This Is How I Love

You know what irks me to no end? Those blinking buggers who make sweeping statements like ‘If you don’t like so-and-so, then leave Malaysia and migrate’, ‘If you don’t want to pay toll, then use alternative roads’, ‘If you don’t want to pay GST, go for products which do not attract GST’, and attitudes like ‘I’m the boss and I’m always right’, ‘I’m the boss and you shalt not question me’. The one I especially hate is to leave the country if you no longer like the way it’s run. It seems we can no longer provide feedback or criticism without someone being up in arms and all defensive. We cannot dissent, we cannot voice objection, we cannot question, and pretty soon, we won’t be allowed to think. We call ourselves a democracy but we cannot have rallies, we cannot take to the streets to express ourselves – because hey everyone wants peace and harmony, right? Taking to the streets is not our way, we’re more civilised like that, we don’t want riots and violence etc. Well, there are public demonstrations in the West and I don’t think they are backwards or third world or anything. Here, we choose to look the other way, telling ourselves we’re only small fry, that our voices don’t carry any weight. We cannot speak our mind, we have to be mute, deaf and blind, we have to trust the judgement of those who are robbing the country blind. All for the sake of peace and harmony, eh.

People forget that constructive feedback and criticism are usually made because those who criticise actually care and love the country. Hello, this is not a strange concept. We always want the best for those we love and care (e.g. children): we criticise their efforts because we want our loved ones to do well (because we know they can do better and because we believe in their ability to do better); we get angry and passionate if other people condemn and criticise our loved ones because we love them and we’re protective of them; we push our children to do better, to strive harder, to push themselves further because we believe in their potential – in short, we are relentless in pushing them to achieve more. By extension, we criticise the powers that be because we believe the country can be run better, the nation’s coffers be managed more prudently, the policies be made more wisely, the investment decisions be made more transparently and with greater accountability. Because, yes, we love and care for this country and we worry that it will be run into the ground, the country gone to the dogs and that there’s nothing left for our children to be proud of. This is how we show our love to our country and while it may be different from how other people show their love but it’s still love nevertheless.

So, if you love and care for your country, you don’t turn a blind eye, you show concern about what’s happening and you take the time to find out the truth. Be informed, don’t be ignorant. Don’t just sit there comfortable in your small world. Don’t be complacent and easily content with what the others insist is progress, unity, success, freedom and development. It’s not worth it surely to compromise our freedom and rights (and not just ours but our children’s). Because when the money has dried out, when the foreign investors have all but pulled out, when the robbers have escaped to save their pathetic skin, then it’s too late. If we still can’t open our eyes to what’s happening and learn from it and make changes in the future, then we only have ourselves to blame. And it’s our fault that we get the government that we have because we did make our bed and now we have to toss around and attempt to sleep in it.

God forbid we become another Greece or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

My Body Is A Temple

Abah has been complaining of chest pains and finally Akak took him to Ampang Hospital on Friday (apparently IJN has referred him there). The doctor ran a series of test: blood test, x-ray and ECG and everything turned out fine. However, the doctor decided to ward him as he was still feeling chest pain. He ended up spending three nights there and was only discharged late Monday afternoon.

I must say I was quite impressed with the hospital seeing it’s a Government hospital. Abah spent his last night at the hospital in the first class ward (he forgot to inform his entitlement before that) and he was placed in a room for four (one bed was deemed damaged though as it could not be reclined). The ambience of the first class ward was way better than the second class (as it should be) and I had the feeling that one could heal there. (This post is not about Ampang Hospital however).

I’m still worried about Abah though. I hope the new medication the doctor prescribed would help because I don’t like to see him in pain. At the same time, I have this (perhaps irrational) anger at him for not taking better care of his health before. I talked about this with CT and we wondered why the generation before us don’t take better care of their health. Wasn’t there any health awareness back then? Didn’t they know what food to avoid? But then again, even though there’s greater health awareness these days, you still see a lot of unhealthy people around and people who don’t care about their health. There are higher number of obese people, increased numbers of smokers and substance abusers, and a lot more people with health risks. I’m not sure if the increases are due to deteriorating quality of life, poorer health choices (despite more awareness!), higher focus by the media, worsening environment, or all of these. And I don’t know if people still neglect their health because of plain ignorance, plain laziness, couldn’t-care-less attitude, leaving-one’s-fate-to-God attitude, depression, poor health choices, inherent conditions (inherited/genetic/hereditary), or if they want to gamble with the odds (especially smokers and substance abusers) despite the overwhelming evidence of the risks. I do know that in some countries, poor dietary habits and choices are due to the more economical prices of unhealthy food and the expensive prices of healthy food.

Do you seriously think we can eat anything and everything without paying for the consequences later on? Do you think our food choices, eating habits and diet, lifestyle and environment don’t play a role in determining our health? That we can just stuff ourselves silly, drink ourselves to a stupor, smoke ourselves to death and that our poor body can just bear all these mistreatment?

Some would argue that it’s personal choice. Let those who want to live fast/fat/dangerously do so if they want to. Hey, we only live once so why shouldn’t we enjoy our food, our life, our lifestyle? How dare someone else tell me what to eat and how to live my life! After all, it’s not as if you have to bear my medical bills or look after me when I’m ill. It’s my life, my body, my health, why do you care? Right?

Well, I beg to differ. Sure it’s your decision what to eat and how to live, but do you stop to consider that your unhealthy habits will cost the society in terms of higher health insurance premiums, government expenditures for health care and disability benefits or payouts? Why should someone who takes good care of himself, who observes a healthy diet and who exercises regularly, be made to subsidise for another who doesn’t at all care about his body or health? Do you think this is fair? And do you think it’s right to abuse your God-given body by feeding it unhealthy food, exposing it to ultra-violet rays and free radicals, succumbing to substance abuse etc.? How can we be the Khalifahs of Allah, perform ibadah for the hereafter and live if we don’t take care of ourselves? If we don’t take care of our bodies, who will? Our parents? Our children? Spouse/Partner? Siblings? Government? Please. You honour God with your healthy body (and dishonour Him with an unhealthy body).

After all, my body is a temple – not a trash can. A healthy body will lead to a healthy mind and help one to perform ibadah to God.

P.S. Please pray for my dad’s health.