of questions and answers...

In this country, we are all masters of merely touching the surface of issues and assume that we have resolved the underlying matter. We tend to look at the facade of things and if it looks great then we automatically think that everything is indeed okay. As a wise man once said, assumption is truly the mother of all fuck-ups. Malaysia is all about what looks good. The fact that we have magnificent architectures beautifying our cities, great attractions to bring in the tourist, an apparent racial harmony, a supposedly functioning government, etc etc, then that means surely we have a great nation growing here. Yes we are a beautiful country and yes we seem to cohabit peacefully between the races, and yes our government is doing their job in educating our children, providing jobs to its citizens and keeping a stable economy that enables us to compete with developed nations. But have we stopped for a moment, amidst all this chaos of development, to think about what's brewing underneath? Have we bothered to take a minute and look at things the way they really are, and not the way we want to see it? I was never one to question much, but then I was blessed when my path crossed with a certain person who taught me to start looking at things objectively, and above all else, to question, and to seek answers. However unpleasant the answer may be, no matter how disturbing the truth may be. And I thank God that this person opened up my eyes to a new way of looking at the world, of looking at people. Just because we appear to be a peaceful country compared to warring nations like Palestine and Iraq, doesn't mean that everything is a bed of roses here. Just because our country looks more organized than India or Indonesia, doesn't mean that we are doing a good job of addressing the fundamentals and what really matters. I admit that I am thankful I was born in this country and that I am going through a good life here. But isn't that how things are supposed to be for every country? Isn't it the responsibility of every single government on the face of this earth to govern in the best interest of its people? Malaysians are being blind-sided by this simple fact, that they fail to see what's lurking beneath the surface. Yes we have to be thankful that we are not at war, and that our citizens are free to move around, but just because we are seemingly peaceful, doesn't mean that we should close one eye to the gross injustice and blatant ignorance for certain things that are abundant around us. The mentality of merely touching the surface of things and immediately assuming that everything else is as great as how the surface looks should come to a halt. We should educate our children to question things, teach them that there are always, ALWAYS two sides to a coin. Train them to put themselves in the shoes of the other side before judging a situation. Teach them not to discriminate. When we have a Malay woman in a 50-year old Malaysia saying to an Indian lady not to touch her table because "Kamu Hindu", then ladies and gentlemen, we are not okay. Infact we are so far from being okay that we don't even know what okay truly is anymore. I'm not the least bit proud to boast about being a part of a nation that has been independent for 50 years, especially not when these ignoramus' are still walking around, acting as though they are not doing anything wrong. Come on Malaysia, let's give our children something that they can truly be proud of. Buildings rise and buildings fall, governments come and go, but true human decency and courtesy are what makes us human, worthy of living on God's green earth.