All talked out: Who's got bragging rights<\/p>\n
On the first evening of the Idul Fitri holiday, my nephews were
\nbusy counting how much money they made that day in gifts from
\ntheir parents, relatives and neighbors.<\/p>\n
\"I have much more money than you,\" boasted my six-year-old
\nnephew Muhammad.<\/p>\n
\"No, I have more than you,\" Sultan, a year younger, insisted,
\npatting his bulging pockets.<\/p>\n
They tried recounting their respective takings, and still
\ncould not get it right, confused about the numbers.<\/p>\n
But the fight was far from over. In a minute, they were
\nshouting at each other, neither of them willing to give in.<\/p>\n
Even when their mother intervened, telling them \"it's not nice
\nto brag\", they were still yelling at each other.<\/p>\n
That's children for you, right? Unfortunately, I find that
\nbragging and an I'm-always-right attitude have invaded our once
\nmodest and friendly society.<\/p>\n
While visiting another relative's home during the holiday, I
\noverheard a neighbor recounting in great detail how much money
\nshe had spent buying new clothes for her entire family, ordering
\nfood and getting all brand-new furniture.<\/p>\n
\"And my husband has also ordered tickets for us to spend the
\nrest of the Idul Fitri holiday in Bali,\" the neighbor said
\nproudly.<\/p>\n
I felt a bit happier when I heard the neighbor compliment my
\nrelative on her homemade cookies.<\/p>\n
Uh, not so fast.<\/p>\n
\"They're good ... but the cookies that I ordered for my family
\nare much more delicious,\" the neighbor said, packaging her dig in
\na sweet tone and a smile.<\/p>\n
I did not dare look at my relative's face -- I knew that it
\nhad taken her weeks to prepare her cookies.<\/p>\n
So much for celebrating the day in the spirit of joy and
\ntogetherness. Yet, bragging rights are not restricted to the
\nholiday season.<\/p>\n
Just the other day, I heard someone holding court about making
\na new, expensive purchase.<\/p>\n
\"I am still confused about what type of car I will buy,\" he
\ntold his audience, who nodded their heads in unison at his
\nquandary.<\/p>\n
Or what about the person who goes on and on about how hard she
\nworks -- pumping up her pride and status while conveniently
\nforgetting to give credit to the loyal team of people backing her
\nup.<\/p>\n
Some gullible souls swallow the boastful claims hook, line and
\nsinker, and that squeaky wheel really does get the oil.<\/p>\n
A friend complained that her deficiencies on this count --
\nlack of blarney, inability to shoot the breeze, lay the butter on
\nnice and thick -- was her downfall.<\/p>\n
\"I thought that people would realize I'm good because of my
\nwork; that my work itself would 'communicate' my skills, but I
\nwas wrong,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Research shows that knowing what to say, even if it means
\nplaying with the truth, helps in climbing the corporate ladder.
\nI'm not advising the \"tongue tied\" among us to rush off to one of
\nthose personal development courses to polish up their
\ncommunication skills or to start practicing their delivery in
\nfront of the mirror.<\/p>\n
But even our President, known as a woman of very few words,
\nseems to have realized that it's time to speak up and make
\nherself heard.<\/p>\n
In the last week, a public service announcement of the
\nPresident offering Idul Fitri greetings was all over the
\nairwaves. Cynics would say that she is just trying to make
\nherself heard ahead of next year's elections, as many of her
\nprospective opponents have already started to have their say.<\/p>\n
The wife of one of these potential opponents -- the big
\ncorruptor who went and returned all the money to absolve himself
\nof guilt -- was on TV on Saturday morning, mumbling through her
\ntears about all the hardship she has had to endure while
\nconveniently leaving out the facts of her husband's monumental
\nmalfeasance.<\/p>\n
It's at times like these that I realize that talk really is
\ncheap. So, do we really need to have lots of talking going on, or
\nshould we just get the job done? -- Sheera Anwar<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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