Kontradiksi

Hai semuanya! Harap dimaklumi kalo gw lama ga update blog, gw lagi sibuk-sibuknya.... MENCARI ANGPAO. Hehehehe. Minggu lalu gw ga sempat nge-post apa-apa karena gw pulang Indonesia merayakan Chinese New Year.

Anyway, topik kali ini terinspirasi dari banyaknya Chinese Proverb yang tiba-tiba nge-trend menjelang tahun baru imlek, seperti berikut:

A good fortune may forebode a bad luck, which may in turn disguise a good fortune.

If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.

Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.

Terlepas dari quote-quote tahun baru imlek, semua orang pasti punya favorite quotes, peribahasa, pepatah, kata-kata mutiara atau apapun namanya itu. Quotes tersebut bisa dijadikan pedoman hidup, pajangan dinding, status di sosial media, atau caption foto di Instagram biar terlihat bijaksana. 

Namun terkadang, dari sekian banyak quotes, ada beberapa yang saling bertentangan. Contohnya saja quotes berikut, yang gw kumpulkan dari berbagai sumber:

You are what you wear
BUT
Don't judge a book by its cover.

Nobody's perfect
BUT
You are perfect just the way you are / Practice makes perfect.

Live like today is your last day
BUT
There's always tomorrow.

Something is better than nothing
BUT
Half knowledge is a dangerous thing.

The best things in life are free
BUT
There's no such thing as a free lunch .

Never stop dreaming. Life ends when you stop dreaming
BUT
Stop dreaming and start living.

Early bird gets the worm
BUT
The early worm gets eaten.

You’re never too old to learn
BUT
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Money is the root of all evil
BUT
Money makes the world go around.

Seek, and ye shall find
BUT
Curiosity killed the cat.

Whatever will be, will be
BUT
Life is what you make it.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again
BUT
Don’t beat your head against a stone wall.

The bigger, the better
BUT
The best things come in small packages.

With age comes wisdom
BUT
Out of the mouths of babes come all wise sayings.

Slow and steady wins the race
BUT
Time waits for no man.

Actions speak louder than words
BUT
The pen is mightier than the sword.

Tidak perlu diperdebatkan mana yang benar dan mana yang salah, karena realitas yang sama bisa menghasilkan kesimpulan yang berbeda jika dilihat dari perspektif yang berbeda, seperti kata salah satu quote favorit gw:

Reality can be so complex that equally valid observations from differing perspectives can appear to be contradictory.

(The Inspired Counselor, 2013)

(Small steps big changes, 2016)

Banyak pertikaian terjadi karena kita gagal melihat sesuatu dari perspektif orang lain. Berbeda bukan berarti bertentangan. Bertentangan bukan berarti bermusuhan.

Anyway, bagi teman-teman yang merayakan, gw mau mengucapkan Happy Chinese New Year! Semoga di tahun monyet api 2016 ini, segalanya lancar dan lebih baik dari tahun sebelumnya. Tidak ada lagi api-api pemicu konflik yang disebabkan oleh karena perbedaan.

Salam damai!