Poverty is a disaster that the world overlooks. To what extent is it true?
This question just popped up in my head while I was reading up on the natural disasters that were occurring in Myanmar and China. In both countries, they receive either national, regional or international aid (all more than one of them) in rescuing and securing a place for the refugees to settle down and relocate.
And I thought, wow, people are sure generous and caring to be helping those in need. The thought which came to my mind then, was this:
"If a natural disaster or a devastating terrorist attack incurs so much attention and aid from people, why is something like absolute poverty (which has the same effect on people as a natural disaster does) be so overlooked and of so much lesser concern, even if it is a more pervasive and widespread problem?"
I thought it might be that natural disasters brought on much damage to land, property and all things material like buildings/schools etc that made it much more important then addressing the issue of poverty... BUT, I realised that although there were no such form of mass destruction in poor countries or the poorer regions of a country, it is only because there have been nothing much that could have been destroyed that is of 'value' to a nation. Hence, in both cases, the lack of sanitary facilities, power, and all things basic are present to an almost equivalent extent!
I'm perturbed by this question...
May 16, 2008
May 10, 2008
It's been a tiring but a relatively good week for me. Fell asleep mainly during econs and maths lecture because I had a lack of sleep for the entire week. Sadly though, I woke up at 9am this morning instead of a later timing that I'd preferred.
I've been wondering about a question. Exactly how 'wrong' are these controvesial issues such as incest/homosexuality/paedophilia?
To me, at least...
Paedophilia is something that I'll never approve of. People who take advantage of a child's innocence to commit such filthy acts for their own satisfaction disgust me. There can be nothing to make this act more acceptable, because the victim in question had been dealt with a heavy blow because of their ignorance and trust of others. The hurt and trauma left over from the incident is a long lasting one, because a childhood hurt costs more than an adult one. Children are vulnerable.
Incest... It depends, I supposed. If 2 perfectly logical adults who happen to be siblings are in love together with each other, I say let them be. If either party is not willing to go through with it, then I think it's time to stop and step into the picture. It is never right for you to enter the picture (that was not yours to begin with) and enforce your perspectives. That's arrogance. What you think to be wrong may not be what others think to be wrong. To interfere in a person's private matters without their permission or consent is a downright despicable thing to do.
On the note of homosexuality, my view still stands. If both parties are willing, get your excruciatingly long nose of other people's business. If a guy gets raped by another guy, the authorities should step in. But it should not be the homosexual behaviour that is judged, but the act of rape itself.
Open your eyes wide. The trauma of a girl being raped by a guy is the same amount of trauma faced if she was raped by a girl. Not only gay people get AIDS, straight people do get AIDS too. in fact, it is often the straight people who do not protect themselves more often that the gay people. Next time when you say scathing words about homosexuals, think about the logicality and validity of your words and accusations.
I've been wondering about a question. Exactly how 'wrong' are these controvesial issues such as incest/homosexuality/paedophilia?
To me, at least...
Paedophilia is something that I'll never approve of. People who take advantage of a child's innocence to commit such filthy acts for their own satisfaction disgust me. There can be nothing to make this act more acceptable, because the victim in question had been dealt with a heavy blow because of their ignorance and trust of others. The hurt and trauma left over from the incident is a long lasting one, because a childhood hurt costs more than an adult one. Children are vulnerable.
Incest... It depends, I supposed. If 2 perfectly logical adults who happen to be siblings are in love together with each other, I say let them be. If either party is not willing to go through with it, then I think it's time to stop and step into the picture. It is never right for you to enter the picture (that was not yours to begin with) and enforce your perspectives. That's arrogance. What you think to be wrong may not be what others think to be wrong. To interfere in a person's private matters without their permission or consent is a downright despicable thing to do.
On the note of homosexuality, my view still stands. If both parties are willing, get your excruciatingly long nose of other people's business. If a guy gets raped by another guy, the authorities should step in. But it should not be the homosexual behaviour that is judged, but the act of rape itself.
Open your eyes wide. The trauma of a girl being raped by a guy is the same amount of trauma faced if she was raped by a girl. Not only gay people get AIDS, straight people do get AIDS too. in fact, it is often the straight people who do not protect themselves more often that the gay people. Next time when you say scathing words about homosexuals, think about the logicality and validity of your words and accusations.
May 6, 2008
I really shouldn't be blogging. I have chem, maths, bio and econs homework to do. I really should not be blogging.
GP lesson was rather interesting and thought provoking. A surreal desire for no accountability and total freedom is a view and a desire that's probably innate in everyone. However, the ironic part is that though these desires exist because of the people's existence, it cannot be achieved because of our very existence which conflicts with the ideology. The social structure of civilisation and society has made our lives so intertwined together that even a hermit living in a mountain are still subjected to restrictions on freedom and held accountable for his actions. Hence, to pursue freedom is a foolish one, even though one can hope.
Something is bogging me, and I can't quite place a finger to it.
I'm horrified. I question- am I living in reality? What exactly is reality? In this world, what is real? Suddenly, everything seems to surreal to me. My mind's a fog. It's like I'm living in a dream world that I'm trapped in. Are the emotions that I'd experienced for real? Many stuff appears so fragile to me, just like the evasiveness of a dream such that I'll forget everything when I wake up. The purpose of existence... am i existing? Am I really breathing, living, walking, thinking, talking- or is everything just a part of nothing? Am I alive or simply a walking corpse?
Don't talk to me about Gods or any other higher beings. Preach to me that we're a tiny tank called universe that some major giant manipulates like we do to pet hamsters and turtles and their habitats... and I may agree with it. Tell me that someone created us and we have our lives and paths set for us on the day we were born... and I would ask you to preach holiness somewhere else. I'd always had that firm belief that those higher beings are a figment of imagination constructed by people who need a pillar to lean on and escape to when they need it. I have no qualms about other people believing in it, just don't come telling a skeptic like me to believe in them.
Relationships... I give a bitter laugh at the mere mention of the word. To me, they are more fragile than anything else in the world. Even a newborn baby might just be stronger than these. Too much bad memories, perhaps. Or maybe I'd only remembered the bad ones and forgotten all the good.
Attachment..... it is a human craving and need to be touched. To be touched and cuddled and hugged like you're the most precious thing in the entire world. To feel like you're safe in the embrace- and in the moment you're invincible because you're protected and someone is always to catch you when you fall. What you feel is that you could soar to the highest skies even with broken wings, that you belong somewhere to someone in this cold, lonely world, that you're loved. It's a sad sad feeling to know that you're alone and no one is there for you; no matter how rotten you're feeling; no matter how much you wanted to share the joy of a success; no matter how much you feel like crying; no matter how broken you are...
In fact... there's no word to describe the pain of it... it's something worse that being very sad. It's an extreme that would be surpassed; far beyond the edge of the emotional cliff.
And I confess. I confess that I feel jealous whenever I see friends enjoying themselves and basking in each other's warmth. I feel jealous whenever I see couples being in love. I feel jealous whenever I see families who spend happy times together. I feel jealous whenever people talk about all the branded stuff and goods they have and when they complain that they didn't like what they have. I confess that I had a bad childhood. I confess that I occasionally think that I need to see a counsellor. I confess that I feel unfair at why I was born into a poor family. I confess that I hate to be looked down upon or pitied or being treated as charity. I confess that I hate those expectant eyes that tell me I need to do better because I'm not utilising my full potential. But most of all I confess that I hate people who trample on my pride and manipulate me like a puppet, and people who do cowardly things like backstab simply because they do not have the courage to face up to people for fear of discovering that they may be wrong in their thought or action or to achieve what they can with their own prowess.
I admit. My life is built on ego, pride, expectations and selfish desires, but there's always more to it than what the superficial gives. However, it is exactly my pride, ego and expectations who had made my life's worth now.
What was done to me created me.
GP lesson was rather interesting and thought provoking. A surreal desire for no accountability and total freedom is a view and a desire that's probably innate in everyone. However, the ironic part is that though these desires exist because of the people's existence, it cannot be achieved because of our very existence which conflicts with the ideology. The social structure of civilisation and society has made our lives so intertwined together that even a hermit living in a mountain are still subjected to restrictions on freedom and held accountable for his actions. Hence, to pursue freedom is a foolish one, even though one can hope.
Something is bogging me, and I can't quite place a finger to it.
I'm horrified. I question- am I living in reality? What exactly is reality? In this world, what is real? Suddenly, everything seems to surreal to me. My mind's a fog. It's like I'm living in a dream world that I'm trapped in. Are the emotions that I'd experienced for real? Many stuff appears so fragile to me, just like the evasiveness of a dream such that I'll forget everything when I wake up. The purpose of existence... am i existing? Am I really breathing, living, walking, thinking, talking- or is everything just a part of nothing? Am I alive or simply a walking corpse?
Don't talk to me about Gods or any other higher beings. Preach to me that we're a tiny tank called universe that some major giant manipulates like we do to pet hamsters and turtles and their habitats... and I may agree with it. Tell me that someone created us and we have our lives and paths set for us on the day we were born... and I would ask you to preach holiness somewhere else. I'd always had that firm belief that those higher beings are a figment of imagination constructed by people who need a pillar to lean on and escape to when they need it. I have no qualms about other people believing in it, just don't come telling a skeptic like me to believe in them.
Relationships... I give a bitter laugh at the mere mention of the word. To me, they are more fragile than anything else in the world. Even a newborn baby might just be stronger than these. Too much bad memories, perhaps. Or maybe I'd only remembered the bad ones and forgotten all the good.
Attachment..... it is a human craving and need to be touched. To be touched and cuddled and hugged like you're the most precious thing in the entire world. To feel like you're safe in the embrace- and in the moment you're invincible because you're protected and someone is always to catch you when you fall. What you feel is that you could soar to the highest skies even with broken wings, that you belong somewhere to someone in this cold, lonely world, that you're loved. It's a sad sad feeling to know that you're alone and no one is there for you; no matter how rotten you're feeling; no matter how much you wanted to share the joy of a success; no matter how much you feel like crying; no matter how broken you are...
In fact... there's no word to describe the pain of it... it's something worse that being very sad. It's an extreme that would be surpassed; far beyond the edge of the emotional cliff.
And I confess. I confess that I feel jealous whenever I see friends enjoying themselves and basking in each other's warmth. I feel jealous whenever I see couples being in love. I feel jealous whenever I see families who spend happy times together. I feel jealous whenever people talk about all the branded stuff and goods they have and when they complain that they didn't like what they have. I confess that I had a bad childhood. I confess that I occasionally think that I need to see a counsellor. I confess that I feel unfair at why I was born into a poor family. I confess that I hate to be looked down upon or pitied or being treated as charity. I confess that I hate those expectant eyes that tell me I need to do better because I'm not utilising my full potential. But most of all I confess that I hate people who trample on my pride and manipulate me like a puppet, and people who do cowardly things like backstab simply because they do not have the courage to face up to people for fear of discovering that they may be wrong in their thought or action or to achieve what they can with their own prowess.
I admit. My life is built on ego, pride, expectations and selfish desires, but there's always more to it than what the superficial gives. However, it is exactly my pride, ego and expectations who had made my life's worth now.
What was done to me created me.
May 4, 2008
There's a delicate balance you have with every person you know. These balances you have make you happy, bored and all things more positive.
You mess up one of them, and it leaves you breathless. Like you're trapped, like you're stuck. Can't do anything, tired of doing everything.
You want to break free, but something is holding you back. Responsibility, accountability, pride... just to name a few.
And then you start getting unhinged- imbalanced in everything you do. You lack motivation, and become argumentative.
The balance gets worse. It's a vicious cycle, just so you know. A very vicious cycle that's hard to break out of. The funny thing is, the world doesn't stop for you alone, so the pressures just keep on piling.
A funnier thing? Through the years, you learned not to be so repressed, so introverted; learned to be honest-- what did that get you into?
It got you into crap, nothing else.
You know you're sick of it. You know you're tired of it. The problem is that this crap is only the beginning of something beyond your imagination.
To put a metaphor, it takes you a long time to grow. To grow tall and taller; you want to stand upright, straight and proud. You are a lovely flower, rising up high above others- but there's always someone who's waiting with a huge pair of scissors nearby. Observing you with jealous eyes, diverting the attention needed for you to continue growing so that you'll stagnate, or even better, allow an opening for the scissors to snip your prettiness away.
You know that. Sometimes though, you just feel like falling and letting others take the glory. Even the largest, strongest rock gets weathered away by the harsh winds and rains.. let alone a lonely flower..
You mess up one of them, and it leaves you breathless. Like you're trapped, like you're stuck. Can't do anything, tired of doing everything.
You want to break free, but something is holding you back. Responsibility, accountability, pride... just to name a few.
And then you start getting unhinged- imbalanced in everything you do. You lack motivation, and become argumentative.
The balance gets worse. It's a vicious cycle, just so you know. A very vicious cycle that's hard to break out of. The funny thing is, the world doesn't stop for you alone, so the pressures just keep on piling.
A funnier thing? Through the years, you learned not to be so repressed, so introverted; learned to be honest-- what did that get you into?
It got you into crap, nothing else.
You know you're sick of it. You know you're tired of it. The problem is that this crap is only the beginning of something beyond your imagination.
To put a metaphor, it takes you a long time to grow. To grow tall and taller; you want to stand upright, straight and proud. You are a lovely flower, rising up high above others- but there's always someone who's waiting with a huge pair of scissors nearby. Observing you with jealous eyes, diverting the attention needed for you to continue growing so that you'll stagnate, or even better, allow an opening for the scissors to snip your prettiness away.
You know that. Sometimes though, you just feel like falling and letting others take the glory. Even the largest, strongest rock gets weathered away by the harsh winds and rains.. let alone a lonely flower..
May 1, 2008
Taking some time off to blog before I enter my slumber once more.
Haven't been feeling well for the whole day, and it didn't help that I was messing around all the dusty boxes in my room and the store searching for a CD.
Finally got back my computer from the repairman, and I'm sad to say that all my previous files in the old computer that wasn't saved into the portable hard disk were all lost. Which meant that my previous msn conversations, some pictures, music and video files were all gone. But what saddens me most is that I'd lost the story that I had worked on for 3 tough days. Only had some remnants of it from what Arthur sent me.
Spent the whole day sneezing while trying to download and re-install programs. The weather being so warm didn't help at all and I was jugging down plenty of water and sweating like mad the entire day.. even now. Heh. If this doesn't signal global warming, then I proclaim that people have lost their perceptive senses to the indulgence of machines.
Hoping that I'm not starting to develop a fever for there's chem SPA tomorrow and I want to do well for it since I know I'd already screwed up my bio SPA. Throat's been feeling a little sore as well...
Subtlety, little signs that point here and there
A fine line between pushing and pulling
Mind games, the worst ever
Energy sapped
Retreat or Pride?
Childish, stubborn irritant in my eyes
Grow up already
I've long passed the line of giving in haplessly
Just a stray thought in my head.
Watched a film during GP for the past few lessons and I can't help but snort at the obsessive stupidity featured. In fact, I think it's hanging on the word insanity.
Oh well, at least it had made me decide on which question to choose and prepare for the next GP TCA.
Haven't been feeling well for the whole day, and it didn't help that I was messing around all the dusty boxes in my room and the store searching for a CD.
Finally got back my computer from the repairman, and I'm sad to say that all my previous files in the old computer that wasn't saved into the portable hard disk were all lost. Which meant that my previous msn conversations, some pictures, music and video files were all gone. But what saddens me most is that I'd lost the story that I had worked on for 3 tough days. Only had some remnants of it from what Arthur sent me.
Spent the whole day sneezing while trying to download and re-install programs. The weather being so warm didn't help at all and I was jugging down plenty of water and sweating like mad the entire day.. even now. Heh. If this doesn't signal global warming, then I proclaim that people have lost their perceptive senses to the indulgence of machines.
Hoping that I'm not starting to develop a fever for there's chem SPA tomorrow and I want to do well for it since I know I'd already screwed up my bio SPA. Throat's been feeling a little sore as well...
Subtlety, little signs that point here and there
A fine line between pushing and pulling
Mind games, the worst ever
Energy sapped
Retreat or Pride?
Childish, stubborn irritant in my eyes
Grow up already
I've long passed the line of giving in haplessly
Just a stray thought in my head.
Watched a film during GP for the past few lessons and I can't help but snort at the obsessive stupidity featured. In fact, I think it's hanging on the word insanity.
Oh well, at least it had made me decide on which question to choose and prepare for the next GP TCA.
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