Asian Beacon

how not to be a hermit
Our beloved nation
is poised to become a
developed nation by
2020. Some say we are
on track while others say
otherwise. One thing most agree on is
that tanah tumpahnya darahku (my land)
has its fair share of challenges. Amidst all
the allegations of corruption and cronyism
is a high crime rate, which some perceive
as a perception issue. Hardly a day goes
by without a heinous act of crime being
reported.
I remember when I was in Primary 2
(more than three decades ago). I stayed
in Kepong Baru then and would walk a
distance to take a mini-bus from home to
Shanghai Book Shop in Kuala Lumpur to
buy books. Imagine – an eight-year-old
boy traveling all alone on an hour-long
ride to a city full of people in a bus full of
people. Then I would make my way back,
alone again, in another hour-long ride in a
bus full of people, followed by a 20-minute
walk home. Was I brave? I didn’t have
much to be afraid of. Today, we would
worry about a son or daughter coming
home from college.
I once heard that no matter what year it
is, it’s always better 20 years ago. That was
33 years ago (ok, now you know my age.)
Surely, it’s much better than today? Does
it work that way? If this rule is followed,
I shudder to think of our society 10 years
from now. Will we go to work in armoured
cars? Will we tell the social status of a
person by the number of bodyguards
flanking him wherever he goes? You
have only four? Look at that uncle, he
has 16! And who is going to protect the
bodyguards?
Hot topic
In a nation where capital punishment
is allowed, the criminals seem unfazed.
Snatch thefts, burglaries, kidnappings,
murders and rapes have become
commonplace. When we sit down to
have a meal, we seem to want to one-up
another with crime stories, in between
our discussion of which Android phone is
better or why Manchester United would
not win the British Premier League this
year.
I want to believe we don’t relish our
crime stories. How do we face a society
where fear is the order of the day? We
read/hear about joggers being robbed or
even killed. We hear of snatch theft victims
dying in the hospital. We hear of robbers
Many friends now think it’s better safe
than sorry, so, sorry hah, if you genuinely
get hit by a car and no one stops to help.
adopting a slash-first-rob-later mentality.
So, what do we do? We stay at home. That’s
safer, isn’t it? No, it isn’t. I have heard of
a dear old couple who never wear their
Rolex watches outside their house. They
only wear them when they go to bed. One
night, robbers broke into their house and
took away the precious Rolex watches on
their wrists. They have since migrated.
We also hear of criminals getting more
creative. They may cause accidents on the
road just to create an opportunity to rob
you. Many friends now think it’s better safe
than sorry, so, sorry hah, if you genuinely
get hit by a car and no one stops to help.
We see video clip after video clip that seem
to suggest one central message – no one is
safe and nowhere is safe. I have naively
thought I should join RELA so I can carry
a gun with me.
The high crime rate and all the scary
stories have changed the way we live. We
are less trusting, less helpful and we tend to
keep to ourselves. That’s not the way to live
a life, much less a life given by God.
How now?
Do we arm ourselves and fight back? This
is not advisable, unless your name is John
McClane, James Bond or Ellen Ripley, i.e.
you cannot die and you will not die. The
30% gun ownership and low crime rate in
Iceland could be more of an exception than
the rule. We mere mortals best don’t try to
fight fire with fire. More importantly, God
has said vengeance is His.
Do we go out in groups? By all means,
do that. Your chances of being picked will
be lower. But do remember that an entire
restaurant has been robbed before. And
don’t think dashing into a 7-Eleven will
save your skin (or the RM85 you have
in your wallet). They rob 7-Eleven when
‘business is bad’. What makes you think you
are safe in there? You probably carry more
money than the shop till. We see security
patrols in larger groups now. When will the
criminals catch up? You have four people?
Look at them, there are 16 of them!
Don’t go out after dark. Makes
sense. Most criminals come out to ‘work’
after dark, like some mythical creatures.
Except this isn’t quite true anymore. The
robbers and thieves now believe in equal
opportunity. They don’t want you early
birds and daytime dwellers to feel left out.
You will get the privilege. And criminals
need to sleep too, you know?
True security
Do we share stories? By all means. Tell
others so they can be careful. Tell them
where, when, how to watch out for bad
people. We care, we share. But don’t add
unnecessary fear. The purpose is for the
safety and wellbeing of our loved ones. It
is not to make them lose sleep at night or
encourage them to become hermits.
I genuinely feel safe when I am on the
streets of a foreign country at night, even
when alone. No one bothers me. It is so
in Singapore, Bangkok and Shenzhen. In
these foreign places, I don’t feel scared. In
Malaysia, we probably scramble for home
immediately after cell group meetings.
Fear not! Instead of being afraid, we
can take courage in the Lord. We don’t go
looking for trouble but we should not be
afraid. If anything, those who break the
law are the ones who should be afraid.
We do our part in educating our younger
generation. We do our part by being good
examples of honest and hardworking
people who earn our keeps. Be an influence
instead of being influenced.
Such is the land we live in. The police
are there. (I can imagine the obvious oneliner
you have in mind in response to this.)
The security people are there, in almost
every residential area. The doors are
locked. Most important of all, God is here.
He is our only source of peace and security.
So, please go to sleep. It’s late. Stop looking
out the window to make sure your new car
is still there.
Ngui Yuen Loong has served in the church in all
three languages – Malay, English and Chinese.
A social media and technology enthusiast, he
and his wife, Kathleen, and their son, Jesse,
worship in DUMC. He works as the Senior MIS
Manager in a local healthcare distributor. He is
also a tutor with Project Barnabas.
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