Things Worth Living for

I seem to have nicer pics of Homeworld than Battlestar Galactica

I recently watched the miniseries pilot episodes of Battlestar Galactica. This is the reimagined series that's currently running in the US and UK. It is now in its third season. Cable (PayTV) also offers it in Singapore, but my dad doesn't pay for TV. Heck. He doesn't even watch TV except for the news. Mom gets by with free to air. Us kids don't have a say. So, I've never watched an episode of BSG.

I have heard of rave reviews for the show, though. BSG is about the human race eons into the future. They created intelligent robots called Cylons to help out with manual labour. As with the other science fiction stories, the AI rebelled, and that started the first Cylon war. A truce was declared, and the Cylons decided to flee to another planet. 40 years later, the Cylons returned with the intent of eliminating the human race. BSG is one of the huge "Battlestar" class warships that survived the Cylon attack. Each episode, the BSG will find more and more survivors and these ships will be added to the ragtag fleet as they run from the Cylons and find "Earth", hoping to seek refuge in the place human life began.

The scene that struck me was how the Captain of the BSG, when questioned about the existence of "Earth", replied that he didn't really know about such a planet. This is contradictory to what he had said in an inspiring speech to his servicemen, asking them to search for Earth together. However, the captain simply said, "It is not just enough to live. Man must have something to live for." The captain could not operate his ship if his crew felt that all hope was lost. The captain needed his crew to believe in something, to still give their best.

That scene struck me because it brought to mind how so many of my friends have ranted their problems to me before. Ok, I'll come clean that I've ranted to some of my friends too. At the root of these rants is that we've lost that something to live for. Or at least we think we've lost that something.

I remember the times when I'd rant to my parents about how sian life in army is. I'd come home, load the dirty uniforms into the washing machine and start complaining to them over dinner. I'd explain how everything in the army was based around order, of how I'd see people in uniform everywhere I looked, of how the food tastes the same everyday. And I'd complain like that as I've lost sight of what I was living for. The SAF wanted a worker drone out of me, so a worker drone I was. There was nothing to look forward to, nothing to keep me motivated. Sure, they found ways to keep me going, but I hardly put any spirit into my work.

Now that I'm in university, some of my close friends sometimes tell me how life is so sian for them. They'd say things like "I'll study and do well for exams, but what does it boil down to? I don't find joy in so many other areas in life. I only study to escape the boring and unfulfilling reality." Sometimes, I do look at myself and wonder why I don't find fulfillment doing certain things. Sometimes, I'd go through a day in school, head home, eat dinner and sleep. I get nothing out of life.

People have different ideas as to what that something worth living for is. For some friends, it is religion. For some, it is love. And for some others, it is lust.

Sometimes, I also think that love might be the cure-all for the rut I'm in. I'd think that things would be so much nicer and rosier with a girl by my side. Yes, laugh if you want. But I think I'd be doing a better job if some of you are squirming in your seats now. In my mind, there is no one thing that provides that sense of fulfillment. You are supposed to figure that part out yourself. You are supposed to find that/those thing(s) that are worth living for. Only you can decide how happy your life is.

Now, when I say find something worth living for, is it the same as something worth dying for? For example, the side effect of the captain talking about Earth is that his Viper pilots put their lives on the line for the good of the fleet. They believe in the existence of Earth so much that they're willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Now, is that good or bad? How about people who find fulfillment in their jobs? Singers who adopt kids to give them a better life. People who work 20 hours a day as their job gives them satisfaction. Freedom fighters who pick up guns to defend their village.

Then how about the hordes of suicide bombers linked to the Al Qaeda? Perhaps the one thing that is worth living for is matyrdom? Perhaps they are willing to put their lives on the line for their religion?

Where exactly do we draw the line then? You can't expect us to live boring, unfulfilling lives. Yet, throwing everything else aside for the one thing that you enjoy is frowned upon too. I go by "everything in moderation". That's why I'm watching BSG until the next fad comes along. -Jimmy