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Lessons on humility.
狐假虎威 (hu2 jia3 hu3 wei1)成语解释： 假：借。狐狸假借老虎的威势。比喻依仗别人的势力欺压人。
In mandarin we have an idiom that literally translates to fox pretending to have the might of a tiger, used to describe a person basking in the reflected glory of someone else's power.
That above, was to facilitate the mental image that you are now going to have of me using that idiom in the string of insults that I mentally delivered to a few people that I met over the past couple of days.
Take for example the night before last: I bumped into an acquaintance whom I was, in secret, more than willing to ignore; she fits every stereotype you have of a partygal--she hasn't had much education, she spends all her hard earned money (because she doesn't have a sup-card like the real rich girls do) on big brands to vaunt and flaunt, she goes home with wealthy men with nice cars and she is always desperate to be seen in the arms of one handsome young man or another. The only thing notable about this girl is the crowd she keeps; she is friends with the rich and influential, and by implication, is allowed access to the more niche areas of the club she frequents. Unfortunately for her, she is oblivious to the fact that the only reason why people even look in her direction is because she is, more often than not, by the side of people who are infinitely more formidable--people who are actually somebodies. As I was saying, I bumped into this acquaintance that night, and she immediately demanded to know how I managed to get to the VIP area I found her at. She treated me with so much contempt that, on hindsight, I should have pushed her head down to where my ass was and told her to kiss it. But of course I did nothing of that sort. I threw her a few red herring in my curt replies to help her understand that if I was just a fish in life's food chain, then she would be nothing more than a Phytoplankton, before I left her to grasp the concept of a basic color wheel (because I am convinced that that is the most complex thing her simple mind can handle) while I mingled with other less boring and conceited people.
I find it absurd how so many people can be so pompous on no other grounds than their ill-perceived notions of self importance. I mean, unless you really are somebody, keep your haughtiness in check so no one will have to discuss your (non-existent) achievements and accolades.
Labels: KEEP
