A Minute's Silence

Wars are forgotten. Enmity is pushed aside. Race, religion, class are no longer obstacles. A shared tragedy has united the world. At what price? More than 150,000 lives. And counting. This morning, most of us stepped into a new year. Hundreds of thousands of people in Asia didn't. Suddenly, no one seems to bat an eyelid about the situation in Iraq. Osama bin Laden has become irrelevant. Saddam Hussein is forgotten. The world mourns for its children.

Prior to this, tsunamis were merely a topic in Geography class. It was one of my favourite topics because it was an easy one. I had a major interest in plate tectonics. In fact, I was the only one in my JC class that studied for the plate tectonics section for the 'A' levels. Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, I devoured information on them with great enthusiasm. Perhaps because I was awed by what Nature was capable of on such a large scale. I don't know if I will still enjoy learning about them now. Now that the destruction has hit so close to home. I feel so helpless. I've prayed, I've donated money but I still feel like I should be doing more.

For my brothers and sisters who never saw 2005, you are not forgotten. The world remembers. And will continue to do so for a long time to come. Probably forever. God be with you.