离去，不是因为不和。离去，也不完全是因为不满。
离去，只因为有些事有时实在是没法两全齐美、没必要让任何一方难堪。
Category: Personal
A Wake & Afterthoughts
I was at a wake yesterday – the wake of the father of my pastor.
There was only one reason for me to be there. It was respect I had for my pastor – a friend, a brother, and at times a father figure, whom have given me encouragement and concern when I needed it.
So, what measures a man’s legacy? The financial or political empire he built? The impact of his ideas to mankind? Or just simply, the family he left behind? I sat there amazed, hearing the testimonies of sons and their wives, grandchildren, family friends, and even those whose lives the man has touched, came forward speaking fondly, and often in sobs, of the man who has passed away – a man whom I do not really know and have met only once in better times. Yet among the sorrow, there was a joy, a joy that the man has lived his life to the fullest, with the full knowledge that the man has run the good race and will now pass on to a better life beyond into the embrace of God.
As I sat there I saw a family of 8 sons and brothers who speaks fondly and lovingly of one another, I saw daughters-in-laws whom acknowledges and affirms one another in testimonies, and I saw grandchildren who bears witness to the kindness, and the gentleness of the man. And I also see his legacy in his son, the pastor whom I respected.
While his legacy may be nothing to most as it is not as significant as the founding a financial or political empire, or even taking a country from rags to riches, but the lives this man has touched, will go on to touch more and make an impact on society on a level more substantial than just one’s physiological and security needs. In that, I see a giant, and a person who has lived as a living testimony of Jesus Christ, leaving behind shoes too big for his sons to fill, and a great legacy for his descendants to carry on.
Yet, among this humanity, I lament this as a dying trait. More often we see family torn asunder, fighting over the material legacy of those who passed before them.
A brother-in-Christ whom gave a short message at the wake said this: If the past 8 years were any indication, the 21st century will be remembered as the century of dehumanization. It is a century that maybe remembered for nothing else but the downgrade of the human race’s uniqueness as equivalent is drawn between man and beast, the attacks on the sacred institutions of marriage and the sanctity of life, the collapse of traditional values of family bond, plus the ability of people to take up a complete altered ego and be someone (or perhaps, something) else on the Internet.
You are free to disagree. But it got me thinking: As we become more affluent, did we lose our humanity? Perhaps we simply did not realize what we lost when Adam lost Eden and the everlasting relationship with God, Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe.
I have much to think about and reflect upon. And I have much to confess to God and seek His forgiveness.
如果你想哭 (If you want to cry…)
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In spite of knowing the phrase ‘a picture says a thousand words’, I learn recently that in communications, 55% of the message is carried in visuals. And indeed visual communication is powerful. There is no greater impact than seeing the suffering, pain or especially, the death of another human being. I was completely overwhelmed and speechless when I saw this picture as I was browsing a few mainland Chinese websites. It took me a while to fight back my tears looking at the image so vividly showing that a young life had been brutally snuffed out…
You can still help the survivors. Remember George Bernard Shaw said this:
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity. |
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* Words taken from Yahoo.cn – Dedicate to the victims of the disaster and to those fighting to bring them hope. 如果你想哭 – 献给受灾的和救灾的人们 如果你想哭 如果你想哭 如果你想哭 I am sorry there’s no translation. My translation skills really suck. |
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Donation Appeal
I am overwhelmed when I looked at all the photos coming out of the disaster zone in Sichuan, China on the newspapers. My only comfort was that the Chinese government has responded with utmost urgency, and put aside her pride to accept help from those who have offered.
China is indeed blessed to have a Prime Minister like Wen Jiabao, who is more or less directly involved in the rescue operations. Even though the fact that he has to be there personally to whip the local cadres into shape reflects badly on the command and control aspects of the Chinese government, the people will remember what is done right, and thus re-affirm the Communist Party’s right to govern the nation.
At the same time, Myanmar’s government response to her own cyclone disaster is appalling. It is a pity the cyclone did not drown the bastards in the junta first, as they have demonstrated they are completely unworthy to govern the people. (Much like a certain deputy of this country who not only can’t sing, and the arschloch who says China beer promoters help retained jobs for Singaporeans, are unworthy of their positions!)
It further disgusts me when I read that leaders lea-duhs in the junta put their names on the boxes of material given as aid to the people of Myanmar. This shameless attempt to fool the people into being grateful to them shows they appear to be more concern with politics instead of the well being of the people. That can be further seen in how much harder they are pushing their stupid little sham of a referendum while they continue to refuse help from the other countries.
Anyway, I am not really helping anyone by wacking away on my keyboard. The main objective of this post is not so much to rant, but rather to increase awareness on one of the avenues you can use to provide monetary aid to those affected.
The following link was found on the Singapore Red Cross website, a reputable non-old NKF kind of charity organisation. It contains instructions on how you can donate to help those affected and you will be guided to choose between giving to Myanmar or China.
My personal opinion is that no matter how you feel about charity organizations or the political conditions of the countries affected, do not forget giving money is the least we can do to help. It is just way better than doing nothing, and personally I would prefer to go to China to dig people out of the ruins if I can.
One last thing: While I understand that it is your right and your prerogative to donate or not to donate, I would generally prefer you keep your reasons to yourself if you do not intend to give. It is unwise to present an image of selfishness and heartlessness apathy – even when you aren’t such a person – and even more so when the reasons are made available on the public domain so some irresponsible jerks can now use to justify their own lack of empathy.
My thanks to everyone who heed this call to donate.
Earthquake in China [Update]
UPDATE:
My mom has took her mobile phone with her to China! Yaaaaay!! But unfortunately I have no luck raising her on the phone. So I went back to find out which agency she booked her package with. I searched high and low for the invoice and stuff but can’t find it, but fortunately, my mother has passed me the AIG Global Travel Insurance ‘booklet’ which has the chop of the travel agency on it. And she called back at 22:31hrs.
So Anyway, I had googled and found the website of the agency and look through the tour packages. Since my mother took the 9 days tour package with my aunts, I checked the itinerary and discovered that on day 3 my mother should be now quite some distance away in Zhangjiajie (张家界) [See map below]. (Ya, beat me up for not having the contacts of my cousins and my aunts as well. My mistake for failing to be close to the maternal side of my family.)
I hope am glad the agency is following the itinerary closely, as I continue to feel burdened by my failure to contact my mother. I am going to call the travel agency tomorrow morning to find out if they are in contact with their guides over in China.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my relatives over there. Please keep them in prayers until I receive confirmation of them being safe and sound in China their return to Singapore, as after shocks are expected in China.
