Does it really matter that much?

I cried my heart out last night when I heard a PLA officer narrates the difficulties of saving a victim of the Wenchuan Earthquake only to have the victim died in his hand. It is not only the China disaster but my heart also goes out to the victims families in Myanmar and everywhere else where disaster strike. It is at times like these that you realized how lucky we are living in a country like Malaysia. Sure, it has its flaws but if people can live in peace and harmony and are willing to work together without suspicion, then there is nothing we cannot achieve.

I always believe that there are lessons to be learned from all these disasters and if we failed to do so, then the millions of lives sacrificed would have been wasted.

First, we should never take Mother Nature for granted or underestimate its power. Sure, we cannot control natural disasters like earthquake and floods but have you noticed that most deaths are actually caused by human? In the Wenchuan Disaster, it is now suspected that buildings where most of the school children died are due to shoddy workmanship and corruption.In Myanmar, the flood has destroyed homes but millions will die not by the flood but the Junta who has plundered the country without a care or responsibility to its citizen. I often wondered why wants to billions. Will your conscience be clear when millions of people who trusted you to take care of them is dying?

In Malaysia, we are blessed with rich natural resources with no natural calamities. With only a small population of only 22 million, we have more than ample for everyone. Yet, instead of enjoying what God has provided us, we waste our time and energy on which race should have more. Ironically, in disasters like Wenchuan and Myanmar, people all over the world are rushing to send in aids and the last thing on their minds are whether the people that benefited from their aids are Chinese or Burmese. If you really think about it, race really do not matter. God created everybody the same but some are more fortunate than others. In the spirit of brotherhood, the fortunates must take care of the less fortunates . In todays turmoil society, we need to be selfless because the reality of life is that it is a cycle and times will come when you will be on the receiving end. A Government elected by the people must put the people's wellbeing first in any situation. Nobody will fault the elected officers from being rewarded when the people in general are well taken care of. Afterall, would an elected Representative do a good job if he is financially weak to even take care of his family? The bottom line is to serve with integrity and sincerity and you will be rewarded.

Second. Take a good look at the people around you. Your children happily playing and
your dear wife busy preparing food. Then think of the parents now in Wenchuan crying out for their lost children. Do you want to wait until such time before you show them you care? Give them a hug now!. Don't wait until they are not around anymore before you start to miss them. You've worked hard to provide to your family but in many cases, a loving hug will be their greatest love from you. If you have been too busy lately and haven't called your parents for a long while now, give them a call and tell them you missed them. This is more valuable than the money you gave them. You are not rich with millions of ringgits if you don't have family to share it with.

The world is a strange place with full of ironies. You have rich Junta governing a very poor country and you have a rich country in Malaysia which has rich resources that are enough for everybody, fighting who should get more share. Does it really matter that much?