Seeing the tears of foreign students reluctant to leave their attachments of family and friends here in Malaysia, I'd smile knowing that ah, now there's at least another 10 more Germans, 10 more Japanese, plus a few more Argentineans and so on, that will at least think twice before deciding to wage a war against another nation.
I can't wait till the day when everyone of us is part of the AFS tree. =)
Our voices may not mean much individually, but if we as the people of the world come together, surely there is no ignoring the hopes of a better future. The changing impacts that determine the future we live in, the future we are providing for our next generation lies in the decisions we make today.
So, do we still stay as the silent observer, flipping the pages of newspaper articles laden with horrific stories of terrorist attacks across nations, surfing the channels on TV broadcasting painful images of innocent victims loosing sight of everything they have come to know and hold dear to, then we turn around and continue on with our jolly good lives? Ask yourselves, how many of us were munching on breakfast, lunch or tidbits while we were reading the news of terrorism in the Gaza strip and in Lebanon today, of people loosing lives and homes, and yet felt nothing was wrong with that scenario.
Have we ever wondered what the hell is wrong with us?
Where did that sense of humanity in us dissipate to?
I wonder how long do we plan to deceive ourselves that the matter of the world is none of our concern. How is it that we came about with a conceited mindset that tells us all the suffering, deaths, hunger, warfare, bloodshed, rape, torture, fleeing victims, refugees, and utter sense of hopelessness out there, will forever remain out there?
Sitting around in coffeeshops discussing politics and social issues with your buddies isn't helping cure the situation. You may be concerned, angry or politically correct about current affairs in the world for all I care, but unless we start taking a step forward nothing changes. Your words and your thoughts mean nothing unless you plan to do something about it.
Staying silent is just as guilty as pushing the buttons to launch the rocket. Both way drives innocent victims to a suffocated corner. Listen carefully, do you hear it? The desperate pleas of millions upon millions of people in a God-less, hopeless and future-less world, stuck.
I believe its about time we stood up and did something about this crazy generation running amok. I believe we live not only for ourselves, but for the lives of others too. Its time we start praying less for ourselves and our selfish needs, to dedicate more time praying for the suffering people who really needs our prayers. I believe the time sacrificed doing what I do, what we all do for AFS is not a waste, because even though it is a small deed that only has the impact of a ripple, a ripple that can create positive waves :)
I want grow up to do what I need to do for my promising future.
What kind of future do you wish to prepare for your kids to live in tomorrow? I'd like mine in a non blood shedding world, please.
So here's a start.
Tell the world what we desire for is peace.
Of the one thing I learnt while pledging my voluntary service to AFS and Yayasan Antarabudaya Malaysia, is that peace is indeed, something we can create through common understanding. Until today I am sometimes uncertain if AFS is truly effective in its cause for peace on the international platform, the vision seems so unreachably far at times.