YSunday, September 03, 2006
Care to listen to the words of a roadsweeper?
"Sometimes, when you've a very long street ahead of you, you think how terribly long it is, and feel sure you'll never get it swept.
And then you start to hurry; you work faster and faster, and everytime you look up, there seems to be just as much left to sweep as before...
And you try even harder, and you panic, and in the end you're out of breath and have to stop - and still, the street stretches away in front of you. That's not the way to do it.....
You must never think of the whole street at once, understand? You must only concentrate on the next step, the next breath, the next stroke of the broom, and the next and the next. Nothing else.
That way you enjoy your work, which is important because then you make a good job of it. That's how it ought to be.
And all at once, before you know it, you find you've swept the whole street clean, bit by bit. What's more, you aren't out of breath. That's important too" he concluded.
I guess, if I were a roadsweeper, I'd be the foolishly kan-cheong one who "chiongs" like mad. I rushed and rushed - and because I did, I did not really like project work especially because come the deadlines, I feel so out of breath, my immune system fails and the saddest part: the project just seems a chore.
My uni friends are learning to adapt to a hectic academic life., one that's packed with lectures, tutorials, projects, projects and projects. At the same time, my poly friends will be starting their 6th month internship - they'd either be very busy or very free. I just hope they remember the Roadsweeper's words and reflect on it.
No doubt it can all be summed up by a common saying "take a step at a time", how many of us actually follow it when we're assigned a task? Charging like a mad bull doesnt exactly equate to productivity. Well, in the midst of sharing this with you all, I'm reprimanding myself actually.
Anyways, dont be surprised if you feel a sense of deja vu hearing the story above. It's afterall taken from Momo, a children's fantasy book written by some (already dead) German guy. It sprang back to memory when I watched this silly korean comedy. Surprisingly children's books can be packed with so much symbolism. But my all time favourite book will still be The Little Prince by Saint Exupery. Haha. That was random. Gonna bathe now. Gonna work tomorrow. Hopefully I wont chiong like siao at work. (:
cai was here with you at