This morning at Sunday church service during the sermon, the pastor told us a joke.
A man was driving a BMW and the car suddenly went out of control heading towards the cliff. To save his own life, he had to jump off the car even though his left hand was stuck. He did so and lost his left arm. As he was standing beside the cliff looking at his wrecked car, he cried, "oh no, oh no, my BMW!!!"
Then a passerby saw what happened and came to help. He was stunned at the man's reaction and asked him, "hey, why are you crying over your car when you have just lost your left arm?!"
The man only then realised that he had lost his left arm and cried out, "oh no, oh no, my Rolex!!!"
There's a reason why i relate this joke.
Before that, i shall relate another two conversations i had with my colleagues.
During one of the days last week when i was having lunch with the two IT guys, i casually told them that i might be buying a luxury watch at about SGD2.5K. Then they raised their brows and asked me, "what is the purpose of a watch?"
I replied, "Erm, to tell time."
Then the asked me again, "then why would you want to spend a few thousands dollars on a watch, when a cheaper one can also serve the purpose?"
And to that i replied, "Well, nothing but vanity lor!"
"Exactly!" they said.
They then asked me why i would spend so much on a watch when it took me so long to consider buying the Nikon D90 that would cost less than that amount. One of them then jokingly said to me that i can always use that sum of money to buy the DSLR and a replica TAG Heuer, and then i'd have both items. I laughed and told them that i do not buy fake branded stuff.
As i was mulling over their words, i had a chat with little brother and told him about the conversation. Being a photography enthusiast, he has been urging me to buy the DSLR for months. He then sent me a link and told me that i should not be spending money on doodads.
He said some people may consider a DSLR as doodad too, but photography is a good hobby that can cultivate inner being, whereas luxury items such as an expensive watch will only cultivate vanity. He said that once i start wearing this expensive watch, then i'd wanna a bag of equal value to go with it; after that, i'd want the clothes, shoes, and everything else to match it too. Before i know it, i'd become a person who wants everything branded from head to toe.
Furthermore, if i get really good in photography, i may even be able to earn money out of this hobby one day. Even if i am not able to do that, i still get a hobby and also capturing all the good memories into nice pictures. Yet, a luxury watch would really bring me nothing but vainglory.
Actually i do know and understand whatever that the guys had said to me, even before i spoke to them. And seriously, i am never the kind of person who would go for luxury brands on everything i use and wear even if i could afford it. This time, perhaps it so happened that i wanted to get a new watch and this offer came up, and so i kinda go with the flow. I guess a person would just lose sight of oneself sometimes, until the people around you pull you back. That's why i always believe that it is very important to surround yourself with the right company. We are who we mix with; the people around us can help to make us or break us.
(I am making that statement in a general sense, and NOT saying that those who do get luxury watches or expensive branded stuff are no good. It's personal choice and also depends on whether or not it is within one's means. In my case, i do have other things that i want to get, such as the DSLR, and i shouldn't be squandering my hard-earned money senselessly when i should actually plan my spending carefully.)
Anyway, last Friday LF came in to SG and i took the afternoon off to go shopping with her. I bought two watches of different styles, which cost me about SGD400+ in total. Well, you see, i ended up getting normal watches, but hey, at least now i have different watches to go with my outfits. And, i still have the budget to get the DSLR!
(Ok, you may be wondering why i would get two watches instead of one, if all i need is just something to tell time. Well, let's just say that i do not believe in living below my means either... Yeah, i know, vanity still plays a part there, but then it's already very much a toned down version!)
So, going back to the beginning of this post about the sermon. I've often felt that God always speaks to me through the sermons on Sunday. This time, yet again, heavenly Father spoke and reminded me again of what kind of child He would want me to be.
I am grateful.
Labels: Christianity, life, vanity
