We have just entered into 2009 and many people are fearful of what is to come. We saw many disasters in 2008 - economic downturn, milk powder problem, cyclone, earthquake, floods, hurricane, etc. Everybody is hoping for the better days. Will there be any better days ahead?
Everything looks so gloom. Can there be any good? The Bible has warned us that the days ahead will be harder and flashed with more violence.
“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘ I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matt 24:4-14)
Looks like there is little bright light ahead. Even the Bible does not seem to suggest any good future. But everyone hopes for a change to the better. Business people hopes for a better economy. Parents hope for a better future for their children. Singles hope to get married and have a good family. Citizens hope for a more peaceful and harmonious world to live in. Americans hope that President Barrack Obama will bring new motivation and changes to the economy. People all over the world hope for a better world to live in.
Do we have any choice? Many people have said and will continue to say that they are not the culprit and have nothing to do with the gloom and disaster in the world scene today. The figures are pointing in the direction of the governments and presidents. They are the decision makers and policy implementers so they should shoulder the blame. These leaders will say that their hands are tied and they cannot do anything to change the world - the environment is already affected, the recession is already coming, the diseases are already here, the priracy are being attended to, the crooks are being pursued, racial and religious conflicts are being attended to, etc. It seems that there is no solution to curbing all the problems in this world as long as there are people purposely creating havoc and destruction for their own gain.
A closer look at ourselves will reveal a reluctant acknowledgement of the fact that we all are also the culprits and have contributed to the aggravation of the deterioration of this world. If only we are conscious to the following facts, we can save the world by the Transformation of our actions:
* Conserve energy and water - if every one of us use less one litre of water per day, the world can save 6 billion litres of water. In a year there will be 2.2 trillion litres of water saved. This amount of water is more than enough to need the needs of the whole nation of Malaysia for a minimum of a month.
* Reduce the usage of plastic bags - if every one of us use one plastic bag less per day, the whole world will save 6 billion x 365(days) = 2.2 trillion plastic bags per year.
* Stop driving at least one day per month and car pool - we can reduce air pollution and petrol consumption considerably.
* Buy less and eat less and waste less - this can help reduce production and better for our health.
* Recycle all the recyclables - this can reduce environmental pollution.
* Repair the reparables - this can also reduce wastage and use less natural resources.
* If possible buy from shops that deal with recyclable goods and second hand goods.
* If possible share resources like CDs, DVDs, Books, etc.
We need to be pro-active in our actions if we really wish to see some form of transformation to our world. This will include the followings:
* Promote Peace - ‘Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of rigtheousness’
* Bless-Thou Attitude - ‘Look not at your own interest first …’
* Humility - ‘God oposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’
* Diligence - ‘Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth’
* Gentleness - ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger’
* Cheerfulness - ‘A cheerful look brings joy to the heart …’
* Positiveness - ‘Count it all joy when you meet various trials …’
* Integrity and purity - ‘The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to his sight’
* Prayer - ‘The prayer of a rigtheous man is powerful and effective’
The above are some suggestions to offer ourselves as the little light of this world. The Malay proverb goes: ‘little by little, a hill will glitter’. If only every one of us join hand in offering some positive hope to this world, transformation is within our reach. We are called to be the ‘LIGHT’ and ‘SALT’ of the world.
(January 23rd, 2009 posted in another blog)
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