Reflection- A Healing Fire
Act II, Sc. III
O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains!
- Othello
Through the centuries, most revenge tragedies share some basic elements: a play within a play, mad scenes, a vengeful ghost, one or several gory scenes, and, most importantly, a central character who has a serious grievance against a formidable opponent. However, ‘A Healing Fire’- a supposedly revenge tragedy from the beginning does not end quite like the blood, insanity or neither persecution we expected. It is a twist from the perceptible aftermath of vengeance and revenge with the aid of the mightiest sword of forgiveness. This article tells the heart rending story of Sokreaksa Himm, whose hapless encounter with the then Khmer Rouge rendered most of his family members dead. Brutally dead. Perhaps it is god’s will that he survived the ordeal. As he watched helplessly the emaciated bodies of his kin, he made a burning vow of vengeance.
I would say the raging desire to avenge his beloved family has put him into a good stead of life, because of this pure hatred; it motivated him to start a new life all over again, eventually joining the police force. However, he was soon struggling with his inner self; he could not bring himself to kill his enemies even if opportunities present themselves. Well, this was the pivotal point, his struggle does not deem his incapability but it highlighted that he has a sane mind, a mind that weighed the consequences of revenge and what exactly does revenge helps to lift the trauma out of those damned recesses. He devoted himself into a series of Christian meetings in camps, relieving himself of the suppression, denial that once filled his life.
Like what Mahatma Gandhi said before, ‘The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.’ He was a man of strength; no many man of today could endure the massacre of one’s family and live to retell the harrowing tale and embarked on an intrepid journey of forgiveness. Furthermore, he willed himself to approach the Khmer Rouge who had killed his family in order to help the Cambodians there to overcome the emotional scars inflicted by the period of bedlam caused by the Khmer Rouge. Instead of seizing the chance for revenge, he has devoted himself as a doctor to heal the wound in the souls. In addition, he eventually managed to confront the killers’ and to tell them that he has forgiven them and had came to relieve them of their current sufferings. ‘Cleansing the wound is necessary for the healing processes All in all, he was not just a man of strength, and he is a believer of himself, the undying love in humankind and also the power of forgiveness. He did not welcome his succumb to despair, he strived hard to sought a new life and conquer the monsters in his life to allow him a chance, a new chance to lead his life more meaningfully not just full of hatred but of love and forgiveness. Furthermore, it all depends on our will to break away from the cycle of vengeance or we will just be the pawns of fate continuing a cycle of vengeance that would carry on for generations and generations. It is never ending and it is exhausting. Humans are born to love one another, so hating is an unnatural process and it kills our brain cells.
In conclusion, it is not just enough to read these poignant tales of heroes and heroines from reader digest. I cannot help but to admit Singaporeans do not really understand what is it to forgive and forget, and how overwhelming wonders forgiveness does to their souls. Thus, youths of Singapore shall create the opportunities for themselves by exposing themselves to the different facets of life by our fellow men in order to fully appreciate the bed of roses we are sleeping on now, the silver spoon that seemed forever in our mouths. Besides, a little bit of thorns does not hurt at all.
‘Hamlet stabs Claudius and forces him to drink the poisoned wine. The revenge plot is thus concluded. Hamlet himself then dies from the wound received during the fight with Laertes ‘
And last but not least, nobody love sad endings.
Teehee , Tan Sally(23)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
jump or die by john dyson
This article is about a man by the name of Tom Murphy being trapped on a snow-covered mountain. He had gone to snowboard when he went into a blocked zone at the mountain. Ignoring the warnings,he continued down the slope, thinking that the warnings only made it fun. However, along the way, he got lost. he stopped, only to be caught in an avalanche. He survived the hundreds of yards the avalanche had carried him. Unable to contact anybody as there was no signal, he decided to go down a steep cliff to the road below. He jumped. Bruised but was alright. Before fighting the decision to jump or die, he left a farewell message in his phone. He jumped and fell into snow that managed to cushion his fall. After another fall, he was injured but alive. He tried to wave to the passing cars but none noticed him. He then left another message in his phone. The messages were sent out when there was a signal. He notified his friend of his plight and was rescued soon after.
I think that Tom was really brave. having to decide between a jump that might kill him or sitting and waiting for people to rescue him where he could not be seen is not something that everyone is capable of doing. His determination to live and be rescued is very admirable. Although he had a few brushes with death, he took the risk and survived. He was able to keep calm and think. Although he was brave in this situation, i feel that it was his fault that he was in this plight in the first place. Firstly, he did not tell anybody where he was going. also, he was not supposed to go through the blocked area but still did. I feel that we all should be well-prepared before we go on to dangerous adventures such as this. I hope that there will not be many of those who like Tom, disobeyed the warnings and carried on by himself, taking every risk.
-vivian-
I think that Tom was really brave. having to decide between a jump that might kill him or sitting and waiting for people to rescue him where he could not be seen is not something that everyone is capable of doing. His determination to live and be rescued is very admirable. Although he had a few brushes with death, he took the risk and survived. He was able to keep calm and think. Although he was brave in this situation, i feel that it was his fault that he was in this plight in the first place. Firstly, he did not tell anybody where he was going. also, he was not supposed to go through the blocked area but still did. I feel that we all should be well-prepared before we go on to dangerous adventures such as this. I hope that there will not be many of those who like Tom, disobeyed the warnings and carried on by himself, taking every risk.
-vivian-
Loose Nukes
Loose Nukes? Well, this may seem weird as such weapons of mass destruction are highly guarded by the country where it is produced. However, this is rather true as nuclear materials such as fissile are falling into the wrong hands.
Criminals and insiders are stealing these materials from nuclear facilities due to security lapses and selling it to terrorists. This unfortunately strikes fear in the society as there is a growing concern that nuclear terrorism is imminent. With temperatures reaching over a million degrees centigrade, radioactive clouds and gamma rays tearing living cells away, a nuclear attack would undeniably be devastating and the world will never be the same again.
Basically, this article can be epitomized into several crux. Firstly, we see the author narrate to us how an imaginary country, named Brussels, is planted with a nuclear bomb. Subsequently, it went off, massacring lives and collapsing buildings, adjacent to the accident. The story proceeds, by recounting to us of its dire consequences. This includes the cessation of commerce in Brussels, disruption of international trade and the death and incapacitation of thousands of people. This has also resulted to the myriad detrimental effects to the neighbouring countries. Secondly, the author tells us real life examples of countries depreciating disparate countries from dominating nuclear bombs so that the safety of the people will not be compromised. This includes North Korea and Iran. Ultimately, the author admonishes of the threat of terrorism. He said, “With the age of terrorism threatening to become an age of nuclear terrorism, perhaps it’s worth another look; there surely none as great as losing a city”.
I personally believe that we can play our part to fight terrorism. The threat of terrorism has been prevalent in our society. This could be possibly due to the advancement in technology. We have to acknowledge the fact that many terrorists utilize bombs in their attacks. For example, the Bali Bombings, and the Pakistan bombing, which eventuated recently. On our part, we should be more vigilant. This includes taking note of what other people are carrying in the public. Also, we can try to be more solicitous when we notice anything doubtful. Conversely, I deem security personnel should also put in more effort, when it comes to spotting anyone suspicious, so that the safety of the public can be further reinforced. Pondering about future attacks or nabbing the perpetrators are not the top priority. Rather more objectively, the government and the authorities should build up the resilience of the society, through the media and making visits to the families concerned. At the same time, paramedics should also give immediate aid and relief to the affected areas.
In conclusion, we see that there are many detriments concerning the use of nuclear bombs. Radically, the country should also build up their defence well, so that the prospects of such happenings can be greatly minimized. It is substantial, to comprehend that the basic framework of the society itself is fragile. The basic framework I am referring to is the overall resilience of any country. Security measures can be counteractive, but at the same time, it can be unavailing. What matters most is whether a not, the people are willing to take the extra mile; to understand that our society is invariably face by terror attacks, and therefore, staying vigilant at all times.
Indeed, the threat of terrorism is real.
Criminals and insiders are stealing these materials from nuclear facilities due to security lapses and selling it to terrorists. This unfortunately strikes fear in the society as there is a growing concern that nuclear terrorism is imminent. With temperatures reaching over a million degrees centigrade, radioactive clouds and gamma rays tearing living cells away, a nuclear attack would undeniably be devastating and the world will never be the same again.
Basically, this article can be epitomized into several crux. Firstly, we see the author narrate to us how an imaginary country, named Brussels, is planted with a nuclear bomb. Subsequently, it went off, massacring lives and collapsing buildings, adjacent to the accident. The story proceeds, by recounting to us of its dire consequences. This includes the cessation of commerce in Brussels, disruption of international trade and the death and incapacitation of thousands of people. This has also resulted to the myriad detrimental effects to the neighbouring countries. Secondly, the author tells us real life examples of countries depreciating disparate countries from dominating nuclear bombs so that the safety of the people will not be compromised. This includes North Korea and Iran. Ultimately, the author admonishes of the threat of terrorism. He said, “With the age of terrorism threatening to become an age of nuclear terrorism, perhaps it’s worth another look; there surely none as great as losing a city”.
I personally believe that we can play our part to fight terrorism. The threat of terrorism has been prevalent in our society. This could be possibly due to the advancement in technology. We have to acknowledge the fact that many terrorists utilize bombs in their attacks. For example, the Bali Bombings, and the Pakistan bombing, which eventuated recently. On our part, we should be more vigilant. This includes taking note of what other people are carrying in the public. Also, we can try to be more solicitous when we notice anything doubtful. Conversely, I deem security personnel should also put in more effort, when it comes to spotting anyone suspicious, so that the safety of the public can be further reinforced. Pondering about future attacks or nabbing the perpetrators are not the top priority. Rather more objectively, the government and the authorities should build up the resilience of the society, through the media and making visits to the families concerned. At the same time, paramedics should also give immediate aid and relief to the affected areas.
In conclusion, we see that there are many detriments concerning the use of nuclear bombs. Radically, the country should also build up their defence well, so that the prospects of such happenings can be greatly minimized. It is substantial, to comprehend that the basic framework of the society itself is fragile. The basic framework I am referring to is the overall resilience of any country. Security measures can be counteractive, but at the same time, it can be unavailing. What matters most is whether a not, the people are willing to take the extra mile; to understand that our society is invariably face by terror attacks, and therefore, staying vigilant at all times.
Indeed, the threat of terrorism is real.
A Healing Fire
The article revolves around the journey sokreaksa himm took to forgive the people who killed his family. Sokreaksa was only eleven years old when he watches helplessly as the chlops wiped out most of his family. Fortunately, he escaped death and moved to Canada, after twenty-five years he returns to Cambodia to seek forgiveness and to forgive.
As I read the first part of the story, which describe the agony of watching his siblings and parents wither away in front of him as he helplessly hides in the forest; I was outrage at the fact how inhuman the chlops could be. I will not deny that I hope retribution will draw upon those murders and they were unforgivable for what they did. The chlops killed people mercilessly and they should be put to the chair. At the same time, my heart went out to sokreaksa, to lose his whole family at such a young age was undeniably a painful ordeal of him. It was astonishing that he still had the will to continue living after witnessing such tragedy. I have felt the pain of losing a family member before and it still haunts me, and I admire him for being so strong and unwavering, striving to improve his life and to keep to his promise of avenging his family.
As the story develops, Sokreaksa was controlled by his unfulfilled promise to avenge his family, and it haunted him until he decided the only way through was to forgive the murders who killed his family. At first, I was confused by what he was trying to bring across, but after that I realised that forgiveness was the only way to set ones heart free. The only way to be free was to face the murders and to forgive them. I feel that his act of forgiveness demonstrated more than a forgiving heart. He has also demonstrated courage, in facing the murders and facing the guilt of not avenging his family. The road to forgiveness was a herculean one, yet his determination overcome all odds and help him put down his gun and to help set them free. It was a very magnanimous gesture and one that really made me respected him. He is able to forgive which is something I could never do if it was me. I feel that he had really put many people including me to shame, despite his plight he face the problem head on, he could have stayed in Canada which many might do, yet he wanted to face the murders and put the unresolved matter to rest. In the end, I feel that it was a win-win situation as he and the murders could finally put their minds at ease. The murders have received a second chance to repent and sokreaksa can finally start healing for the lost of his family.
"The Rise Of Cyberbulling" - Lim Qi Xiang
"The rise of cyberbullying"
There are many people on the net, you cannot know that they are good, bad, easily provoked or simply pure evil. There are also some very sensitive people on the net. One may not know that they are actually harrasing somebody, one may have a slip of the tongue, or is just insensitive and utter an offensive comment, this may cause some harm to the person and may push them over the edge. You may be just joking, but on the net, you would not really know what the other persons is really feeling.
I have noticed some forms of cyberbullying online. Sometimes it is quite common in online MMOs (Massive Multiplayer Online Games). If one's skills are better than another's, they may call him "noob" and harrass him. Sometimes uttering racist comments, vulgarities and profanities. Most people will try to intervene and try to help the victim. However, once i noticed that a group of people are harrasing a single person. One or two tried to intervene but to no avail. The victim was helpless and eventually stepped down and logged out. At another time, I noticed that a player was spouting racist comments online in a "shout" box. This infuruated alot of people and caused alot of arguement.
I have never experinced such serious cyberbullying, and i will not know how the victims felt. However, there's always sometime the victim could do to stop the harrasment. One could always reach for the mute button.
There are many people on the net, you cannot know that they are good, bad, easily provoked or simply pure evil. There are also some very sensitive people on the net. One may not know that they are actually harrasing somebody, one may have a slip of the tongue, or is just insensitive and utter an offensive comment, this may cause some harm to the person and may push them over the edge. You may be just joking, but on the net, you would not really know what the other persons is really feeling.
I have noticed some forms of cyberbullying online. Sometimes it is quite common in online MMOs (Massive Multiplayer Online Games). If one's skills are better than another's, they may call him "noob" and harrass him. Sometimes uttering racist comments, vulgarities and profanities. Most people will try to intervene and try to help the victim. However, once i noticed that a group of people are harrasing a single person. One or two tried to intervene but to no avail. The victim was helpless and eventually stepped down and logged out. At another time, I noticed that a player was spouting racist comments online in a "shout" box. This infuruated alot of people and caused alot of arguement.
I have never experinced such serious cyberbullying, and i will not know how the victims felt. However, there's always sometime the victim could do to stop the harrasment. One could always reach for the mute button.
Gut Feeling
My reason for choosing this article is due to something in which i would like to highlight to each and everyone of you:"Life is precious, treasure it. Every human being is only given a chance to live."
In this article, Lynn Sherr a reporter, suffers an acute pain in her gut and she was diagnosed with appendicitis. However, this lady felt that the diagnosis was not right, instead it should be cancer. This article also mentioned her indirectly fearing death as she knows that colon cancer or colorectal cancer can lead to death;she wanted to turn back the clock, making everything the way it was before. She wanted to be a normal person living a normal life. Yes, I can understand her feelings at that point of time. It's the usual "HUH?!" reaction observed from most of us after finding out that we are actually suffering from a particular illness, and it might not necessarily be a major illness. We have to admit that everyone in the world fears death. Yes death, why so?
I am certain that majority of us have ever thought of this question: "Where does death lead to?" There are certainly many answers to this question, depending on each and every one, our religions, their beliefs. For example: For the Taoist, we believe that there is actually a classification in which the so-called 'good' people will fall to the "heaven" category, while the 'bad' people will fall to the "hell" category. This answer is neither wrong nor right.
There are no scientific provings of where we would end up after our deaths. Basically, what i am trying to point out is that, YES although we do not know where death leads us to, it is still certain that after a certain age, when it is time for us to go, we will. And before its our time to "go", why not treasure every moment every day, doing what you want to do, because you are never sure of what is going to happen the next day. From here, i would like to share my own experience, the person dearest to me leaving me all of a sudden without any notice. Yes, she watched me grow up since i was a baby. Left me when I was 14. I was still chatting her on a saturday night, a seemingly healthy adult for her age. Nothing was wrong till few hours later, where she complained of numbness, and not being able to move. The words that came out of her mouth wasn't arranged into proper sentence. It was already 12 midnight. My parents and I admitted her to Tan Tock Seng, we then found out that she was suffering from brain haemorrhage. By the time she was admitted, she became unconscious. Her heart was beating slower and slower by the second. From then, I just realised how crucial time was, how important it is to treasure ourselves.
For the case of Lynn Sherr, it is really heartening to hear that she is considered a normal person again although there is still a risk of recurrence.
From this article, I would like to highlight something from the article, the part in which she went for chemotherapy the first time. She started feeling sustained as mentioned after seeing people, be it, man or woman, without hair, without limbs. There, was just a peaceful environment, everyone smiled "the tolerant and knowing smile of experience". Yes, i felt that it was a great opportunity for lady Lynn Sherr to get to experience and to soothe her, comforting her that she's not the only one in the world who has cancer, she is not alone. There are other people and their health conditions might be more life-threatening than hers. To me, i feel that she gets to understand that life is definitely unfair, not perfect and never predictable. From this, I feel that she will treasure it more and more. This making her life valuable, priceless...
To all cancer patients: "Be strong! Live life to the fullest!"
Cheryl
In this article, Lynn Sherr a reporter, suffers an acute pain in her gut and she was diagnosed with appendicitis. However, this lady felt that the diagnosis was not right, instead it should be cancer. This article also mentioned her indirectly fearing death as she knows that colon cancer or colorectal cancer can lead to death;she wanted to turn back the clock, making everything the way it was before. She wanted to be a normal person living a normal life. Yes, I can understand her feelings at that point of time. It's the usual "HUH?!" reaction observed from most of us after finding out that we are actually suffering from a particular illness, and it might not necessarily be a major illness. We have to admit that everyone in the world fears death. Yes death, why so?
I am certain that majority of us have ever thought of this question: "Where does death lead to?" There are certainly many answers to this question, depending on each and every one, our religions, their beliefs. For example: For the Taoist, we believe that there is actually a classification in which the so-called 'good' people will fall to the "heaven" category, while the 'bad' people will fall to the "hell" category. This answer is neither wrong nor right.
There are no scientific provings of where we would end up after our deaths. Basically, what i am trying to point out is that, YES although we do not know where death leads us to, it is still certain that after a certain age, when it is time for us to go, we will. And before its our time to "go", why not treasure every moment every day, doing what you want to do, because you are never sure of what is going to happen the next day. From here, i would like to share my own experience, the person dearest to me leaving me all of a sudden without any notice. Yes, she watched me grow up since i was a baby. Left me when I was 14. I was still chatting her on a saturday night, a seemingly healthy adult for her age. Nothing was wrong till few hours later, where she complained of numbness, and not being able to move. The words that came out of her mouth wasn't arranged into proper sentence. It was already 12 midnight. My parents and I admitted her to Tan Tock Seng, we then found out that she was suffering from brain haemorrhage. By the time she was admitted, she became unconscious. Her heart was beating slower and slower by the second. From then, I just realised how crucial time was, how important it is to treasure ourselves.
For the case of Lynn Sherr, it is really heartening to hear that she is considered a normal person again although there is still a risk of recurrence.
From this article, I would like to highlight something from the article, the part in which she went for chemotherapy the first time. She started feeling sustained as mentioned after seeing people, be it, man or woman, without hair, without limbs. There, was just a peaceful environment, everyone smiled "the tolerant and knowing smile of experience". Yes, i felt that it was a great opportunity for lady Lynn Sherr to get to experience and to soothe her, comforting her that she's not the only one in the world who has cancer, she is not alone. There are other people and their health conditions might be more life-threatening than hers. To me, i feel that she gets to understand that life is definitely unfair, not perfect and never predictable. From this, I feel that she will treasure it more and more. This making her life valuable, priceless...
To all cancer patients: "Be strong! Live life to the fullest!"
Cheryl
The Perks of Service, Jean Yee
Jason Araghi is the founder of Araghi's Green Beans Coffee Worldcafe. The uniqueness about his company is that his cafes can be found in war zones, including base of military camps. His customers are mainly US military soldiers. To them, Araghi's cafes provide them with a moment of tranquility where they can relax and unwind, with the familiar taste of espresso that takes them back home. In order to accomodate the shifting military deployments, Araghi has made his shops mobile - to have his cafes in huge containers which can be transported by a truck. It was risky for the staffs as well, as containers may be targets of gunshots from time to time. Although it was apprehensive and costly to ship the containers, Araghi never relinquished any chance of opening another cafe at another military base.
I think Araghi is dauntless as he never stopped providing coffee to the US military soldiers despite knowing the multiple risks involved in this business. Because of his boldness, he is able to reach out and provide a retreat for worn-out soldiers after their shift. In my opinion, he is not just a millionaire but a selfless man who makes difference in many people's lives by giving warmth and comfort through his business. His cafes remind the soldiers of their family waiting for their return at their homeland, boosting their morale, spurring them on. His staffs are worth mentioning for their loyalty and courage. Hardly anyone these days are able to leave their country and family just for a job that serves coffee to soldiers in remote areas, even though the job is very rewarding. This is a testimony of some very fulfilling jobs. It must feel good to be able to give something to the society while earning our own keep. Araghi is an inspiration to many.
I think Araghi is dauntless as he never stopped providing coffee to the US military soldiers despite knowing the multiple risks involved in this business. Because of his boldness, he is able to reach out and provide a retreat for worn-out soldiers after their shift. In my opinion, he is not just a millionaire but a selfless man who makes difference in many people's lives by giving warmth and comfort through his business. His cafes remind the soldiers of their family waiting for their return at their homeland, boosting their morale, spurring them on. His staffs are worth mentioning for their loyalty and courage. Hardly anyone these days are able to leave their country and family just for a job that serves coffee to soldiers in remote areas, even though the job is very rewarding. This is a testimony of some very fulfilling jobs. It must feel good to be able to give something to the society while earning our own keep. Araghi is an inspiration to many.
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