Let’s start anew

By May Chee

Just the other day, my little one reminded me, “Mum, just ask; don’t speculate.” Why don’t we just ask outright why a person does what he does instead of speculating on his motives? The truth may not be so harsh after all. Speculating and letting our imagination run wild is, in my humble opinion, a lot more dangerous and an exercise in futility. What’s more, it will create a mountain out of a mole-hole! What if people get hurt out of our own paranoia? What if we lose someone or something precious due to our very own insecurities? Crazy, no?

At my little one’s confirmation two years back, my favourite bishop, Bishop Paul Tan said this in his homily, “It’s natural to feel fear but unnatural to harbour fear.” It really struck a chord with me! I see it all around me. People who are afraid to fail – they fall only once and refuse to get up since. People who have been hurt in past relationships – they are afraid to commit themselves again. The list goes on.

I have a friend who refused to enter a church for years just because he “thought” a priest was rude to him. Priests are not humans? They cannot have a lousy day? They cannot be rude? Is this about us or about others? I somehow suspect a big ego is not something we should wish for from Santa last Christmas or hope for, this coming year, 2012.

Easier said than done, right? Fear has changed some for the worse. Some become deceitful to guard their self-interests or they conveniently allow others to embrace what appears to be the truth when in actual fact, may be a “lie”. Some become pretentious and are afraid to let others know of their humble beginnings. They adorn themselves from head to toe thinking that such a display can garner them respect. I may be considered a dinosaur here but nothing beats humility in a person. I personally find that most attractive.

I, too, have my fears. I’m afraid my children will forget God, whom we worship; I worship. I’m afraid that they will neglect their faith. I cannot believe the amount of effort and time they have to put into their careers and studies! Will they have time for love? Will they have time to rest? Will they have time to speak to God? Will they have time to listen to Him? What if they forget the most important element of their very existence? What, then, is life all about?

This is election year, so I hear from the grapevine. I’m afraid that the government that will be voted in may once again prevent others from exercising their human responsibilities. I’m afraid that once again politicians voted in only aim to be ranked among the rich and noble who are unwilling to shoulder their responsibilities towards their people and who squander money. If cows could live in condos, when will we, Malaysians, see honour among thieves? Such leaders, unfortunately, only aim to excel in the games of the rich. They don’t feel an iota of guilt that while they wine and dine, they allow their people to sink into poverty! We will be bankrupted in no time if we allow this foolhardiness to continue!

I’m sure I share this fear with other Malaysians. So, let’s do something about this. Let’s save our beloved country Malaysia. We can save ourselves through truth, justice and shared food. Let’s not be afraid of the truth any longer. If we can all look into the face of truth together, it can be less frightening. If we can all hold onto each other in our quest for justice, the journey can be less arduous. And if we all can share our food, everything will fall into place.

Let’s do our homework. Let’s vote in those who can help liberate Malaysia from the chains of old. The chains that continue to make a mockery of our dignity as a human. I’ve heard of how some politicians belong to the “wrong” party. Some people say party-hopping is morally wrong. Some even want to make it a crime. I say: To those who truly want to be a people’s representative, go, hop to the party that aim to serve the people, that aim to bring justice to the poor, that aim to set the “captives” free, that aim to work with the people, not against them! Is this asking too much of the people’s representative? Are we asking them to “sacrifice” themselves? Not at all! They are paid to do their job. No one pays another to rob them blind, to be lied to, to be taken for a ride and worse still, to be enslaved! There is joy in serving and giving. Material liberation is not opposed to spiritual liberation. If one can help another not to go hungry, it can be a “freeing” mission for all concerned. The longing for justice must be the hallmark of a people’s representative, if not, dunk him!

The Good Book says that people do not openly deny God; they simply ignore Him. This is what my fifty-one years on earth has taught me. I am nothing without God; I’m lost without my faith. I concur with the Good Book when it says that faith is neither an option or a luxury, as if we could do without it. Some appear to do without it comfortably. I wonder how that’s possible. I can imagine if we withdraw all that comes from faith in our culture and lives, our world would die for want of hope. It is in this faith that we can find hope. It is not a matter of seeing or feeling but of believing what God can do and does. It is also this faith that make us so aware of the justice and respect we should accord others.

Am I proselytizing? No, not at all! I believe in a God of all humanity and that all true religions teach good. I believe that no law or religious decree can prevail over a well-informed conscience. I believe an ordered life creates more beauty than any religious instituition could ever achieve. A friend once told me that one can be spiritual without being religious. He, himself, could not bring himself to “conversion” as he felt himself unworthy. I believe he will beat me to the gate of St. Peter!

I look at the Year 2011 with some regret. We could have done a lot more for ourselves and others. We had some near misses. So, what messed up? Perhaps some of us did not work hard enough. Perhaps some of us took many things for granted. Perhaps some of us forgot our purpose in life. Perhaps some of us took the easy way out instead of the road less travelled.

Never mind. Let’s not beat ourselves up over this. This is a new year and a new us. If we want progress and one that is evident, it can only happen through upheavals and changes of perspectives. So, it all falls back on us. We, yes, we, have to change. Let’s not just be marked bodily by circumcision. Let’s all circumcise our hearts and our minds. Let’s all be converted interiorly. Let’s restore justice, not by condemning, but by saving. Let’s allow our love for our fellow Malaysians ransom our dignity and freedom. Let’s return love for love – the beginning of true conversion.