Rococo

Every now and then I go through my friends' Facebook and Flickr photos. I see their lives presented in a digital lightbox. Left click and there's more. People show their stories in photos. What they do, where they went. Who they like and who they don't. Things that they ate, things that they would like to eat, and things they wish they could eat.

If the entire human existence can be summed up by a visual time line, we're living in a little pocket of peace and prosperity. Fair enough war is still being waged in some parts of the world where certain individuals need to be properly educated on the concept of freedom. They need to be taught the ideology  of The Collective can no longer be accepted. But think about it, when has there been a time in the entire human history where war was not being waged somewhere. Considering all the above, it's safe to consider this a little pocket of peace and prosperity.

Why is it so? Because conglomerates are busy developing new consumer-end technologies instead of missiles that can smell and track down the unclean asses of enemies. Because new cars do not brag their ability to withstand bombings. Because your refrigerators are not lined in lead so you have a place to hide in case of a nuclear attack. Because your birthday wishlist does not include a Glock.

Look at your friends' photos. See how they smile. Absorb the emotion they had when the picture was taken. Look at their surroundings. No ruined cities, no land mine signs, no homeless people in ragged clothes. All so properly dressed and hair properly coiffured, everyone cultured and educated and opinionated and in control of their surroundings.

If our national heroes would look down upon us and see what is it we're doing with the freedom they paid with their lives to obtain, I bet they're quite happy. True there are still kinks here and there we still need to fix, but all in all I say we're doing fine.

Remember now that this period, like the Renaissance, is very temporary. There will come a day when all this peace and prosperity will disappear. Because humanity cannot survive without war. Because humanity cannot survive without the destruction of each other. Because humanity breathes politics and feed on hate. So my advise is that we should enjoy this moment before it goes away.It will go away, this weekend coffee and cakes, this photography club, this Sunday lap at Sepang. We show off our new rides and houses and clothes because we are lucky. Decades ago people compare shooting accuracy and lost limbs.