Jan 2, 2005
Picking up the broken pieces
Whenever tragedy strikes, life's lessons are learnt. But how long will it be before people get swept away by trivial concerns again?
By Sumiko Tan
WHEN sending out New Year wishes to friends at the end of each year, I've started to pause and think: What should I wish for them?
When I was younger, qualities like happiness, wealth and success took top priority. Have a happy, prosperous and successful New Year, I'd say.
After all, what is life if one isn't happy and rich and successful, I thought.
And, when you're in your 20s and on the cusp of your career and adult life, those are reasonable aspirations.
But life's not a party.
Over the years, as I've experienced the death of loved ones, encountered illnesses and found myself struggling to overcome personal hurdles, my priorities shifted.
These days, health and peace of mind are what I aspire to, and which I wish for others.
Last week, another word entered my wish-list: Safe.
Have a safe 2005, I've been SMSing my friends.
Be careful. Take care. Keep well.
For, events have shown, you never know what can hit and destroy you, even on a clear, bright and beautiful Sunday morning by the beach.
THE tsunami tragedy has touched the world the way Sept 11 did.
In fact, I would even go so far as to say the aftershocks of grief have been felt more greatly.
One reason is the sheer magnitude of the calamity. So many nations hit, so many people dead, so many nationalities affected.
Another is when it struck - a day after Christmas in the midst of a holiday period of partying, giving and celebrations.
And also where it struck - hotels filled with innocent, care-free tourists from faraway lands were among the places hit.
And how it struck - out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever.
And what it left behind - thousands of unidentifiable bodies decomposing in the tropical sun, destruction, hunger, thirst.
Isn't it amazing how, just one week ago on Sunday morning when we read The Sunday Times, life was so normal and, yes, even good?
In fact, 2004 had been winding to a happy close.
The pall of Sars was finally lifted, fewer people were unemployed, many got bonuses, more were flying off on holiday and there was a lot of shopping going on in Orchard Road.
And then this had to happen.
For me, the tsunami tragedy has been so keenly felt because it was so close to home.
It happened in places I was familiar with.
It could have been you, and me, holidaying in Phuket, Krabi and Langkawi.
Of all the poignant stories that have emerged, one really hit home - that of the six Singaporean women who had checked into a resort in Khao Lak for an all-girl holiday.
They are now missing and their smiling photographs on the front page of The Straits Times were a heart-rending sight.
Like them, I, too, love the beaches of Thailand. It's a Singapore girl thing.
How we love to pack off to Thailand, shop a lot, eat a lot, laze in the sun, compare our bargain buys and, best of all, sign up for the cheap and lovely spa treatments. Getting a massage, soaking in a flower-strewn tub, the manicures and the pedicures.
Every time I go to Phuket or some other tourist island, I see so many Singaporean women like myself.
And now this.
CARS have been streaming into News Centre ever since my company, Singapore Press Holdings, announced it would be a collection centre for tsunami relief.
On the first day, hundreds turned up and one level of the carpark was quickly packed with thousands of bags containing blankets, shoes and sheets.
We've since learnt that cash is best, but you can't fault people for wanting to help.
Whenever a tragedy occurs, those who aren't affected are filled not only with sadness but also guilt.
It could have been me, you think, and so you assuage the guilt of your good fortune by trying to chip in, in whatever way you can.
So you give blankets or you write a cheque, and you also remind yourself of how lucky you are.
A tragedy helps put life in perspective.
It shows you the fragility of existence.
It makes you grateful for what you have.
It makes you want to be a better person and to lead a more grounded, upright life.
The problem is, such life lessons tend to be quickly forgotten.
How many of us had vowed to live a more exemplary life after Sept 11, only to get sidetracked as the months went by?
How many had renewed those vows when the Iraq War took place and images of death were flashed again, only to fall by the wayside soon after?
And also the good intentions that came up in the midst of the Sars outbreak?
How long will the lessons of the tsunami calamity stay with us, or will it be a matter of days before we get tragedy fatigue, block out the images and go back to our grasping, greedy ways? How long does the goodness that bubbles forth each time a tragedy happens last?
And even if it goes away, can a residue of goodness remain behind, to accumulate over time and make us better people?
I don't know.
It's the start of a new year and we all have resolutions to make.
I'll leave you to yours but, meantime, have a healthy and peaceful 2005, and keep safe.
[This message has been edited by BoardManager (edited 02-01-2005).]
