Hi guys,
I am sure you know that being Malaysian we have this innate pride to always want to do best. We like to be proud of our achievements. We like to stake our claim in the global arena whether it’s on having magnificent buildings, or being part of an international racing sport circuit of having one of our own go up into space – whether it’s worth it or not is another question – but we like to be known for doing stuff.Period.
And you both also have added to that list – although it’s not in the most glamorous and positive way – nevertheless you still have achieved celebrity status. My question to you both is simply this -what next? And my next question is this – given your new found fame, what message are you both sending out to our peers?
I use the words “our peers” above because you see I am also around your age, maybe a little older lah but I am a product of the eighties so I am not that far from you both. We probably would have watched the same cartoons growing up, seen the same TV commercials and laughed at those stupid Malaysian jokes at school. We would have gone through the same pathetic education system together, and ended up taking tuition classes after school.
And just like you both I never did think much about my life when I reached my early twenties. All I cared about is just myself, my life and my job. Heck I used to be of the mind where I couldn’t care less about what people did – societal ills? Not my problem!! – young adults wanna go ruin their lives? It’s their life – let them be! Who am I to judge them? Whatever rocks your boat baby!
I continued living this mentality until one day I woke up and realized something that I had ignored all this time – we – the young adults that are of today – are going to lead this nation one day, whether we like it or not. We are going to be responsible for tomorrow’s future. I don’t know about you, but if I am gonna raise my kids in this awesome but still-needs-improvement country of ours, we better shape up and think properly.
And that’s where your actions come into the picture. You see what u have done is that you have opened pandora’s box – your actions have confirmed something which is quite chilling – that our peers have lost their moral compass in general. Now wait a minute, don’t assume for 1 second that I am gonna chastise you with a holier-than-thou speech. What you have done is far more bigger than yourselves. Your action, indirectly has shown us what our peers are thinking – that it’s ok to publish intimate details of one’s self – after all people have a right to choose.
But you see my friends, that thinking works only individually. On a large scale, Collectively, that thought breaks down society. You may argue – where got such thing? Look at the Scandinavian countries ? Look at USA! they’re doing ok wat! Are they really doing okay? Did you know close to 40% of pregnancies in the state of New York end up in abortion? Wanna take a guess what the divorce rates are like in USA? It’s close to 50% that means for every 2 marriages, one will fail
Sure people have a choice, but making choices also involves taking responsibility. That’s why mankind needs limits. We are all to naive to think that mankind is able to make rationale choices but that’s far from the truth. You’ve heard the axiom before – it’s easier to do evil than to do good – which is why we have laws – laws help keep society in check – and you being a law student should know that right?
I am all out for individual freedom, I believe in human rights and oppose any kind of oppression. However if collectively, if individual choices harm society, be it present or future society then I need to re-evaluate and see. And it’s not so much a morality issue as it is more of a justice issue. Because isn’t part of championing the cause of human rights also involve making prudent decisions that would impact future society? Because if I really believe in human rights and freedom, then in a way I am also responsible for safe-guarding tomorrow’s future right?
Does this make sense to you? Can you see the connection? Indirectly whether we like it or not, we are playing a role in shaping tomorrow by our actions and thoughts that we do today. We want our freedom and our rights, we want to do as we please, and this will echo in the future. I don’t know about you, but to me, knowing that my actions will shape the future tomorrow makes me really think the responsibility that we young adults have to play. We may not see it now, we may not feel its impact, but like the man who stood outside the sun too long, it might be too late when we realize it or begin seeing its effects – by then we would have gotten skin cancer and it would be much more costly to correct it when we reach that point.
I hope you realize these things. Again the purpose of this letter is not to chastise you or make you feel bad. But rather it’s to illuminate your mind, to share with you something bigger than just your actions. We are talking about tomorrow’s society, we are talking about building tomorrow’s culture, which rests largely on the values that we have today – and that is a big responsibility which we young adults have to bear as we we prepare to lead this nation into the next age.
Sincerely,
Your Peer
