Vanity Fair and City I (15)

Being the fifth most densely-populated city in the world (listed by the US-based Forbes magazine), unhappiness and unhealthiness are the main problems that torture us.

It is said that the dense houses and the terrible traffic jam make people feel unhappy. Yes, it is one of the reasons why people feel unhappy. After all, not many people can endure the terrible traffic. And I just can’t stand the noise that fills in the air everywhere.

However, to be fair, the houses and traffic here are much better than those in GZ. And there are other reasons why people feel unhappy. The working pressure, the limitless desires and the insatiable greed may be the most important reasons.

When I walk in the busy street, I seldom see smiles on people’s faces. They are indifferent and cool, without any expression. Maybe when they are walking, they are still thinking the unfinished jobs, the heavy financial burden and the rare true love in this city.

The working pressure and financial burden drive people to work crazily. We spend the first half of our lives working and earning and then spend the second half treating all kinds of diseases with the money we earned earlier.

Our lifestyle is extremely unhealthy. Sometimes I think my boss will break down one day. As a teacher in a university in HK, a shareholder in our company and the founder of one charity organization, he works too hard. For a young single man like him, it is not a good thing.

Many young men are like my boss, too ambitious, too successful and too “careerist” in this vanity fair. In cities where men all want to climb higher and win back fame and gain, not to advance is to drop back.

And since we sit in the office, face the computer all day long, illness and fat slip into our bodies. Sometimes I wish I was a worker in the restaurant running all day long.

Many people suffer from all kinds of illnesses, including Juliet and her boyfriend. Now Juliet quitted the job in the foreign company and wanted to run a flower shop, in order to take care of her boyfriend better.

“Now I am learning to cook!” Juliet said.

“That’s good! After all, fast food is not good for our health.” I said.

Juliet doesn’t want her boyfriend to eat fast food, so she quitted the job and planned to run a flower shop. It is convenient and free to run her own shop, so she can have more time to cook for her boyfriend. When I saw her cooking in the kitchen, I could feel her happiness.

How happy she is and how funny when I read a blog jeering at Asian women’s desire to take care of those they love! Actually all women are “mothers”, possessing the nature to take care of those they love; and all men are “fathers”, possessing the nature to protect those they cherish. These natures are universal and eternal. It will make us feel warm and cozy inside to take care of those we love and protect those we cherish.

I feel pity for those who look down upon this human nature, because they have never felt this happiness even though they have been living in this world for many years.

Of course, some women take care of their men just because they are downtrodden and submissive. I guess these women will be fewer and fewer in the future as more and more women get better education.

Sometimes we give up our career to take care of those we love, not because we are downtrodden and submissive, but because we are willing to, like Juliet.

Juliet is a successful white collar, but she gives up her career, because she knows, compared to a successful career, the health of her man is much more important.

It will be the most miserable thing for you if you win the whole world but lose the one you cherish.

I think I should learn to cook well. For my stomach and my health.