The semi-charmed life.

The game of tag, or in local context, catching, seems to me to be an exploitation of our innate fear of loneliness. A kid - the "catcher" - runs after the rest of the kids, aiming to tag one of them; usually the slowest of the lot. The kid tagged assumes the role of the catcher while his predecessor joins the rest of the group.

We loathe to be the catcher, preferring instead to be part of the herd and not the solitary, friendless hunter. The first catcher is picked at random (in most cases apart from obvious bullying circles where the least popular guy is always assigned the role) and the subsequent ones usually the slower runners. As such, the rest of the group laugh at the futile attempts of the catcher to tag them and in the process, bond.

I observe similar dynamics in other groups. People in hall gossip, laugh and poke fun of certain groups or individuals. In cliques, there's bound to be an individual who's either stupider, uglier or just different from the rest, and he too is often the subject of many unedifying conversations.

While in no way condoning such behavior, I must admit that it is for the most part, human nature. There are crueler deviations though, and those mildly disgust me. Just as how in a game of tag, the stronger and faster among us might mock the catcher, standing stationary or extending a hand only to swiftly withdraw and turn away when he draws near, similar phenomenons can be seen in social groups. The examples are too many to list, and I'm no sociology student, so I won't go there. (In fact I'm not even sure of the purpose of this exercise, but I'm bored and shall go on.)

It's kinda hypocritical for me to be talking about this issue, eh. So, let me be honest. I've said to whoever is unlucky enough to be within earshot that if a person's ugly, he/she better be smart, and if the person's stupid, he/she better be doing well in the aesthetics department. That's of course an over-simplification, but the general logic remains. I cannot stand to be in the company of ugly and stupid girls. If they're ugly, stupid, but quiet, fine. But if they're ugly, stupid, loud and whiny then it gets on my nerves and I generally ignore them if they leave me alone.

People often have redeeming qualities though. An ugly girl might have a heart of gold, and an ugly guy be incredibly nice. That said, I can't help but wonder sometimes whether these qualities exist to compensate for their lack of physical attractiveness. For example, an realistic guy will look in the mirror and tell himself that his looks are not going to get him anywhere so he better be a bloody nice guy. Or at least appear to be a bloody nice guy.

With some effort, anybody can be reasonably attractive. Wit and humor can be cultivated, hair can be properly cut and styled, physiques can be developed, and good hearts either faked or nurtured. Same goes for other auxiliary traits like intellect, musical, sporting skills. The only excuse for going through life as an unattractive, ugly and stupid slob is sloth.

Some people are lucky and born with gifts and talents that make their lives easier. Others should do a little self-reflection and make appropriate adjustments.

I, for one, shall strive to be a little nicer; which is a pretty ironic statement when you consider this entry. Haha.


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