Forgive me for the seemingly ridiculous title, but I promise you, bear with me, and it will make sense after you have finished reading.
People refer to the rebellous puberty years as the character-forming years, when everyone starts growing, both mentally and physically. Most, if not all, of the development during this stage will form the basis of our moral inclinations, personal habits, decision-making process and also our physical appearance for the rest of our lives . It is not uncommon to hear the phrase, "It cannot be helped, so-and-so's character is like that."
But is this "character" really malleable only during our teenage years? Can't we really teach an old dog new tricks? I don't think so. We often read the stories about those that have fallen by the side early in life, turned a new leaf, and made good their potential later. The key, I believe, is perceived need.
Sometimes, something comes along and gives us a whack on the head hard enough to jolt us out of our skins that makes us realise that we have been utterly wrong in our interpretations of the world. Or someday, we may just understand that the reason why we are so frustrated is due to our petulant ignorance of hard facts placed in front of us. Only then will we feel the real need to change the way we think, and the manner we behave.
Personally, I was, or am still, never one to suffer fools. If something is not done right, I had no hesitation to speak my mind. And I would never give up an argument if I am convinced that I was right. I was right, I knew it, and I wanted everybody to know it. For me, there is no better arbiter of any argument than reason and truth. I would like to think that I have changed much now, and for that I have Jas to thank. She was the one who showed me that sometimes, or most of the time, I stand a better chance of getting people to agree with me by telling them that they are partially right, rather than completely wrong.
Which brings us to Raistlin Majere. To those who don't know who he is, he is a character in the first set of fantasy novels that I read. Born weak in constitution, ridiculed as a kid, he showed his strength and power in other ways at the end of the story. I have come across many other repesentative characters, but I will always remember Raistlin Majere as the one who induced my interest in the fantasy genre. The heroes, the magical spells, the mythical weapons of slaying, the dark villians, I love them all. Probably it's because that in a fantasy world, concepts transient in real life, like courage, honour, loyalty and justice are more pronounced, I don't know.
Of course, my reading has not been limited to a single genre. The Jeffrey Archers, the Dan Browns, the Tom Clancys, and most of the popular authors, I have read every one of their books, more than once. Trust me when I say I read quite a few books. But recently, I find my reading tastes changing. Books that I cannot finish in the past, books that I found "dreary" and "boring" in the past, I think they are beautifully written now. Personally, I find it very interesting, as well as gratifying, to be finally able to appreciate these previously-scorned books.
And it has not been limited to my reading preferences. My taste in music, my preferences in colour coordination, my choices in clothing and apparel, I am now able to appreciate better the choices that I really try to avoid in the past. I can now listen to a CD of classical music without ejecting the disc, I am now willing to try more adventurous colours, and I have a pair of bright red sneakers.
Having said all that, it doesn't mean that my preferences, or my way of thinking has changed. Just that I have learnt to appreciate different things, even though I may not like them. I still don't like certain things or agree with the way how certain things are done, but I can now understand why others do.
Maybe that's the most important thing, after all.
