Sorry I’ve been so quiet. I lost my Internet connection in Malaysia for a few days, and after that I was too busy with my school work to post. But I’m back!!! Guess that kinda means I’m done with school work for a while and have more free time.
What am I disgusted about? Well.. lots of things. Let’s start from the top of the list. Just last night in Segamat, me and my family were stuck in a traffic jam on the bridge over Segamat river. As we waited, the front passenger door of the car in front of us opened and a lady came out with a big red plastic bag filled with God knows what in her hands. She started walking towards the side of the bridge. In our amazement, she dropped the bag full of rubbish into the river!!!! You cannot imagine the shock I had.
Yes, I know Malaysians tend to litter but this was really a more advanced level of littering! Firstly, this lady was really well-groomed. I thought only the less educated ones among us would do such a thing. But I guess being highly educated and rich does not make us civilized. Its what morals and ethics we hold on to that does. Secondly, the lady really had a lot of guts to litter right before possibly a hundred pairs of eyes! And she didn’t just throw away a piece of tissue paper, it was a huge bag which sure looked heavy. Thirdly, right next to where she chose to litter was a huge signboard, with these words clearly printed on it: CINTAILAH SUNGAI KITA. In English it means: LOVE OUR RIVER! The lady was either blind, illiterate, or she simply didn’t care. Oh, talking about which, my mum turned down her window and screamed in Mandarin: Hey auntie, how can you throw rubbish like this?!?! Again, the lady was either deaf, did not understand Mandarin, or she didn’t care. BTW, she’s a Chinese! I feel so ashamed.
And let me tell you the most disgusting part of the whole incidence. Aboard that lady’s car was a well-groomed man in the driver’s seat (possibly her husband) and a young boy of about 5 years of age (possibly her son)! This lady was littering right in front of a child! And what messages does she send to the child? That it’s perfectly fine to litter? That we don’t have to love nature (or our river for that matter)? That signboards are for decorative purposes and we can totally ignore them?
Young kids are really like blank white paper and they learn from the conduct of adults. What goes onto the paper depends on what we put on it. In my opinion, many Malaysian kids nowadays have ugly marks on their paper. Many are rude, spoilt, and have total disregard for authority. Before we put the blame on the government or other people, ask yourself what have you been teaching your kids by your own actions and words? We have the power to influence others so please please be responsible for your actions and words.
Another thing that disgusted me was how people cut queue. Whether its on the road or in a shopping centre, cutting queue is equally ugly and disrespectful. Someone once said to me that if you have the courage to cut queue then cut lor, if you don’ t have the guts to do that, then shut up! What kind of logic is that? Cutting queue has nothing to do with bravery, and is absolutely not something praise-worthy! It has everything to do with shame! Only people with no sense of shame cut queue. In my opinion, what these people need is a good scolding and to be humiliated for their despicable behavior in public so that they won’t be so shameless. I’ve made a personal pledge to do just that the next time i see people cutting queue.
And how did our society become so disgusting? What drove people to litter and cut queue? I think its the importance society places on efficiency that partly caused it. For the lady, she just wanted a convenient and quick way to get rid of her rubbish. For people who cut queue, they just want to get things done quickly. Also the increased use of man-made products have trivialized God-made, naturally products. People do not realize that the raw materials for their man-made products ultimately comes from nature. They do not realize that by destroying nature, they will soon have nothing left to use.
Thus, I think I should look for an ulu kampung (secluded village) to live in and be as close to nature as possible. It seems that the uncivilized ones are the most civilized ones! And please don’t cut queue the next time you see me, unless you want to be humiliated in public. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! hahahaha…
