The world-famous actor gazed out at the individual silhouettes sitting in the audience. Beyond the bright spotlights shining on the stage, and more specifically at him, he could roughly make out the standing figures in the audience, each one's shadows reverberating onto the walls of the darkened theater. The most outstanding thing in the wide room were the sounds. He grinned, just like he had done a hundred times over, as he watched and listened to the standing ovation he was now receiving. Minutes passed, and he took a final bow as the lights dimmed, and he walked off the stage. The musical that had won countless international awards had come to an end in the biggest theatrical hall in the city, and people began to file out. The lights turned off one by one, and soon, the theater was in darkness, save for a small backlight illuminating its glow from the back of the stage. Silence.
Slowly, a small hunched over figure shuffled slowly onto the stage, which was still littered with glitter; part of the props for the glamorous performance that ended just moments ago. The cleaner had been working in the theater for most of her elderly life, and her wrinkled face scrunched up as she squinted her small eyes in the darkness, broom in her hand, trying her best to sweep up the remnants of the rubbish left lying on the ground. Her back ached, but she was so used to it that it didn't matter much anymore. She worked as best as she could, the backlight guiding her to the best of its ability. She hurried to finish er duty so she could return home to her grandchildren. They were the most adorable kids, a boy and a girl, both at tender young ages. Her children were high-flying business people, and they thought it convenient to deposit their children at her apartment, leaving them under her care, while they left the nest to pursue fervently what the world had to offer them.
The famous actor, together with his fellow cast members, laughed over cups of steaming coffee and mochas in the most expensive cafe in the tiny town, without any cares in the world. They made a toast, congratulating each other on another successful job done, their hearts comforted at the mere thought of the fortunes they had added to their bank accounts. Yet they thought this normal, they were so accustomed to this type of luxurious life that it had become nothing but a normality, a routine they were willing to conform to again and again.
Just days later, the elderly woman received her monthly paycheck from her manager. It was a miserably small salary, for the theater could not afford to pay her any more. She gratefully receives it, nonetheless, glad that it would come in handy for paying the bills for the month. There was even some money left over to buy her grandson that toy train he had been begging for for weeks. She smiled and left the theater with a warm smile, her aged bony fingers clutching tightly onto the envelope that contained the couple hundred dollar bills. She held on as if it were treasure.
People always pursue the glamorous life that is projected so often and so typically on our TV screens and the Internet. Let's ask ourselves, who doesn't want to lead glitzy lives of luxury? In the pursuit of something 'better' - better careers, better lives, better opportunities, we may have blocked out the widening gap that is characteristic of humankind from our sight. Inequality doesn't seem like a problem simply because riches and ambitions make it difficult for poverty to be noticed by us. Success holds a positive connotation, but when we stop and think just a bit deeper and more carefully, doesn't it bring more harm than good actually? Intensifying divides even further than they already are means that achievements of the outstanding are duly recognized in society, but it also means that the people without the means to make themselves heard are entirely excluded from all the hype. When they coined the term two sides to a coin (no pun intended), this must be it. Next question to ask ourselves, what can we actually do about it?
When I was in primary school, someone once told me "Sometimes, instead of sleeping on an incredibly long train or bus ride, we should spend that time more wisely. Open your eyes, look around you, admire the beautiful scenery that passes you by, and think, for these times are the perfect opportunities to think wholeheartedly, with nothing to distract you except yourself."
That journey back to Singapore, I thought, and I am thankful for whatever I have been blessed with. How true. Thank you for reading!
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