Got this e-mail from a friend of mine and decided to post it here.
To: YOU Date: TODAY From: GOD Subject: YOURSELFReference: LIFE
This i s God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.
P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.
If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.
Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!
Should you decide to share this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Today (22/4/2010) is the official Earth Day celebrated annually over the globe. The purpose is solely one; to remind people of the deteriorating fate of The Earth. Simple as it sounds, unfortunately to our dismayed, after some 40 years of celebrations, Earth Day is just so-so.
Environmental friendly society as its implies should not completely be limited to the cripple notion involving the green environment only. Though the emphasize is undoubtedly more towards nature however, in a broader aspect environment in its full context should include anything surround us including the society, the Earth, social welfare, economic struggle, scientific research and innovations, cultures and biodiversity. In other words, everything that evolves around us, is the environment and therefore it is our duty and responsibility as the steward to look after them all as a native tribe leader in the heart of Africa once said 'Mother Earth is not what we inherited from our forefathers but the one we borrowed from our future generations'.
With respect to social welfare, the world is indeed very far from friendly. Though natural disasters like tsunami, earthquake and tornado may bring the world together and the essence of helping hands were felt warmly thereafter, why can’t we in unison thoughts when it comes to matters such as public security, extreme poverty, marginalized individuals, underfed populations and educational setback? In his book, The End of Poverty (2005), Jeffrey Sachs reported that more than 20,000 people perished every day due to extreme poverty. Painstakingly, those figures are over 100 times more than the number of people killed in Chernobyl Disaster, Ukraine (1986). But what's the difference? We still remember the plights and outbursts of the Chernobyl tragedy, Tsunami and 9/11 attack – they still resonate in us. But why is the case so different when 20,000 people dying of poverty? Is it less tragic compared to the others? That’s the real manifestation of how serious we are should we care less. Education, often touted as 'leveller of society' failed to live up to the expectations leaned upon them. Worse still, white-collar strategists, intelligences, masterminds and spin doctors are all undoubtedly talented scholars, products of established universities! Seems to me that education, believed to stem global disparity, in the end, guarantees its arrival.
What can one do for an environmentally friendly society (EFS) is to re-define the concept of ‘environment’. It should not be limited to mere greens but cover all aspects of our surroundings. To me EFS must be comprised of an environmentally conscious society whom in time may bring great impact to the prosperity of the nation which in turn will liberate others from miseries.
In order to become an environmentally conscious citizen, one should be creative in matters pertaining to the environment. For example, restraining oneself from using plastic bags while shopping is creative – you helped to reduce amounting non-biodegradable substance! Also, shutting down one’s personal computer (PC) while it's not operating is innovative – Not only that you helped to conserve the depleting energy but also literally pro-long your computer’s lifespan and direct supply of constant unwanted electricity. What's more creative than that?
Moreover, campaigns such as the white coffin program, plastic free campus zone, the university in a garden concept and going green protocols should be taken more seriously. Not only campaigns, outreaching program up into the heart of the land should be carried out as well in order for us to teach and share the revolutionizing idea of conserving and preserving the Earth.
Stringent actions should be ruled towards those irresponsible brats of nature of which anybody including students can possibly do. In school, we were thought that killing, rape, stealing etc. are crimes but what about issues regarding nature degradation and environmental fallout? The time has come for us to re-shape our perspective towards nature. There must not be any more swept under the carpets kind of lies to be hide of as far as the matter of Earth revival is to be concerned. Responsible culprits must be brought up to the ultimate brink of justice for their misdeeds involving the environment.
Mother Theresa once said ‘we ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop’. So, that’s why we can make a great difference and it starts with YOU – always.
This morning it was reported in New York Times that an earthquake of 6.9 had rubble Jiegu Town in Yushu county, Western China killing 589 and injuring approximately 10,000 people.
As alarming as the statistics are, the real question is all of these seismic activities had one wonder if earthquakes are increasing in frequency? Let's recalled back some events in 2010:
1. Jan, 12 - 7.0 in Haiti 2. Feb, 27 - 8.8 in Chile 3. Apr, 4 - 7.2 in Mexico 4. Apr, 13 - 6.9 in China
These series of unfortunate events are not usual. To have such multitude of quakes in less than 6 months signal a significant news of how agonizing the state of our Earth's crust can be here right on this moment. In the case of Malaysia, though the quake did not happen directly in our epicenter, tremors can sometimes be felt anywhere in the country. Seems the inclusion of the region under the protection of The Great Pacific Ring of Fire can now be rechecked.
It's not about why or will it happen, the more acute question is when? At least, by that time, we've counter attack measures under our sleeves - it starts with the practices of our construction method and development criteria. Such measures that we can instantly look into are:
1. Enforce more strict construction rules & regulations. 2. Ensure stringent design codes. 3. No more 'under-the-table' transaction. 4. Educate the public on the do's & don'ts during disaster. 5. Mimic San Francisco's 72hours plan. Click www.72hours.org 6. Earthquake doesn't kill people, unsafe buildings do!
It is time to ponder on this issue seriously. Yesterday, it may be Haiti, today China, what about tomorrow? Prevention is always better than cure, at least, that's the best we can do. There's a Malay saying that states 'sesal dahulu pendapatan, sesal kemudian tidak berguna'
p/s The English has theirs too 'There is no smoke without fire, still London Bridge is falling down...'
Back in childhood days when a scoop of your vanilla-flavoured ice-cream was nudged by someone, obviously you'd let it passed. Even when you lost in the feet of a courageous defeat, still you can smile. Well, at least, as they said, that's what gentlemen do. But, what about if you were to lodge a police report that you've been assaulted by a group of hooligans and instead you yourself is being arrested? Sadly to say but it's the truth. Read here.
My view is simple. Any sane person wouldn't take the risks of beating himself nearly to death just to set up pranks in the police station. Better still, April's Fool is over! Assuming all these are true, the real question is, what's happening to our enforcement authorities? Something is rotten here in The Land of Hornbills.
Talking about the issue of land and the natives is like chicken and egg story. They cannot be separated and always come together. That shows how important both elements to each other. Back to the days where rules and regulations were just innuendos, lands were entitled to those who discovered them first. They were no land ordinance, specific rulings and any legal documents needed to verify one's land. It's as easy as this; you have a piece of land, you look after it, toiling each day with diligence and sorrow hoping for the best for the fertile soil to bear fruits of your labors, then you are the landlord. Since then, it's been passed down through generations after another. For Native Customary Rights Land (NCR) read here.
The point is, for Heaven's sake, what's wrong with someone whose doing his every day chores in HIS LAND just to be intimidated by group of gangsters and upon lodging police report being arrested himself? That's incredibly funny and illogical. For the natives of Sarawak, their lands mean everything. They are not just mere lands, they are the source of daily life. They are sacred and the natives have rights to their lands, without doubts. Yet, some people disowned these rights? But hey, where's our politicians again at this particular time or did we ever have one though? Care to explain Minister? While their effort in aiding less fortunate people in Haiti are commendable but couldn't they care more for the plights of their own people? I think we seriously need an election.
Somehow, I recalled my grandpa used to say "In the end, unless we fight for our rights, we'll be doomed where the natives will be hewers of wood and drawers of water, becoming coolies in our own country"
