People are like Onions...

We might have heard this expression often enough but most of the time, we are just referring to how much we know about a person i.e. their external vs internal thoughts & character....

but that's not my line of thinking... People are like onions in terms of how they've chosen to live their lives... There are people who have grown up knowing only those things that happen around them, where their whole lives are governed by immediate concerns. Things like growing up, getting married, settling down, getting the right job, their families, their kids. Some of us in Singapore might refer to them as heartlanders. To me, they are like the core of an onion, shelled in and untouched by happenings outside of their immediate perspective, not knowing and not wishing to know what's outside of that shell.

Then there are those who are concerned with current affairs around the world, who read the news and know what's happening outside of their comfort zone. They know more about what's going on but most only scratch the surface. These people are like the next couple of layers above and around the core. It's not that they are not interested... they are... but they don't go beyond just gaining common information so they don't sound ignorant.

Then there are those who get to the roots of that knowledge. They can grasp and understand what are the forces at play. They can look at politics and understand what was not written in the news but yet play an powerful part in influencing how things turn out. These people are what I think the outer layer of the onion, pretty much in touch with everything, interior and exterior, and they know how to manipulate that information to get what they want, to benefit themselves and their situation, or even that of others....

and for me... I want to break out of that shell....

just rambling....