Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka's short story, Metamorphosis, is a great read and i recommend everyone to check it out. Never have I felt so much emotion in me from reading such a short piece of text, besides the Bible...

Gregor, the protagonist of the story, wakes up one morning and discovers that he has transformed into a bug. Hold on your thoughts, as this ain't gonna turn out to be like some happy lovey dovey disney movie where he goes on some adventures and goes on a rollercoaster ride of self-discovery and fun... nope nope... hold those thoughts...

It's grim. The manner in which his family abandons him, even though he had been, all the while, the sole breadwinner of his family. His sister is too young too get a real job, his mother is weak and his father is jobless and depressed after his business folded. But despite all of that, he still managed to earn a salary that is more than enough to support the expenses of his family...

He never wondered how he became a bug, it was never to be explained by the author either, and Gregor's parents never asked too... but throughout the story, he becomes depressed by his inability to go back to work, and his parents disown him and even contributes to his death as he is no longer able to provide for the family and even becomes a source of shame for them...

But the author seems to be posing a question to his readers... Have we unconsciously allowed ourselves to be defined by the things that we do?? In the process of seeking perfection in the things we do, have we lost our very own identities??

Time in college really flies... And that, can be dangerous... everything around becomes a blur and i end up getting caught in the details that aren't really that important...

deadlines for submission of assignments, reading of materials before lectures, finishing tutorials... what to wear? i can't possibly wear the same thing everyday... everybody around me is getting attached, and i'm still single.. argh... making sure i listen to every word the lecturer says, strategising study methods in an attempt to get good grades... plan the clothes i shall wear for the week... perhaps i should get attached... she seems like a nice girl... get a good grade, so that i will not be looked down upon... gotta dress well... i'm in cs, cs ppl dress well... gotta look good... i must show that i am attractive enough to be attached...

all these thoughts are real... and mapping them out like this and imaginating how it can all end up is pretty scary... unknowingly, i have already allowed myself to be defined by the things i do... even though i might have started this out as allowing God to define me as i go through another stage in life...

slow down.. take a look at the things around you... what is important to you now? is that thing worth investing your time and life in? does it build you towards your eternity?