No man is a sea

5th November 2007
Sunday
No man is a sea

No man is a sea. What does that mean? I am sure most of you have heard the phrase "no man is an island" which means that Human beings do not thrive when isolated from others. But then again, if you try too hard to encompass everyone, you will only end up hurting yourself. Especially if you hold too high an expectation for yourself. If you must accomodate everyone around you, you only end up stretching yourself too far.

I am supposed to be practicing now. But with my dear niece sleeping in the living room, how can I practice without risking waking her up? Thus I forgo my afternoon practice. Will I end up hurting myself for trying to give in to too many people? In the morning, I refrain from practicing because my brother is sleeping. In the afternoon, its my niece. I wonder who's next.

Somehow the conflict of being considerate and over encompassing never fails to draw me into the crossfire. Will I sacrifice my practices for the people around me? Or should I sacrifice the people around me for my practices?

"It hurts so badly when you fail to live up to your expectations."
-Han Yong