Every cloud has its silver lining

It's been like forever since I've updated my blog. There's so much to write that I don't know where to start. Drifting in the sea of life, I've been subjected to my fair share of riding the crests of waves in galeful winds and the onslaught of wrath by the darkest storms. At 25 years old, I've come to accept that there's certain things in life that we have no control over.

Homo sapiens, conceited of their achievements in being the most successful species on Earth; were humbled recently by our own lifesource - water. Hundreds of thousands of us died within minutes. Plate tectonics. Underground earthquake. Tsunamis. In Morpheus words, "Fate it seems, is not without a sense of irony". (Matrix, 1999).

Suffering breeds endurance. Calamity builds solidarity. We saw camaraderie between countries. Esprit de corp between people from various races, religions and cultures. We saw not only the governments, but student bodies, religious societies, independent groups taking the lead and initiatives to mediate the situation. We saw thousands of volunteering hands in the air, leaving the comforts of hot bath and air-conditioning to be where it matters. We saw millions of dollars in aid.

It makes me ponder. Sometimes, we shouldn't let our heads rule. Helping equates to committing a good mix of time, efforts and/or money. If we were to sit and count how much we could lose through spending our time and efforts on helping others, calculate the opportunity costs involved and why should we even help in the first place - then I'm sure nothing will get done.

It is the essence of our hearts to care and love. No one questioned 'Why?' when the government were committing our money and resources to someone else. No parents, wives or husbands said 'Don't go' when their loved ones were called up to take the next flight to the disaster areas to render assistance and risk their own lives for others. For that, I'm glad to be amongst people whom are driven in pursuing their goals yet compassionate in their dealings with others. And I pray that, we will be saved from any real and potent danger - if God wills it.