Expectations

From the time we are born, so too are expectations. Parents are expected to look after their children, the kids grow and you expect them to obey you, to be the top in class, to be the President of this or that club. And of course, society also expects you/your child to have a decent job unless you are willing to ignore the strange looks and malicious whispers and be looked down on/frowned upon by society. You study hard to fulfil expectations of yourself, your parents, your teachers. You work hard and you expect your boss to appreciate and value you. You give out love and you expect reciprocation. When howeever, expectations are not met, disappointment sets in. Is it wrong to expect then? Or not? Is it not a right for us to expect when we have given out something or taken on a responsibility? I believe the right to expect and the act itself is instinctive.

"Expect the unexpected". What kind of crap is this? If the unexpected can be expected, then it wouldn't be unexpected anymore. Some would argue that the unexpected makes life more interesting and provides room for creativity blah blah blah. I still prefer to be in the known than unknown. At least, I wouldn't create unnecessary and unwanted tension within myself. Given the choice to eliminate any expectations, I would take it. Expecting is an agonizing and sometimes painful process even though you feel great when your expectations are met. I'd rather not expect anything and so when what I've given comes back, it's a bonus.

When you don't get the results you expected from the effort you put in, there's disappointment. When you expect someone to behave in a certain way and they do something unexpected, you are disappointed, hurt, or lost. It'd be better to protect yourself from such devastating tragedies. As Mark (played by Andrew Lincoln) in "Love Actually" said when he told Juliet (played by Keira Knightley) why he didn't profess his love for her (before she married their other best friend): "It's a self-preservation thing."He didn't expect to get her love so he kept his feelings hidden from her and so was saved from the disappointment of knowing if his love would be reciprocated. Of course the flip side of his non-expectation and subsequently inaction was that he never knew that she liked him till she married. Which was a pity. So should we be "bold" and go on expecting or withdraw from expectations for "self-preservation"?