get the feeling that they are well... not happy. Of course, there are those who needs to think for days just to get themself a better dress or eat a more expensive meal...
Maybe god is fair afterall... rich and well-to-do people have their share of problems and concerns, whereas people with lesser at hand tends to have lesser matters to worry about too... Or maybe... it's just a different set of problems we are talking about.
Then in all... maybe... it's just the person we're talking about. It's his attitude in life that makes all the difference...

Will like to share this chinese phrase that is getting more and more meaningful to me over the years...

知足長樂
A person who is satisfied with what he has is always happy.

Teamwork

Been doing alot of group projects this semester, and it's really pretty interesting to see how people work during projects. Some people tell me that they prefer doing individual work, others say they feel better to have people to work with them and make decisions together. At the end of the day, I think it boils down to what kind of person you are and what kind of co-workers you have.

To those who tell me that they prefer working alone... I have a sad revelation.
I'll say that we all agree that humans are community creatures? If so, working in groups is almost inevitable. In life. Well... you can always choose to go up Bukit Timah hill and live there as a primitive hunter I suppose... but in the modern day society, in the current industry, group work is inevitable.

But let's face it: you and I have different working styles. It's part of what we now know as individualism, part of "being yourself". The world will be hopelessly boring if everyone works in the same way and thinks the same things. However, the differences between people just amplifies when they work in a group. Two people who can get along prefectly well normally may just not get along working together. Take this from a person who nearly fell out with her closest friend when doing a project with her in secondary school.

If I insist on working my way, and you insist on working your way, there's bound to be differences and unhappiness. If everyone can just take that step back and look at the whole picture, will things get better? Will they be able to accept that the way someone else works is feasible too? Much easier said then done. How many of us will be willing to say "I'm wrong", or "your method's better". There's always this really foolish thing called "pride" pulling us back. I mean... who is he to tell me that his method will work better?!

Some times, in group projects, there's a conflict of interest. Say... maybe I want to get an A in this project, but my fellow teammate just desires a C to pass. So this teammate will definately not want to put in as much effort as I am willing to put in. Who's wrong? No one. We are just simply going for different things. However, because we share a common fate (result), the differences cannot be ignored the way we will normally ignore what our neighbour does with her interior design.

You know... there are some people who I really enjoy working with... people who are... open minded. People who don't impose their opinions on me. People who's willing to listen to what I have to say, and at the same time... tell me what he has to say.
Unfortunately, I will say that I am not such an open-minded person. I tend to... want to get my way. orz

Project work sometimes let me see a person better. I get to find out how this person works, and well... see a different side of him. Some people become better friends after the project, others... I'll just make sure I don't do project with them anymore. ^^;; Not to say that they are not good teammates, it's just that our working style don't click.

I never used to think too much about it when Takuya mentioned that SMAP's a team. I mean... they work together, and so they must be a team! But now, I think I have greater respect for their team work. They are such different people, and there's so much conflict when they work together (according to Mr. Kimura himself), but the work they produce is incredible. I suppose this means that it's not about getting people with the same working style to work with you, but more about learning to work with people of different working styles. Open that mindset, maybe... just maybe, I'll see a different horizon out there.