Is pressure self-inflicted?

according to a certain Ms Josephine Tay (15/05/06 ST "A lot of pressure is self-inflicted"), it is. according to her, life is not more complicated now, but it is just that people are. according to her, we feel great pressure because keep comparing ourselves with others and see what other people have. according to her, she felt pressurised over college rejections, over S-papers, over love life falling apart, despite people telling her that she does not have to worry about those. she sugggests that the panacea to all these problems is simply, "love, love and more love!" and that what really 'does it for her is time out to be still with my Bible and The Fight For Joy by John Piper" and if that doesn't work, "a nice massage at the spa and some calming lemongrass-chamomile tea by the Singapore River" and that would 'do the trick.'

what a bloody ditz! i'm sure she's one of those who think that everyone can study overseas if they wanted to (incidentally, she's an undergrad at LSE).

and how bloody condescending can she be! her letter makes light of the very real struggles of people whose options are not between studying locally or overseas but about being able to be equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, certificates in order to be employable in the new economy. and to these people, the pressures of fighting to become employable are very real. then there are those who are in low-income families, or families whose breadwinners are at risk of losing their jobs. for these people, the pressures that they face arise from the struggle to lead a dignified life as a human being and are caused very much due to externalities much beyond their control. these are the people who would definitely not have the luxury of a nice massage at the spa and might not have ever heard of chamomile (maybe teh-alia).

having said that, while the pressures that most people face might be caused by external sources, that is not to say that these people are powerless. the strength to deal with them, i believe mostly comes from the the person him/herself, which a lot of our youths do have. but have to be guided so that they can tap on this strength. and these pressures would serve to make a person even stronger.

of course, it helps to seek solace and strength in the spiritual (i.e. depending on your religious inclinations the Bible, various Sutras, etc), comforting stories, friends and family (love definitely helps...). but that does not deny the fact that for most people, the pressure that they face arise from real problems of survival.

someone should remove the rose tinted glasses from Miss Tay, wake her up from her la-la land, burst her sugar-coated bubble.