Layers of cosmetics

by Thomas Sim, 6 Apr, 2001

Do you know how many layers of cosmetics a girl (irrespective of how beautiful she is) apply on her face?

For most of you who are male, probably you would not bother much. However, this article is not about make-up or cosmetics. Why bother about layers of cosmetic when we don't even bother about the heart of the girl? For that matter, we never really want to know the real thing. It is usually better to stay the way we assume it has always been.

Science is the study of the truth. It is evidence base. Not simply by what you think or what I think. Science has make ways for technological inventions which are used in our business world, e.g. telecommunication, increase productivity and improvement of quality and a better reach to the ultimate truth.

Just take an example of the ever changing cellular phones. People now hang their handsets like necklaces. Ironically, the first few things the caller ask is how come s/he could not get through the line earlier or why the receiver switched off his/her handphone? This phenomena proves one thing, we don't really do what we think is right to do.

If you ever thought how much of the things we see are real? In Hollywood, I can bet half of what we see are artificial touch-ups! The question is "Do you really care?".

This is a question that I think (and believe) is a real question of the information age. The problem is that people don't bother. In corporate world, the happening at ground level - the sales team - when reaches the senior management, is if not distorted, highly exaggerated. The even worse thing is that senior management intentionally or not, purposely like the distorted information. The more the layer of cosmetics, the better the face looks like. This is a major reason of the modern (and ever will be and always has been) management and the fall of civilization, like Daewo of Korea.

Over harvesting of idea is another presentation of cosmetic beauty. Have you ever thought that there is a limit to a bull-run? When the stock market is doing well beyond the actual worth of the market, people are still buying strong. The market is irrational! That is why I don't quite believe in fundamentals. I guess it is better to be technical.

Simply put, people don't care. They put cosmetics onto the market, their paint their own fantasy of making big money, buying big cars, houses or more mistresses. When the danger comes, many still like to embrace the dream rather than coming back to the real world. Then, they hang themselves later on. A report taken to reflect the dot-com crash of Nasdaq was 'Even as opportunities became rarer in 2000, the number of entrepreneurs continued to increase until peaking in 2001'.

Like going out with a new girl/boy friend. Many a time, it is better to live in the painted fantasy of love and affection rather than knowing the truth of the person. Why spoil the soup when you can still enjoy it? Even if the truth is highly probable - unless someone tries to change it. It is easier to live a life of fantasy. To many people it is also better that way!

It is not difficult to understand why. Just imagine a beautiful face with nice make up. The fact is that people by nature like beautiful things (prove me wrong, please!) and by uncovering the ugly side underneath, it spoils the soup. It too, makes no gain in the barometer of human affection except to a few enlightened ones.

Unless you particularly like the ugly side, of course, which is then called 'The abnormal or out caste'.

We choose what we want to see. And what we see is not usually the truth because human, by nature finds it hard to swallow the ugly side of the truth.

Or else, why do you need cosmetics? Had there been a time when there was no cosmetics?