Sunday, January 20, 2008
On Competition And The Silence Graduated
"Solitude and reflection are necessary to give to wishes the force of passions, and to enable the imagination to enlarge the object, and to make it more desirable." Mary WollstonecraftAs I revised my notes for the semestral exams, I felt confident and in a joyously light mood despite having one tough paper to mug. I admit that I'm competitive in class. I wanna do well for the exams and I just think that competition is good for self-development and improvement.
However, my idea of competing with the guys was changed when my friend said to me: "Beating someone isn't important. What's important is setting a goal for yourself and beating it. Then when you do that, you can beat everyone else." After hearing it, I was like wow! What he said was so subtle but so powerful and stirring at the same time.
It was also funny to note that when I helped out at the SP Openhouse, the year ones were surprised when they found out I was in DNS, and in third year no less. Why is that so hard to believe? True I may not have the build of a seafarer but I'm still a seafarer after all and the soul of a seafarer is what I'm looking for. You know I really admire the way my class tutor talks about the sea and the sailors. The passion he has for it is inspiring, kinda as though he has salt water in his veins. Hahaha...
Most people say that when one returns from sailing, that person becomes more quiet and recluse. That I have to agree because after my first ship, I really wanted a place to be alone, somewhere quiet. Being in public with people everywhere really put me off in a foul mood. I think the reason is because when you're not working on deck or keeping watch on the bridge, you're just alone in your cabin and that gradually makes you more quiet in a way. At least, that's what happened to me, not that I'm complaining. It made me more contemplative and as Wollstonecraft said,
"Employment of thoughts shapes the character both generously and individually."
11:53 PM
