Why reading the papers can be a bad thing.

Hey all.

I'm sorry I forgot to announce my unplanned hiatus.

Anyway, I started reading the newspapers again this morning; the Straits Times of Singapore to be precise. It gradually dawned on me why I dislike reading the newspapers sometimes. Besides the copious blocks of words which already serve as a disincentive to pick it up, the kind of news published also leaves a very stingy impact on me. News about death and strife plagues parts of the Straits Times.

Here are just a few of the headlines:

'137 killed as plane bursts into flames in Russia'

Survivor: "It was awful. I saw people burning, they were burning."

'41 Sunnis killed in Shi'ite rampage'

'Home Alone'
Many children in rural China left to fend for themselves while parents look for work in the cities

It was an immensely bitter pill to swallow as I read those articles. Knowledge of suffering and pain in this world of ours has a very adverse effect on me. Firstly, it makes me remember that such things exist. Secondly, salt is rubbed into the wounds when I realise that my plights are so minute when compared to what others HAVE to endure.

We take many things for granted. The fact that we coexist harmoniously in Malaysia is not something we enjoy by chance but by the hard work of politicians of the past and present plus our forefathers who embodied the 'bertolak-ansur' spirit. Some of you may argue that though we live harmoniously, traces of racism still exist albeit in a tacit form and that some racial groups still keep to themselves. This is undeniably true but have you considered the situation in Baghdad, Iraq? There is INTRA-religious conflict there for goodness sake! The Sunnis and Shi'ites have been fighting for decades and there is no sign that the heat between these groups is letting up. Thus, what he have in Malaysia is something that we should appreciate and not complain about. We should even strive to make the situation better!

Children in rural China are beginning to feel more 'unloved' as their parents head to the cities to earn their livings. Yes, jobs in the city pay better but it seems that what these children really want is their parents to be with them; to be a part of their lives. One child summed it up by saying, "But I don't care about a better life. I just want them to be at home by my side."

Doesn't seem like what many of us would say, right?

Then, I began to question why these things happen to them and conversely, why didn't they happen to me. What have I done to deserve so much more than them? How did I get to be the lucky one? Why did God choose it to be this way?

I don't know the answers to these questions but what I do know is we should be appreciative and thankful for what we have.

So why pick up the paper? Isn't ignorance bliss? Why bother to know all these things when you know it's going to hurt you? Maybe that's why we were chosen; we have the capacity to make a difference as our stable environments permit us to do so.

So my friends, as much as it hurts, pick the papers up and find out what's happening. As Shaneil put it, " Stop assuming and start realising". Believe you can make a difference; pray for those who are suffering. Have faith. We were chosen so that we could help them. Don't think of doing the big things when the little things are right under your nose.

Open your eyes. Or rather, let your eyes be opened to the truth. Stop assuming and start realising.