Toys..

the significance of toys - "why are they so precious to you?"
many have asked me this question.

toys are a symbol of one's childhood - the innocence, the simplicity, even the memories. some say toys are a waste of money and that one is childish for buying/collecting them.. but they know not the reasons behind them.

toys are like a kind of friend: much different from the ones in the real world. they never talk back, they never get angry with you, they smile when you smile, cry when you cry; and best of all: they NEVER leave you.

give a child a toy - you can keep him happy for quite a while. children are innocent - so much so that friends are a very-good-to-have, but not a die-die must have. later on in life when one progresses from childhood, one leaves behind his toys and has friends as companions instead.

adulthood is very very very much different from childhood - every child is born not knowing how to commit crimes and how to do other nasty things; the factors present in most kids' upbringing teaches them how. (that is a different argument altogether.)
fact is, childhood is simple - friendships are uncomplicated. "maturity" is unheard of - life is simple and good.
and then the worldly desires and emotions overcome the child - things become complicated, friendships are political.

friends can and will leave somehow or other at some point in time - but toys don't. they are ever-listening, ever ready to give you a hug or be there when you cry or smile.
a friend sometimes fails to do so.



"what a loser," some might say - "got no friends then make some new ones lah! so childish still play toy.. haiyo!"



facing the issue - some people aren't good at making friends. sometimes a friendship which is taken lightly by others can be very precious to such people - and when the said friendship fails somehow, it hurts.

the intricacies of one's upbringing and the environment they were raised in come into play. what makes cheese so different from milk?
milk adapts to its surroundings easily. it takes the shape of any container it is put in - similarly, some people can adapt better and change faster when their environment does.
cheese is solid - it can hardly be shaped unless it is mashed up or softened.

but both started out as the same thing; why then are they so different?
why do different people have different needs and interests?

personalities are shaped by the factors involved in one's upbringing, and personalities are what makes or breaks friendships - and it determines how easily one interacts with the outside world. granted, change -is- possible. but a caged eagle will never soar; a tethered dog will never run free.
such a thing is confusing to them; they never knew what it felt like - and probably never will. not because they CANNOT, it is simply because they have no idea what said activities are like.




making new friends, doing sports, and interacting with the outside world; these things are present in every person's life in various degrees. some are even almost nonexistant in some lives..
but everyone has had toys once - and thus felt the joys of childhood and the emotions that drive it.
and toys never do leave you - only you leave them.



they provide a whole new world for you to explore; new people to meet, new adventures every day. nothing ever stays the same.. every day has something new in store. the outside world, its hurts and pains and the horrible, horrible politics all cease to exist. a child is happy in his own little bubble.


THIS is why childlike faith is so powerful - it is pure and untainted; uncomplicated by the outside world.
this is why i love my toys.


as the saying goes: you stop playing not because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing.











being a kid is a blessing.