Terrorism

Dear Diary,

Just completed watching the last episode of the Hong Kong drama “Ten Brothers” which was recorded because I was not able to watch it on TV last night. The ending was kinda sad actually. Then again, as I read the news surrounding the first Singaporean to be slain by terrorists, I couldn’t help feeling a little down. This young lawyer Ms Lo Hwei Yen was actually studying in Victoria Junior College (VJC) during the 1997 – 1998 era, which was the same period I was in it! I remembered that her arts faculty class 97A54 shared the same lecture theatre (LT) with the triple science classes for Mathematics C lectures. Hmmm... I do find her a little familiar looking... Probably saw her along some corridors or maybe sitting nearby her during lectures? Many people felt for her because she is a fellow Singaporean who died in a terrorist attack. Now that I know she is a fellow schoolmate, it made me feel almost queasy in the stomach. Suddenly, the impact of terrorism which seemed so distant previously, now feels like next-door.

I don’t know how people can go about blowing people up and shooting them in the head. It is so unnatural. To make it even more outrageous, they do it in the name of God and religion. Where’re the morality and the values? Killing others just because there is a crime done against oneself is no excuse! Even if the Indian soldiers did atrocities in Kashmir, that doesn’t warrant one to go plant bombs and kill innocent foreigners to gain attention and revenge, right? Especially when all these are civilians, non-military personnel! Don’t they ever see it? In fact, the entire scenario did remind me of a scene in the bible.

In Mark 15: 6 – 15, we see that the Roman governor Pontius Pilate asked the multitudes before him whether he should release a prisoner Barrabbas who committed murder during a rebellion / insurrection or Jesus who was called the Christ. The crowd chose the former and Jesus was on his way to crucifixion. It is just so common that people choose violence as a solution (think terrorism). An examination of this “Barrabbas” may astound you because he was probably a resistance fighter who tried to liberate the Jews from their Roman occupiers. Hence, the gospel of Mark speaks about him committing murder in an “insurrection”. “Barabbas” (Bar-Abba) actually means “Son of the Father”, which almost seems to offer an alternative to the true “Son of the Father”, Jesus Christ. In the face that choice, the Jews chose to believe that Barabbas’ violent insurgency was the revolution from God, the liberation they were waiting for. They chose Barabbas as their “Messiah”. The true “Bar-Abba” who offered a revolution not of this world but a challenging gospel of hope to the world, was cast aside and rejected. We can see that Man is prone to making wrong choices and we need God to differentiate the rights from the wrongs.

Thankfully, this young lawyer knows God (she was from Church of St Theresa) and we realise that what that really matters in the end is not the things of this world. We do not know when our lives will end and therefore we should live each day of our lives to the best we can, doing well, touching others and trusting in God.

On a lighter note, I was queuing up at a economic rice food stall in the hawker centre for lunch this afternoon. I have been eating from this stall pretty often recently because the price is right and the portion big. However, as I looked at the stall owners (husband and wife), I found them familiar and told them so. Then they asked in Mandarin, “Were you from Victoria School (VS)?” I was momentarily shocked. They explained that they used to man a canteen stall in VS. Ohhhhh... I remembered them now... they used to sell economic rice in VS canteen! They claimed they recognised me a little, which I am sceptical. What coincidence!

Couldn’t imagine that it had been more than 12 years ago since I left VS as a secondary school student. Oh well... okay, that’s all for tonight. Have a nice week ahead.

God Bless,

Andrew