Call me lazy, but I won't be making another phenomenally long post this weekend, I think. For one thing, coming up with stuff to write takes energy, and I'm pretty much sapped. Had my writing fix already: an essay for a competition, deadlined today. I procrastinated much of the way, until last night, when I had my surge of power sort of thing.
Initially I was planning to write about vanity, but like I said, I don't have the energy. Next time perhaps... it's not really important. And to make up for the lack of a post, here's that essay I wrote. Not perfect, IMHO, but hopefully I'll win something or another (if the email got through okay):
A person’s characteristics and tastes are often very revealing. Though we may not like it, they speak volumes about our personalities, our education, our friends. Perhaps most importantly, they speak of where we are from. The thick German accent, the quaint ‘Manglish’ chatter, the rapid Japanese tongue: all these conspicuously indicate the country of our birth, our motherland. Only the sly and artful can disguise these with ease; the rest of us are open books to the careful eye. We are the products of the land we grew up in, and bear its mark on our foreheads.
The wise wear this mark with pride and without shame. They feel no need to hide it or to disguise it, as many do who forsake their homelands. Pity them who have no land to call their own, but scorn them who hate their country of birth through and through. The love for one’s country should be as natural as the love for one’s parents. This sort of patriotism I speak of is not the roaring pride for the accomplishments for one’s country mind you, but a love that transcends politics and achievements. It is a patriotism that says: for better or for worse I love my country, because I belong to it. Not because ‘I agree with the ideology of the ruling party’, which might change in time, nor because ‘Its people are of my race’, which is often not entirely true, but because ‘I was born here.’ We do not apologise for our race, so why should we try to justify our love for our country? “Because it is mine,” is all the reason we need.
The place I call my own is Malaysia. I love my country unabashedly. Do I love everything about it? To answer ‘yes’ would be a lie. No country is perfect. But from this patriotism, comes appreciation of all the good in it. Love by its nature creates reasons, justifications for itself. Patriotism is love, and as such I have learnt to appreciate that which is admirable about Malaysia.
For example, it is hard to imagine a lack of choice when it comes to dining in Malaysia. In fact, my problem is usually indecision stemming from an overabundance of choices. For starters, there is traditional Malay, Chinese, and Indian fare. Of course, this is speaking broadly, as the style of cooking varies a lot from state to state and the specific ancestry of people. From the north western island of Penang we have Hokkien mee; from Sarawak, laksa and that sushi with an attitude, umai; from Malacca we have Peranakan cuisine, a sort of fusion of Malay and Chinese food. Besides local food, there is, naturally, Western fare. Other Asian dishes find their way in through the myriad of Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, and assorted specialty restaurants. It is a gastronomical delight for the gourmet and mealtime fun for the rest of us, for the half the fun of eating is in the choosing, after all.
Another bit of Malaysia I love is the ease of ‘getting away from it all’. There might not be vast grassy plains, awesome mountain ranges, or anything remotely to do with snow, but Malaysia definitely does not have a shortage of vacation locations. These make for really enjoyable holidays. One particularly exhilarating trip I took was to the highest point of South East Asia, Low’s Peak. At more than 4000m high, climbing Mount Kinabalu in Sabah was truly an unforgettable, breathtaking experience, with certificate to boot. Can you even begin to imagine the sheer, unadulterated joy of reaching the chilly, barren peak at 5am in the morning and watching the sun seemingly rise up from the ocean? More typical holidays are weekend jaunts to one of the many islands of Peninsular Malaysia. Many a lazy weekend has been spent with close friends in budget hotels on various islands hardly a day away from home, laughing at our own jokes and walking around nearby 5 star hotels for a taste of opulence.
Of course, I must not fail to mention that ubiquitous haunt of Malaysians everywhere: the shopping mall. Developers trip over themselves in their race to build newer, larger shopping centres. Near where I live, there used to be only one small mall. In time it doubled its size by taking over the abandoned parking lot next door. During the upgrade two more shopping centres sprouted up nearby, along with a huge Tesco supermarket and a massive Ikea store. It is my theory that without malls, the nation’s economy would collapse, paving the way to anarchy. After all, without shopping centres to hold all our materialistic dreams in one place, we would be like boats without a rudder.
However, no country is a paradise. Do not think that the love I hold for my country is blind. In fact, love often helps us to see the object of love more perfectly, more clearly. Because it knows more, it is also willing to forgive more. Among my country’s sins are pettiness, selfishness, and foolishness. These are the seemingly unassailable roots of the Malaysia’s ills. It is my enduring dream that one day Malaysia will be lead by wise, just leaders, who will bring Malaysia to greater glory. I acknowledge that even the best of countries have trouble finding such people; nevertheless, one must not stop dreaming and seeking because one thinks the dream is impossible. As Louisa May Alcott said, “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they may lead.”
Education plays an undeniably important role to this end. While Malaysia’s education system is reasonable, it could be better still. Else, why do students flock to private universities and colleges after completing the requisite 11 years of government-sponsored education? Why do they neglect the optional 6th Form? Speaking as a student, it is because too much emphasis is placed upon rote learning, and not enough on the thirst for knowledge. Moreover, subjects like History and Moral Studies are unnecessary burdens to students, the one because the same subject matter is repeated relentless for 11 years, the other because it reduces morality to simple answers. I believe that to truly educate the youth, government schools must instil in students the lifelong love for knowledge and foster inquiring, questioning minds. We must teach the youth how to fish, so to speak.
In fact, I dream of the successful education of all Malaysians. Where people are educated and wise, intelligent choices will be made. Only then we shall no longer sacrifice time, effort, and emotional energy upon the altar of folly, as it happens all too often now. I will not lose hope, however. Said Eleanor Roosevelt, social activist and wife of American president Franklin Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” This is my country; this is my dream. I believe and will work to achieve what I believe.
