Following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, shocked gripped many across the globe, yet again euphoria erupted in some parts, much to the chagrin of every thinking soul.
Such willful celebration of firing rounds into air, with people dancing and celebrating in numbers in the city squares, interspersed with shouts of ‘god is great’, was a disturbing sight. Here in the Malaysian capital, there was a flurry of sales of tee-shirts bearing the resemblance of Osama. Next to little was done in the media or by the leadership here curbing such an act, nor distancing from the dastardly and cowardly terrorist attack. Many proudly strutted in the Golden Triangle with their Osama tees, often in full glare of the local police, an act that begged the question as to what message we were delivering to the droves of tourists frequenting the city’s tourist belt and our own people.
But all these was a stark contrast, looking at a news TV anchorman who stood near Ground Zero, after having picked up a handful of paper from amongst the littered debris from the fallen twin towers.
One sheet, a part of a corporate financial report, another a business proposal and yet another a retirement plan. Considering the thousands that lost their lives, these paper seemed so much less important now than they were just hours before.
Leaving aside the eccentricities of the euphoric lot, we often realize, that people and not possessions are what matters most. A stark reality that sets in when calamity strikes and gives us a different perspective.
Such realization would not be a waste if we take the necessary steps to treat people well.
A new outlook on life and its values, including those God gives us through His Word, can fade quickly, unless we put head-knowledge into action. I am drawn to this poignant scripture in the bible, quoting from James 1:22,25: ‘Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. He who is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
On this anniversary of tragedies like 9/11, and others experienced, many of us are challenged to put God first in our lives by staying in the Word and take proactive steps or action to maintain our new perspective.
A wish that the religious bigots will begin a transformation process by the renewal of their minds.
