Emperor or Empress?

I have forgotten what was the topic they were discussing earlier on, but it lead to the following conversation.

J : Which is better? To be the Emperor or to be the Empress?

(We have to wildly imagining as if we have a choice, of course.)

A : Empress lah!

(A then proceeded to explain himself.)

A : Empress shares the same wealth, luxury and even power (more or less) as the Emperor, yet she doesn’t have to bother about how to ran a country. Her only concerns are making herself looks good, eats well, sleeps well and enjoys her life.

(M was beside, and she was not pleased obviously.)

M : No! No! Emperor is better. Empress needs to 对付后宫. Very stressed!

Haha.. M must have been following 《金枝欲孽》 so closely and getting herself too absorbed.

True, all the super beautiful ladies (in power within the palace) in 《金枝欲孽》 are so scheming, so scary, pitting their wits against each other and eventually “killing” each other.

In any case, some random thoughts rushed through my mind while I listened to such conversation and recalled bits-and-pieces of what I’d seen in 《金枝欲孽》.

- Many people spend their life pursing after wealth and power. Those ladies got both wealth and power (yet they hungered for more). Were they, in any sense, happy? Mm..

- Some people eventually got wealth and/or power in life (with differing degree of difficulty), not to mention the minority fortunate few who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Many more tried so hard and yet only managed to get by comfortably, and not exactly wealthy or powerful.

- Yet I ask what is exactly “wealth” and “power”?

- If a person were to feel that he is always having enough, contented and being grateful of whatever he already had, yet he continues to work hard and certainly willing to share his “surpluses”, would you call him a poor fellow? Haha.. I feel wealthy. Maybe you may say I’m just too Ah Q.

- If a man in power is ripped off his position and yet he is just as respected, that is “power” to me.
很显然的，他懂得以德服众。

- If a man only makes use of his power to control others and yet he is unable to control himself (as in he can’t even kick his bad habits and keeps harbouring ill-thoughts), appears somewhat “powerless” to me.
毕竟战胜别人是为英雄，但圣人却是懂得战胜自己的能者。

Perhaps, you can be really wealthy without being wealthy ; you can also be really powerful without being powerful.

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