August 4th -Nothing has changed

One hundred years ago,in the month of August, the world witnessed the outbreak of World War I. We can certainly raise our palms to our cheeks and indulge in wonderment of how 100 years had passed by and look at how much we have evolved? Of course our kids are now playing with their Ipads and being popular in social media is everything that matters to some youths. But,did things really change in our lives? 

More than 10 million people died. 

One century has passed and humans are still being wiped out from their own land in the name of genocide.

If one has to diligently learn from history, how much the past had thought us? We are still divided by nationalities, race and religion even in this 21st Century. Powerful countries are busy accumulating currencies in their pockets with the sales of weapons to the countries that is in thirst of war.Who has the power to question them?  Is war the only way to restore stability and wealth in the eyes of these people?

I'm just a normal human being who'll wake up to a 9 hours job in an air conditioned office. I'm just someone who will receive a paycheck at the end of every month. Another person in a small crowd who weeps when watching the injustice that is happening in the world, where people are being killed for one reason they cant change in their life. How does one choose his nationalities or the family that he's born to? When can people stop killing each other in the name of religions and borders? I'm not sure whether I have the ability to change the world. My voice seems to be too soft in the midst of bombs and explosions. 

Everyday I think about kids who have lost their childhood,about soldiers who suffer from sleepless night out of guilt and about a God that cease to come to their rescues. I see people marching in and out of temples,churches and mosques. What is the content of their prayers and I wonder what purpose does grand monasteries serve when the poor are left to beg at the entrance?

Will the war ever stop? 

Will my children born into a better world?

Each day ends with more questions left unanswered...

In memory of Madiba

When I was a kid, I have this tendency to look for the birth dates of celebrities and renowned political figures to see if it matches with mine. And that's how I found him. Nelson Mandela has been my idol ever since then. After reading about his 27 years of struggle in prison fighting for the rights of his fellow men, I was deeply honored to share the same birth date with him. One surely wouldn't want to imagine spending 27 years of his/her life by just watching the world passing by  through  tiny windowpanes of  prison cells. 

Someone has to come up,someone has to take the lead and fight for their people. That's exactly what he did, leading them from behind and let others believe they are in front.

One can easily feel defeated after a long and tiring journey of despair. One  might even have given up because sometimes when you fight on something for so long and when the days are passing by, you just want to reach to a decision to spend your life attending late night parties, barbeques and watching movies with your loved ones rather than growing old in prison cells. 

Isn't it simpler to live a small life?

"There is no passion to be found playing small-In settling for a life less than the one you are capable of living" -Nelson Mandela

But one man chose to take the longer route, the route to independence and it made a difference to the world we are living today.

Letter written to his wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela back in November 22, 1979

My dearest Winnie,You looked really wonderful on 17/11, very much like the woman I married. There was color in your face. Gone was the choleric appearance and glazed look in your eyes when you are under pressure of over-dieting. As usual, I kept addressing you as Mum but my body kept telling me that a woman is sitting across this platform. I felt like singing, even if just to say Hallelujah!

Nelson Mandela's prison cell that he spent years of his life.

It's sad that even now we can still sniff racism in our own neighborhood. Asians despise of Whites.Whites despise of Blacks and of course the list can go on and on. Why are we still holding to our bags when a black guy enter the elevator with us? Crime and kindness exist in every race and its unfair to say one race is responsible for all the bad things in the world. Do we really need to put labels to ourselves? Are we really that superior to one another? At least Nelson Mandela had started off something great that we should always be proud of. Hopefully it will be a peaceful voyage now for him.

Rest in peace Madiba, you will be missed dearly.