Saturday, October 07, 2006

I like this saying in the anime 'Fullmetal Alchemist'. It goes by, if you want the gain something, you have to lose something in return, which is known as equal trade (or something like that).

Many a times we gain something by losing something. Like when we buy new cloths we have to throw away the old, When we study more things, we will in turn forget some old things. Or to be closer to some friends you will have to be further from the old. Which I find is not fair but it is still very reasonable. We cannot have every thing to our liking. It is just like what we learn in Economics. The idea of scarcity where there is limited resources and unlimited wants and that of opportunity cost.

The saddest part of the idea is about losing something. I feel that whether the value is proportionate or not doesn't matter. If we are willing to give, any amount won't matter. Seriously, who would like to loss their possession. But we can do nothing about it, unless we have no desire to gain new things. Be it friendship or finance or even material assets. In truth, it is not that possible. It is not really by our control to stop this flow of nature. Even if we can deter any new things from coming in, we can't stop things from going out. The idea of depreciation and diminishing returns.

But the main question is that do we yearn for the gains more than what we are going to loss? Is it fair in that sense for the losers? Be it the property or the friendship. The years spent with the object or person, can it be easily forgotten? Unless there is no feelings from the beginning, then that is another story. What I want to focus is that if we have any remaining feelings left for the thing that we are forgoing. Is is so easy to give it up? What if we regret at the end of the transaction? Can we just pretend nothing happened? Or should we cry over spilled milk?

When we try to retrieve what we have fagin, it will be a more difficult process than to the time we give it up. Especially to the mind and the heart. The fact is we have to get on with life. No point thinking back, what lost is lost. We just have to correct this mistake in the things we are going to be doing. For example you and a friend's relationship turn sour and you think through day and night trying to mend this broken friendship. But the thing is that your friend is getting on in life just as well or even better. He found himself a better friend and not even remembering the good old days. So just by a one side rescue is of no use. Might as well just get out of this friendship and get on with life. What done is done and cannot be undone.

The world is so pragmatic and seriously, there is nothing we can do along to change things. When we desire for something, we will have to give up on another. This is the way of life and the principle of the universe. Nothing lost nothing gain I would say. This is just another good proof of my favourite phrase " nothing last forever, neither friends nor foes".