The Whole Issue about ‘Wayang’

‘Wayang’ is a word often used to describe the act of pretending or putting on a show / false front, which is not reflective of true reality. In my 2 years of work, especially now that I am in this area of work, my eyes have been opened to notice all sorts of ‘wayang’ going on around. Be it by a corporate organization or a ministry or statutory body, there will always be some bit of ‘wayang’. Broadly speaking, whenever there are humans involved, there will always be some sort of pretense due to arrogance or an attempt to cover up a mistake or shortcoming.

Sometimes I would really marvel at the extent which some parties would go for the sake of a temporary state of ‘wayang’. The amount of effort, time and cost involved just to pull off a stunt. And in the midst of it, there would emerge some grumbling because someone has to do the ‘dirty’ work, just so that someone else can be recognized for that achievement / accomplishment.

If viewed in the biblical context, ‘wayang’ is not a biblical principle to follow. But then again, as part of work or acknowledgment of our bosses, there may some element of ‘public display’, so as to make the other person look good. For me, as long as it doesn’t cross over the border towards dishonesty, its fine and I will just regard it as part and parcel of work. After all, in order to ‘wayang’ (can’t be avoided sometimes), one must also know how to ‘wayang’. Hmm…