you know the worst thing about kiasu-ism?
sometimes it pays off.
Thursday 25 October 2007
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"the greatest hazard of all, losing the self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. no other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss - an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. - is sure to be noticed.
thus possibility seems greater and greater to the self; more and more it becomes possible because nothing becomes actual. eventually everything seems possible, but this is exactly the point at which the abyss swallows up the self. it takes time for each little possibility to become an actuality. eventually, however, the time that should be used for actuality grows shorter and shorter; everything becomes more and more momentary. possibility becomes more and more intensive - but in the sense of possibility, not in the sense of actuality, for the intensive in the sense of actuality means to actualize some of what is possible. the instant something appears to be possible, a new possibility appears, and finally these phantasmagoria follow one another in such rapid succession that it seems as if everything were possible, and this is exactly the final moment, the point at which the individual himself becomes a mirage."
- the sickness unto death, soren kierkegaard
thus possibility seems greater and greater to the self; more and more it becomes possible because nothing becomes actual. eventually everything seems possible, but this is exactly the point at which the abyss swallows up the self. it takes time for each little possibility to become an actuality. eventually, however, the time that should be used for actuality grows shorter and shorter; everything becomes more and more momentary. possibility becomes more and more intensive - but in the sense of possibility, not in the sense of actuality, for the intensive in the sense of actuality means to actualize some of what is possible. the instant something appears to be possible, a new possibility appears, and finally these phantasmagoria follow one another in such rapid succession that it seems as if everything were possible, and this is exactly the final moment, the point at which the individual himself becomes a mirage."
- the sickness unto death, soren kierkegaard
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8 comments:
it does.
*i'm gonna say this before sean does!* look at economics: people acting in their own self interest benefit themselves and society, right? Unfortunately, it works on a personal level too.
But that's why we love you, Delle. You're a pretty un kiasuistic (word?) person... that, and it's still "Love Adelle Day".
You know what? I fucking hate you.
:-P j/k
bryan: i'm definitely not an unkiasu (i think that works better) person! and the problem is that kiasu-ism can also work to individuals' and society's detriment too...
imagine a world where all everyone cared about was how well they did. wait, maybe you don't have to imagine.
and lucky me, "love adelle day" got extended.
sean: that's okay, cos i like me! =D
That was aimed at Bryan, btw.
Where does this term kiasu-ism come from?
oh. right. hehe.
it's a manglish term... kia su means "afraid of losing" in hokkien, and kiasu-ism is an anglified version of it.
manglish at it's best =)
The question I have to ask... you're gonna hate me:
can you quantify detriment? What does it constitue? Is it relative to a certain set of beliefs? a universal set of beliefs?
And plus, what if the world was completely Kaitsu? So what (not in a "you're stupid" so what sort of way but in a "what would that world really look like" so what sort of way)?
btw, I'm excited for your true premire as a nerdskimord.
bryan: i don't hate you... yet. i don't think detriment can be quantified per se, but i don't think it really needs to be either, just seen in relation to the benefits. so yeah, probably a relative set of beliefs.
like, when someone gets stressed up studying for a midterm and sacrifices her social life and misses work at the risk of losing good standing in front of her employer's eyes and doesn't get enough sleep or exercise...
and then she does really well in her midterm and get good grades and gets into a good grad school and becomes a really famous psychologist who conducts research that benefits children all over the world.
she's well-paid and recognized and respected but at the same time, she doesn't have many friends and doesn't have good employee-employer or colleague relationships, is tired and on edge all the time and is very well-insulated.
so... do the benefits outweigh the costs? i think that's what makes it matter and is the "so what?".
i don't know if i really answered your questions lol.
i guess my main point is that the problem with kiasu-ism is, as with so many other things, that it has it's pros and cons and can therefore be both very frustrating and very rewarding. to the same person.
i'm excited about my first halloween too!
The comments here are funny...
Anyways,whatever that you have achieved Del,CONGRATS!
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