Where is our country heading to?

Sometimes the most unexpected things happen. you would think that in an adult world, there must be sufficient maturity and good sense to elect leaders who can be highly respected wherever his/her name is mentioned.

Lately, we have read of one politician in Malacca who was elected despite his being found guilty of corruption. So, what do we have? Where are we going to hide our shame each time someone points out that we have a corrupted leader?

Recently a political party's delegates were unperturbed to elect a person who had admitted to a sexual scandal as the top leader of the party. What is our criteria of a truly respectable leader? Would a man who had succumbed to temptations at the expense of his own wife think twice about the party he heads should an even more attractive temptation be placed before him?

Besides the leaders mentioned there have been happenings which point to the decay that is bringing our country down to a depth most improbable when we know that our country, Malaysia, is one of those most fortunate countries to possess so much natural resources and wealth.

We have scandal after scandal. We read of a horrible murder which is still discussed among the citizens in which explosives from the army that would certainly be not so easily available, had been used. We read of missing airplane engines being transported out of a well-guarded army camp to be sold to another country. Yet, those caught were of the lower ranks. If such lower ranking officers have such brains to smuggle out plane engines not just out of an army camp but also out of the country, then they ought to be given higher commanding posts to hold. We have controversies in medical autopsies on people who had died in custody. We have a court appeal by one political party made so fast while the other party's appeal took a few months. All these are so clearly unjust that the attention of most of the citizens are drawn to its unfairness. We also have the PKNZ in Port Klang, a project in which, according to reports, there has been obvious corruption. This corruption had been exposed by the ousted top leader of the political party which had replaced him with a tainted leader in an election.

With the bold leader defeated, will the PKNZ corruption case continue to be investigated? Will there be a cover up? Will big fishes in the corruption case escape? Well, we have to wait and see. with hindsight, we will be able to understand why certain quarters were so determined to have the election to topple the man who could have brought dignity back to the party.

The picture I paint is not pretty or bright. But then, unless we know the darkness, we may not be able to appreciate the light. No matter what, we know that after the night, dark, mysterious and unfathomable it may be, comes the light to show us the way forward, bringing forth new hope in the future. The knowledge of the night can help us find the right path forward, hopefully.

Sometimes we need to play rough.

I must admit I am no angel. Even after realizing the existence of God, karma and reincarnation, there have been times when some of the things I did, especially when I was young, were nothing to be proud of. They are things I ought to be ashamed of. Nevertheless, I must insist that sometimes such deeds are necessary.

One of such deeds was carried out on a rugby field. I was in form four then and was a member of a rugby team. As I was then comparatively quite powerfully built (I had been into weight-lifting.) with good stamina too, (I was in my school’s Cross-Country teamas well as the Round-The-House Relay team.) I was chosen to be the hooker who is the player right in the middle of every scrum.

In one of the games we played against another team, there was this huge opposing player who always puts out his hand with his fingers stretched forward to dig into our eyes. After a few of us got hurt by him, we decided to put an end to the nonsense. The referee was unable to do anything as it happened so fast as the ball was carried towards the touch-down line. He was the biggest guy on the field and, individually, we were no match for him. The only way to seek retribution was to unite as a force to teach him a lesson and indoing so put forth a message to him. We knew we had to do it again and again until this foe understands that we were going out for him.

So, the next time one of us managed to tackle him down to the ground, everyone of us moved in, pretending to get the ball when our actual aim was to kick him and hurt him enough to have him think why we were acting that way. We had to make him realize he would never get away with jabbing his fingers into our face and our eyes.

I took us three, or was it four, times of dealing out such a punishment before he got the message that we intended to teach him a lesson. Eventually, he stopped poking his fingers into our players’ faces. When that happened, we stopped our punishment.

Well, rugby is a rough game, certainly not for true gentlemen. We had to play rough to stop any more injury from him. We proved that a bully can be stopped if everyone can be united to accomplish a goal.No, we were not proud of what we did. But we were proud of what we achieved. We taught a bully a lesson, we stopped further injury to ourselves and we learned the benefits of being united. So, even in such a rough and tough game, lessons can be taught and learned.

It was a lesson which I did apply to real life every now and then especially when faced with gangsterism as a discipline teacher. That is another story I may tell you one day.

When humans crave for power, sensitive issues are nuggets to them.

In a dream I saw God and He told me too many people on planet Earth are playing God and instilling fear and nonsensical stuff into people even when they know the truth. He said that what he had heard about Malaysia and the use of the word 'Allah' is most disturbing. These people are really confused about him, he said.

"Did I not send Jesus down to Earth to teach them about me?" he asked.
I agreed that that was what the Christians and the Muslims profess as I know that they accepted Jesus as the first of the prophets.

"Did I not send Muhammad to remind the people about me?" he enquired.
"Yes, you did and they created a religion and called it Islam." I told Him.

"Islam or Christianity, what's the difference? Am I not still the same God?" he demanded.

"Yes, God. Of course, you are God, the one and only." I told him.

"Then what is this I heard about their fighting over a word to refer to me." He was really annoyed. "What's a name but just a word. How can the minds of some of my followers not be able to understand that? Furthermore, if the Muslims want to refer to me as Allah, why not allow the Christians to do the same? After all, are they not talking about the same God, me?" God said, indignation clearly expressed on his face.

"Yeah. In fact, there is this Muslim who does not want another religion to use it because the word Allah refers to the one and only God," I told Him.

"Isn't that ridiculous when the Christian God of Jesus is myself too. Why must I be given two names just because humans created two religions? After all, as my prophet Muhammad had said, Jesus is the first of the prophet and he himself is the last. Are these people trying to say that Muhammad was wrong, that Jesus's God is different from Muhammad's God?" God shook his head in disgust.

"There are Muslims who claim that the word 'Allah' can only be used for the Muslim religion," I told Him.

"What nonsence!" he exclaimed. "Do such people not have the knowledge that the word 'Allah' is the combination of two words and in Arabia and Egypt it just means god. In fact, the Arab Muslims, Arab Christians and the Jews have been using the word 'Allah' for centuries and they had no problem with it. These people who say that there is a problem with Christians using the word has an agenda of their own. I don't like it when people use a word which refers to me to achieve their own miserable human goals." God was unhappy.

"You know, there are knowledgeable Muslims who have told these people that the word 'Allah' has been used to refer to god years before Islam and Christianity came into the world. Those people would listen to them. But unfortunately, I think, the knowledgeable ones are the minority." Hearing that, God shook his head.

"In fact, there was this Christian Father who told the court that the term 'Allah' had been used by Christians in this region for about 400 years." I continued.

"And they took it to court, right? The High Court handed down a decision to allow them to use the word to refer to me, right?" He questioned.

"Yes." but they were not happy with the decision." I explained.

"Well, if a court had made a decision, the leaders of the community must respect the court's decision. Even if they disagree, they must go back to the court and not show contempt of the decision made."

"Oh, yes! There was this so-called leader who criticised and questioned the judgement. He justified his criticism with the saying that the judge was merely a human being.And being a human being, he cannot be 100% impartial." I told Him.

"Of course, the judges are human beings but they are learned beings put there by the leaders themselves. So, in time to come, everyone who loses a case would show the same contempt of a judgement by using the same reason, that the judges are human beings and therefore cannot be 100% impartial. I created every human with a mind to think correctly, you know? If we are not going to respect our judges and the court, what is the purpose of having them. Are you people going backwards to the days when might is right?" God asked.

"Yes, my God. Looks like that is what is going to happen. When people craze for power they would use any means to influence others to their warped way of thinking. According to Malaysia Kini, an online survey was done and it looks like the pro-government blogs are trying to use this issue to blacken the Muslims of the opposition parties. And I believe they are willing to stoop to conquer as the stakes are high and this issue looks like a very sensitive and promising one for changing the tides of political fortunes. Please God, help us all," I had to appeal.

Never underestimate peer group influence.

Our children learn from us, the parents, the mother tongue and any other knowledge you are able to impart to them. Most probably, they learn other languages from you too. Then, the teachers play their part, teaching the school curriculum. Next to teach your children, are their peers.

From the time our child mixes with other children, we ought to watch out what our child learns from his/her peers. When my elder son went to attend kindergarten he came back with vocabulary which we never use in our home. It was a vulgar word learned from another child who must have said it often enough to have my son know its pronunciation well. However, he had yet to know its meaning. Ever vigilant for such things, I immediately told him that it was not a good word; a word not necessary to acquire. We do not use such a word in our house, I told him. To this day none of my sons use such vulgar language, and they are now young adults. Of course, from my observation, they now understand the word but they do not use such words because such words are never heard in our home.

Besides the type of language, we have to watch out for other ideas, attitudes and actions. This is because our child needs to belong; to belong to a group, to choose a group of friends to associate with, to interact with. Our child have to learn to fit in with the group, its ideas, its attitudes and its actions. The most aggressive, not necessary the cleverest but possibly the strongest or toughest, would be the group’s leader. What would become of the group depends upon this leader and his/her background.

If the leader happens to be the well-behaved, energetic person who has lots of initiative and a willingness to learn; then the group will be benefiting from his/her good influence. If the leader is the destructive, uncooperative type who is unwilling to participate and has been exposed to all kind of vulgar language and actions, then the parents have to watch out for the negative changes in their children and take immediate action to guide the children back to the right track. As a teacher I have seen how peer groups in school can help each other reach greater heights or destroy all that parents have done for their children.

As such, there is no alternative but to beware and be forever vigilant, ready to take immediate remedial action with great parental love when necessary.Immediate action is of utmost importance as once certain undesirable habits are entrenched would be difficult to extricate. However, all remedial actions must be made cautiously, carefully and with love.

The power of togetherness.

Take a look around your area and you see people gather in groups in churches, temples, mosques, association premises and societies to act, practice or perform together. All these people understand the power of the group, the power of togetherness.

Take a meditation center where a group of people sit cross-legged on mats to practice. Why do they gather away from the comfort of their own homes? Imagine the inconvenience of having to dress up, travel a certain distance and wait for all members of the group to come together for the practice. It’s time consuming! Right? No. The togetherness, the vibrations and the cosmic energy generated are worth all those efforts and more. Sorry. Maybe, you do not understand what I am rambling about if you have not done meditation before.

Then, perhaps, we could go into a church or a temple or a mosque or any other religious prayer hall. As for me, I have had my experiences in many places, entering whichever prayer session I am allowed to attend. I feel His presence wherever I go. I feel the powerful cosmic energy in the many places I have been to. And the vibrations of such forces resonate beautifully as I sing hymns in churches, follow chants in temples and sing satsangs in The Art of Living. You see, I am a monotheist. I belong to God. In Him I believe.

Of course, when it comes to association meetings and society gatherings, there is usually only the togetherness, a collective consciousness, felt. The energy is still there but it is not as vibrant as that which is felt in holy places or in meditation. Togetherness is important. The energy is stronger. Without it, no proposal can get off the ground. Nothing can be achieved. It will just die a failure. However, when two or more persons decide on a course, things start to happen.

Take your own marriage. If merely one of you had wanted to marry, no marriage could have taken place. You will end up a frustrated lover! Like they say, it takes two to tango.

For proposals to be put to a vote, you need two members. For action to happen, you may need more than two. For success in any action, the whole group has to agree.

Gangsters abound in quite a number of towns. They are able to exist because of their number. The courage to do wrong is difficult to generate. The guilty conscience in everyone is too strong. Only when there is a group, can they be bold enough to commit sins and wrongs.

Next, we ought to think of using togetherness to generate a reading habit or a studying habit. (Or any other useful activity.) The library has an excellent conducive atmosphere for reading and studying as it is where people enter individually but when seated at a place, they form a group. When others are reading and studying, the desire to read, the urge to study are greater. The atmosphere exists.

Even in your own home, although the number may less, the same atmosphere can be created for the children to study if parents sit down to read or study too. Thus, the family that works together improves the chances for success.

Let us face it! Who is going to study if papa is watching television and mummy is cooking? The sound from the television will lead the children’s vision to the tele-. And with the aroma of some delicious food distracting the children’s attention, how can there be any studying?

So success in all things is greater when everyone moves together as one.