anyway, since i am wide awake after training this morning is cancelled due to rain. wan wan says the rain is the same water that killed those who perished in the tsunami tragedy. it just changed the way i looked at rain for this couple of days. oh well...
read this article in the sunday times "Life" section and it is what sorta triggered off some thoughts. Link's provided here : "Whenever tragedy strikes, life's lessons are learnt. But how long will it be before people get swept away by trivial concerns again? By Sumiko Tan"
It does seem strange that we are often awaken by tragedies, especially those that are close to home and we begin to witness the millions that starts pouring in. The magnitude and the proximity of the tsunami disaster, magnified by the timing of it intensified our sympathy for those caught in it. Or maybe even guilt as Sumiko puts it. The tragedy no doubt will or had caused New Year resolutions to be written or for some, it had a good impact on them. I am not trying to say its not good to have feelings of sympathy and reaching out to offer whatever help we can in terms of monetary or just plain physical labour. I salute those who had contributed in one way or another. That's what being human being is all about. The emotional ties between us, even if we might not know who's on the receiving end.
(mg here is where you come in) BUT, why not stop for a moment and think about things in a worldly manner. As a matter of fact, think about the world. There are millions dying in Third World countries. Dying of hunger, civil wars, malnutrition, Aids (hey! most are born with it.), lack of clean drinking water and the absence of medical attention. Or how about thinking closer to home? The kidney foundation, heart foundation, community chest, etc? A lot of us have this impression that they are rich, but are they really THAT rich? Can you blame them for trying to secure the future of those who really needs that help? For those who critise them for being greedy should be ashamed of themselves! Can you see where i am trying to get at? Why do most of us only help when actually, for every single day of our lfe, there is always someone who needs it? Why wait till when tragedy strikes? Are we really that superficial? Is it really the education?
Quoting sumiko in this particular article:
How many of us had vowed to live a more exemplary life
after Sept 11, only to get sidetracked as the months went by?
How many had renewed those vows when the Iraq War took place and images
of death were flashed again, only to fall by the wayside soon after?
And also the good intentions that came up in the midst of the Sars outbreak?
How long will the lessons of the tsunami calamity stay with us, or will it be a matter of days
before we get tragedy fatigue, block out the images and go back to our grasping, greedy ways?
How long does the goodness that bubbles forth each time a tragedy happens last?
And even if it goes away, can a residue of goodness remain behind,
to accumulate over time and make us better people?
How stark can these questions be? Ha. I don't know. We really have to ask ourselves that.
This entry is not to spark a nuclear war of any magnitude. These are only my personal thoughts. You can email/msn me or whatever if you have any comments. Or even if you comment it here, well, i will keep it published if i like what you said. If not, i will simply delete it. It's MY blog anyway.
In the meantime, keep safe and be healthy for 2005 and many years after that.
Thoughts and emotionals are for every second of our life,
not only for specific occurences
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