Show love, kindness, empathy and compassion

We are grateful that our country, particularly Sarawak, is not suffering from catastrophic earthquakes, famine, droughts, flash floods after torrential rains, uncontrollable wildfires, mudslides, or landslides, or being visited by typhoons, hurricanes, and all sorts of natural disasters.

We are spared the endless conflicts, unrest, violence, battles, wars, and coups that afflict most parts of the troubled world.

The sufferings of people reported in the media or witnessed today are quite unbelievable; in some cases, “no place is safe,” and “there is nowhere to go.”

After the Covid-19 “invasion,” the much-battered global economy has produced more people who can’t put food on the table, more who are hungry, more homeless individuals, and an incredible escalation of crime, scams, cheating, fraud, and white-collar crime. Most innocent people fall victim to these organized criminal activities.

As responsible individuals with integrity, a sense of morality, and conscience, we must each do our part to minimize hardships and help bring people into a decent and respected society. The healing process should begin, no matter how small a role each of us plays.

I will do my utmost to protect and conserve our fragile environment with all its beauty in flora and fauna. It seems we have no choice but to go green.

I will do this because I know we are the last generation that can make a difference.

We should foster friendship, goodwill, and understanding among people of all faiths and beliefs to the best of our abilities in a plural society.

We should help the persecuted, disadvantaged, disabled, sick, downtrodden, mentally ill, and challenged in any way we can.

We will practice peace and harmony and eschew violence and fanaticism.

I will treat others as I would like to be treated (paraphrasing Matthew).

In the current abundance of instant, sensational, and negative news, and worst of all, the darker side of social media culture, the latter has resulted in unnecessary loss of lives in extreme cases due to uncalled-for and irresponsible behaviour, landing individuals on the wrong side of the law.

Let us all resolve to build a better world in 2025, a better place than yesterday.

I will continue to be guided, as always, by my conscience and my motto, “Honour, Justice, and Integrity”.

Although life is not only comparatively short but is like a “candle in the wind,” one moment you are here, and the next moment you are gone!

I must justify my existence in this crowded, turbulent, uncharted world.

Happy New Year.