Contented? not so easy.

I was in the bus. The seats were full when I heard some noise from a man. The man is around 40 years old. He was accompanied by his already white-haired father whom I supposed is over 60 years old.

The younger man was throwing a tantrum, “I don’t want to stand! I don’t want to sta-a-aaand..!” The people who were sitting near them gave up their seats.

Obviously, this man is, what is the word I should use? mentally deficient? I don’t know what is the right word to use here, I don’t want to end up sounding insulting for using incorrect words. But you understand what it is.

One would naturally think that this father felt embarrassed by his son’s action. Perhaps, he’s already used to it… I thought this old man looked tired. Imagine how it was to take care of his son all those years, taking care of a son who grows up physically but not mentally.

I again, almost shed tears thinking about that. It seems that I’m becoming a crying machine. My eyes would be filled with tears on the slightest sorrow from things I saw or read.

People say to be happy is to be contented. But to be contented one must at least have a normal life, nothing negative. People who are with disabilities, people who have mentally disabled kids, people with sickness, etc etc… Would they truly call themselves happy and contented? If given a choice, nobody would want disabilities, mentally ill kids, sickness, etc. They were given things that they wouldn’t choose, how can they be expected to be contented?

Nothing in this world is fair. Life itself is unfair. Human genetic modification which scientists are pouring their labour into might not be a bad thing after all. But even if they achieved that in decades to come, life is still unfair.

Perhaps we should all have a “Dalai Lama” with us all the time, like a guardian angel, who would remind us to learn to “let go” or “put down” unhappy things.

But , that’s not possible.

Whatever it is, life goes on.