Marking your territory

It is considered taboo to actually mark what’s mine, and what’s yours in an official manner. No matter where the place might be, including schools, workplace, homes, etc. Simply because of the potential perception one might give others based on this action alone. This seemly innocent, harmless and also trivia action could, in actual fact, lead to a whole lot of other unrelated events.  

Ever since ancient times, humans had all along tried to mark their objects and resources. Be it by drawing out the lands they think they owned on a map (lands are owned by the Earth, not governments), sending their armies to protect it or even shouting loudly with signs emphasis to any potential innocent trespassers that they are near ‘my’ land, my place, where I rule it.

Not forgetting, also there are some people who grew jealous of others with vast amounts of objects and land that they tried all their means to obtain them. And by ‘all means’ also too, include sacrificing their own life. This is by what now The Hague termed it ‘conflict of interest’. It is a phrase so easy to misuse, to get what you want officially, albeit via an unethical manner. This lead to wars after wars, renaming of empires, dynasty, country names like Roman Empire to the Ottoman-Empire, Czechoslovakia to the now Czech Republic and Slovakia. It thus can be concluded that now it is only human nature to be envious of others and thus be greedy, trying to get more land/resources from others.

And thus now, by trying to mark your territory officially is now deemed to be of having a hostile personality, which makes you anti-social, and not peace loving. Elaborating further, it means you have a problem with yourself and others. Other’s would be very mindful of your each and every movement.

However, being humans, each and everyone would still love to have a clear, but a non-official line of what’s mine and yours. By not labelling or telling others this is mine, but by brands and model. One fine example? Stationery. Stationery, although cheap, is a vital tool to mark your territory. For you see, having our stationery all over the place translate to owning the whole table (in a shared office). It also is a sign of your influence all over the workplace. And being humans, we are afraid of sharing and also using the wrong type of stationery. Thus, I use a MUJI pen to mark that it’s mine. Firstly, few people in my class uses MUJI products. Secondly, MUJI is a product which I love to use. Thirdly, I can’t imagine using other non-MUJI products. Give me a pilot pen anytime, and I shall throw it straight in your face on the floor.

Till now, using my own type of stationery and having others knowing that I uses such stationery will actually trigger some receptors in their brain, that I’m using MUJI and so, please do not use MUJI, unless you want to copy me. And be a copy-cat bitch who is such a slut, and without their own fixed opinion to even stationery choice. Fuck off.

When one hear of another using such brand of stationery, you would go compare if they uses the same brand. If positive, be friends together, so as to achieve a win-win situation where you two can use each other stuffs without conflict. Because I believe you had invest vast resources into being unique and use this type of stationery. Else, be creative to further distinct what’s yours. Like changing the pen tip colour to yellow. This means it is unique in the sense that it is not store-bought direct, and you had customised it completely.

Ultimately, at the end, please keep your stationery well, and not lose it. Then, you will not falsely accuse others of stealing your stationery. Like in my case, a parker pen.

Many years ago, I’m the only person using Parker Pen (till some copy-cats came along). Thus I did not make it a point to actually mark it is mine. One day, I lost my pen (which is so sad) and I tried searching for it in the classroom, but to no avail. Until a month later, I saw my pen in a fucker’s pencil case. I immediately snatch it away from the stupid fucker (I knew the fucker well that he’s too poor to even buy a pilot G2 pen, much less a Parker) and put it in my pencil case. Sure enough, the fucker did not make a fuss. Because if he report the theft, no one would believe him, since he’s so poor. I think he knew I took the pen back, because he gave me the death stare whenever I talk to him.

I realised why he would take the pen and use it for himself. Because I did not proclaim I’m using a Parker pen, thus, when I lose a pen, anybody could just shout across I’m too, using a Parker pen. Thus now, I make it a point that I’m using MUJI pens, thus, if they found any MUJI pen (or pens acting like MUJI), they would first, ask me if I lose any MUJI pen, before asking others. However silly this ‘strategy’ might sound, it sure is effective, into knowing your pens are safe and sound if you lose it in the classroom.