THERE is so much merriment going around socially and it is heart-warming to see and feel the festive atmosphere being celebrated with much pomp and euphoria.
After all, we deserve this after life came to sudden a pause in 2020.
We still have to count our blessings to be alive and kicking even as the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic lingers in the background.
Everywhere, people have become more mindful of the moment and have accepted that what matters is to be able to live in the moment to the fullest.
I see even my relatives, friends and colleagues who have become less hung up on their gadgets, let us hope it stays this way and gets even better.
As for me, my phone is always on silent mode these days and I look at the phone only sparingly, giving me a sense of liberation from the digital shackle.
There is also increased awareness about caring and sharing, with prayers being offered to those who are in less than desirable situations, namely the flood victims.
Having said that the landslide in Batang Kali is a tragedy that should not have happened.
Each time rescuers pull out a body, it is agony and pain for the “onlookers”, and it must be much more for the family and friends.
Why do we need to end the year with a calamity of this magnitude?
There is no easy answer and each time the earth swallows people and structures, we come up with loads of reasons and excuses.
In the same breath, rules and regulations are seemingly announced for the hereafter but they get forgotten as quickly as they were spoken about.
Mother Earth reminds us repeatedly that we should think before encroaching into nature’s space.
The owners of the campsite should have known better and as for the campers, activities that present even the slightest risk should be avoided at all costs.
On a more positive note, now that we are settled with the new prime minister and Cabinet is all set to take the country to the next level, let us give them all a chance to perform and prove their worth.
As they say, unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures and hence the ministers and their deputies need to roll up their sleeves and start with small efforts that will have major impacts.
I suppose topping the listing of priorities apart from dealing with Nature’s wrath, the prime minister must arrest the growing voices of religious and racial bigotries with an iron fist and give no room for even the slightest of misdemeanours.
There have been pockets of “misconduct” by a few religious zealots, but they have been quashed without giving them any importance.
It will probably return if greater penalties are not imposed.
As I write this, our western comrades are grappling with extreme and fierce winters never seen in the last decades.
It is said that it will be a white Christmas for about two-thirds of Americans and in Britain, apart from the infuriating weather, the protest by rail workers will probably make it a bleak Christmas for those who have travel plans.
In sum, we are doing much better aren’t we? So, here is wishing one and all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Not forgetting the families of those who perished in the landslide, my deepest condolences.
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