MS LO Hwei Yen won, and the terrorists lost. Many Singaporeans should know this, because we saw the videos and slides of the pretty, intelligent and bubbly Hwei Yen at her wake.
Ms Loh's death is a personal tragedy for her family and loved ones. But this does not detract from the fact that Oh's letter unnecessarily perpetuates beliefs in superstitious thinking.
Terrorist have no feelings, no heart, no brains. Their only mission in life is to kill as many people as possible. How would it be possible for them to reform?
Their main objective in their lives is to kill! No words could dissuade these bus3rd from doing what they have been brainwashed to do. The only thing we can do is to pray that we will not be in their paths or in their plots. And hopefully by natural disasters, they will perish in some floods or earthquakes or some volcano eruptions and wiipe these bus3rds off from the face of this planet.
Why not try considering a terrorist, such as the ones in the Mumbai incident, as exploited ignorant manipulated individuals, whose economic circumstances are so dire that they are willing to exchange their lives in the belief that it would bring some good, so relief to their starving and struggling family members?
I know it is extremely difficult, if not well neigh impossible for most of us to think of a terrorist in such a humane sympathetic light. The typical demonising of terrorists as blood thirsty merciless religious extremists is quite standard practice and reaction by govts. The Americans used to demonised the Vietcong as drug crazed merciless, highly dangerous assassins, which going by the violent actions they perpetuated, they may be rightly judged to be so. But, when you get behind the vietcong side and listen to their side of the stories, you hear of American troops committing rapes and murder of even entire Vietnamese villages suspected of sympathisng with the VC and the indiscriminate wholesale B52 mass bombing and mass defoliation of forest using Agent Orange (a cancer-causing substance) and the sowing of cluster-bombs (which Singapore now still makes for its own defence) quite a different picture should emerge.
In human conflict, both sides would want to claim to be on the side of reason, rationale and moral highground. At ground level, conflict can only result in cruelty, killing and much collateral damages and casulties of the innocent non-combatant.
Not possible unless and until their gurus [leaders and elders] start not to show disdain or dissatisfaction by their covert on overt feelings or words to their followers and to the young impressionable minds sowing seeds of discontent and dissatisfaction festering and flourishing in their being.
It is a seed that will only lead to more ill feelings [among man and different beliefs] and even will cause unceasing bloodshed for their own kind and others bringing more unhappiness rather than happiness onto themselves.
Oil dependency has been the root Cause of the conflicts and murders for the past 50 years and the Cause of the rise and fall of many nations politically and economically.
It has been a 50-year period of great suffering for many due to Oil rather than the belief that Oil has brought great material wellbeing to mankind relatively when compared between the goodness derived from Oil [industrialisation] and the evilness [great sufferring, conflicts, wars and deaths] brought about by the discovery and dependence on Oil.
If indeed those responsible for the Mumbai attack were from some Muslim organisation, we should not overlook the social factors that led these men to behave the way they did. What for instance, is the extent of discrimination by the Hindus against Muslims in India?
Nothing can, and should, excuse acts of terrorism that harm uninvolved innocents. But guilt should possibly be shared by many.
"A Buddhist leader wrote to tell me he liked this prayer very much. I hope readers do too. And I am sure it can reform the hearts of some of the most hardened terrorists when they read it."
Dear Mr Oh,
Maybe it is time that you have the courage to read Buddhist scripts; see whether you can find any words you like.
I hope the words you posted can reform your heart too.
December 06, 2008 Saturday, 01:23 AM
