The proverb is not dead.

      There is still hope to save the almost-damned pultrichudes. There is still a way to compromise holy simplicity with its not-so-sacred, yet tasteful counterpart. What is it? Vanity---the induced epidemic. The heart of Hedonism. The eighth deadly sin the Bible forgot to mention.

      Just as we compound the earth with asphalt and steel, we have realized that our own skin duplicates itself as a canvass. Early ethnic groups adorn their skin with colorful tattoos and beaded necklaces. Ancient Chinese created make-up out of plant pigments, and Egyptians, as led by the gorgeous Cleopatra, bathed themselves in milk. People have realized their beauty, and have immediately sought for means to enhance it.

      Now, the advent of vanity is more than just a single layer of lipstick. Spas and parlors have been erected for its name. It gave birth to fashion and the science of dressing well. It runs talk shows, beauty pageants, movies and music videos. Vanity is BIG business.

      So much with the fact that mundane things give us pleasure (albeit the other fact that we hate to look like buffoons), I still believe that there is more to people than their vanity.

      Tim Yap might disagree, but no matter how much you indulge in the spa, or how much you party, or how well you dress, you will still end up with a void lonely feeling, more gaping than before. Icons, celebrities and pop stars had, and still have the all-access key to vanity, but this had never guaranteed them true happiness. Marilyn Monroe still killed herself, AJ Mclean still got wasted by alcohol and Paris Hilton is still being bullied, hefted, and harassed by critics and annoyed boob-tube viewers alike.

      There is still, however, a greater threat to vanity than we expect. A threat bigger and longer than Tessa Valdez’s colorful boas. It is the threat of apathy. Consumed by all those bling blings and whitening skin care lines, we might opt to look only at the flashy and the beautiful and then close our eyes to the ugly reality felt by the people we choose ignore.

      Who am I talking about? I am talking about the Tsunami victims in Aceh. I am talking about the squatters in Payatas dump. I am talking about the beggar outside the church, about the little girl asking for alms in the MRT station. I am talking about the millions who weren’t given the all-access key to vanity. The sky hasn’t fallen yet, but for them, it might as well have.

      Indeed, our insatiable appetite for worldly goods deemed to enhance our lives should be tempered with the thought that there are those who have either been denied or stripped of everything they wanted--- a good education, a better job, a hope for a better life.

      I am not saying that being beautiful is bad and that Nivea products are evil. All I’m saying is, there is more to people than their vanity. Just because you look better doesn’t mean that you’re a better person. Life is still good and we are the fortunate ones who get to extract the juice of its goodness. However, we should not over-do the pleasure. Vanity should be tempered and indifference should not take root on it.

      So with this admonition in mind, go my dear readers. Go and enjoy life---get a manicure, have fun, shop, if you must—but go and do something helpful too.