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Yesterday night, on my way home I spotted a silhouette of a lady sitting by the petrol station. Next to her was a big plastic bag with contents I couldn't identify from where I was. She just sat there, silently. I mean, not like I could hear her anyway considering the fact that I was in my car but still, she was there alone and at first I thought she was waiting but really, who, regardless man or woman, waits for someone, alone, with a plastic bag full of stuff at the petrol station at night.
Then, I was like 'oh'. Realistically, I thought she must've been homeless (or not, y'know. she might just be looking for somewhere to rest before she heads back). Either way, right after passing her, we turned the corner and there I was, home. Back into the open arms of comfort that my own home provided. Back into my safe haven, to my soft bed and to my supply of food. God I'm blessed, I thought. There are many, far too many people out there who don't have what I have. Not food nor a roof to shelter them from the harsh conditions.
See, God tests us in two ways. There are ones tested with poorness, and others tested with richness. And it doesn't matter which group you're in, the real result of the test is to see how strongly you are able to hold on to your faith and beliefs. You're tested with poorness to see that you are strong, that you don't give up despite the situations, despite the lack of necessities, despite anything else and to see that you are humble and grateful upon any blessings you are given, be it money, food and etc. In the end, there are people out there who have gone from poor to rich. An award given for characteristics such as strength, not giving up, and hard work. The process might be quick for some but take what seems like a thousand years for others. Blessings differ depending on the person it's given to, so make use of what you've got going, keep the hope and prayers moving, and just patiently wait for the best to come because everyone's got a rise in following of a fall.
To those who are blessed with richness, often times people don't think of them as being 'tested', more along the lines of being very blessed. Although the fact that they are very blessed is true, the blessings bestowed upon them are also a true test. A test to see what they do with those blessings, whether they use it for good or whether they turn up their noses at everyone else who aren't as blessed as they are. To also see whether they are grateful for what they've been given. Truly, being rich is a definite blessing; having the ability to buy and own things many people cannot, to not be burdened with the talk of money, to not need to count what's left and how much they've got to spent on necessities. However, what's the point in being rich in possessions, if you're poor in the heart. There are people who are ungrateful for they already have, and instead are only looking for more and more (which is no problem if you're working sincerely). Out there, are children who are screaming at their parents for buying them the white iPhone, when in fact they've asked for the gold one. Out there too, are children with nothing more than a rubber band football to play with whilst barefoot.
I saw a quote which goes,
"The greatest problem in the world today is intolerance. Everyone is so intolerant of each other."
and I thought this hits the nail right on the head. Look at our world now, and you'll realize how broken it actually is. From the places that we live, we might not realize how precious peace is but if you open up to the dealings of other countries that aren't as fortunate, your eyes and heart would truly open up to the real things that happen out there. Unfortunately, it's scary how many innocent lives have been taken away from the mere problems that they did not start. Isn't it unfair for the children, the women, the men, and all the other living things that looked forward to a happy life with so much ahead of them and all of that is violently taken away from them. In the end, all that's left of them are blood and tears.
Something I hate is people who are close minded; the kind that cannot and will not accept the views and opinions of others and it doesn't even matter whether the opinion is either valid or good, they just will not accept it. To these people, only they are right and that's the end of the story. A good example is people who hate on other races; racists. I despise that word because not only do I not know how race could ever affect your view on anyone but it also just doesn't make sense to me that you could judge a whole race based on the doings of one person. Malaysia is a pretty culturally diverse country and personally, I've grown up schooling in an international school so I can say that I have been quite exposed to being around people from many different countries around the world. Even so, I'm definitely not saying that people are not any less racist whether there are/not in international schools or surrounded by people of different cultures on a daily basis. The anger that rises in me when I see, hear, or read anything on the lines of insulting or straight on insulting other races is just too real. I get it, you can be proud of where you came from and who you are, but just because this is your country, it is not a free pass to go and bad mouth other people. They are living here just as you are and when you are travelling to other countries, aren't you sharing their land too? We're all humans and we all step on the same soil. We are taught to be tolerant to maintain peace but if tolerance is no where to be seen, how will peace ever be kept?
The news is filled with fresh stories day after day of lives lost and homes torn apart (literally), of people with guns and blood stained soils, of people praying on the innocence whereas they live life normally with their sins. It's scary. It scares me to the point where I avoid watching the news and reading the parts of the newspaper that isn't the comic and sports. I know it's bad because I won't be updated and educated with real world information but I just can't help it. It's heartbreaking in one too many ways.
Maybe one day, people of the world will realise that violence will never solve anything and that one day, the world will regain its full beauty and be filled with love once more. I know it's hard, very hard, but it's not impossible.
xx
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