Big Minds

by: Naomi Sun

That “humans are so creative, innovative and consumer” is the sentence that I always heard from my Dad when he was standing or walking in the shopping center. When I thought about it twice, it was true. The shopping center buildings are always great and high, showing the development of human knowledge, yeah, they are so creative. After building one, they built a better one, more beautiful, taller, bigger, and of course more luxurious. It signifies that humans are innovative. And the word that always sounds in my ears is "consumptive". Dad was right that the humans are consumers. They always want everything and spend money on unnecessary things. Buying much food and wasting their time for choosing it are common activities for them. They also buy shoes and clothes whenever there are events, ceremonies, parties, and other holidays. They buy things that are still used. In fact, people say that our economy is down and out of control, don’t they? Of course not.

In every shopping center, the prices increase rapidly. And people are never satisfied with what they have. They always want to buy new things, the new one, the others do not have. Yeah, although prices soar so high, but traders will always smile, they are happy, because people never stop shopping. As of today, around me see a lot of people. Busy moms shop, they are looking for discounted clothing, shoes are clearance, which is half the price of food, other items are buy one get one, and picking out all the considerations that they said it was the best. Teenagers are running, laughing, or just sitting in a corner with their friends, companions, or girl/boy friend. Fathers were just following the mothers shopping, sometimes they will call their wives and ask when they will return. They would prefer to go to a more valuable history, education, or places that could spoil their tongue.

I was in one of the great shopping places in the city, Bandung. In this shopping center, there's not much I can do. Like most people, my friends around my age, I could only walk, look around, or be silent with my other friends. Like most other shopping centers, here also music was played. Music was with the loud volume and made everyone forget that they have spent money in their wallets. Yet today, in the shopping center, I think there are different things. Most of the music being played was sad and touching music. It sounded so obvious in my ears, yeah I know the music and the lyrics,

I'm a big-big big girl in a big big world...

Yeah, I thought immediately and agree with the lyrics. I remember how I first got to know this song, I was fascinated, a big girl in a big round about. The song is so amazing. My friends invited me to see the dress that is a trend. I said yes. Following their lead and the song still sounds very clear,

It's not a big-big thing if you leave me...

Memories of him are so clearly, when he left me here, in this shopping center. He chose someone else, who is better than me. I was very sad at that time, yet it’s not a great thing, not as big as this shopping center, a very large shopping center, which symbolizes human pride and human extravagance. He left me with a flat expression without speaking anything except "I do not love you anymore, there is a girl who is better than you and I love her." I did not say a word at that time. My age is too young to protest or even cry. Not a single tear came out of my eyes. That's not a big problem for me. "You want to buy this?" My friends show me clothes with new models, "I still have many clothes" I answered without hesitation. A little or a lot, my father affects my mind. Before all my friends and I move from a shop to another shop, the song still sounds in my ears. I hear one of the song's lyrics, loud, shrill

But I do do feel That I do do will

Miss you much

Miss you much

I can see the first leafs falling

It's all yellow and nice

It's so very cold outside