NOT LETTING THE FIGHT GO
It is a sad reality that most people are not interested in the improvement of our country. They don't see how they should be involved in the fight for a better PNG—primarily because circumstances have not yet hit home within individuals, and probably because they feel powerless to do anything about anything. Or they just don't feel the problem; but mostly because they simply don't care. They're indifferent.
Apathy, I think, is a worse epidemic than the corruption in our country. Many of us do not really care that our country's not being lead well or that change is needed. We seem content just to build our own empires, and live our own lives, take care of our daily lives.
Someone asked me why I care so much. I really don't know. But I look at things on the basis that God has created each one of us for a specific purpose for the specific time into which we're born. And to fulfil that purpose He has put into each of our hearts a burden and a passion. I believe mine is the people of PNG, their behaviour and its impact on the nation as a whole.
And so it is incumbent on me to do what I can—to say what I can— to preserve and/or restore that dignity. I see around me a people who have lost sight of the inherent dignity and value that God Himself placed in all our lives. Such a perspective should make one naturally concerned. This concern reaches the corners of this country because this nation and these people are whom God chose for me within this bracket of eternity.
Apart from that I do have a somewhat selfish motive. That is, I want my children to be born into, grow up, and live in a better place than I currently live. I'd like them to live in a country where people respect each other, and everyone is looking out for each other (not just wantoks), there's unity, and progress, and less crime, and more justice and so on. I hope that my daughters could walk down the road without fear of being harassed or molested by unruly young men. And my sons could find inspirational people wherever they turn, to be men of courage and moral uprightness. I hope leaders would have emerged who are committed to improving the nation and not their private bank accounts and pot (or beer) bellies.
I may be an idealist, but who isn't? Deep down, we all dream of a better world. I just like talking about it more than some. In spite overwhelming evidence that our children will enter a worse world than the one we currently live in. We need to allow ourselves to dream. It is a definitely cause for concern (and maybe that's an understatement!) that things could be getting worse. But should we give up trying to create a better world? No. The status quo need not be the reason for us to give turning things into the way thing should be. God didn't. We shouldn't.
There is a lot to be done. But people need to do it. Money and resources are tools. People decide whether they are constructive or destructive tools. And the less good people use those tools constructively, the more destructive those tools become at the hands of wicked people. We need to speak out (and work hard!) against corruption and the breakdown of morals in our society. We have to actively reject corrupt practices such as giving and taking petty bribes. We need to stop littering our streets; spitting our buai, vandalising property, etc.
Corruption is a killer. Evil is all around us. It's not easing up its effort to corrupt the world and destroy people. It corrupts our people through every mean available. Corruption isn't perpetrated in a vacuum. It's done by people. While "agents of change" are only wishing things get better the agents of corruption are working hard—losing more sleep than those who hate corruption, simply to pursue their ends. Successfully countering evil and corruption requires much more passion and action. We cannot expect things to get better without doing something to make things better.
We can't afford to not care about what's going on. Sooner or later it will hit each of us right where it matters. You could wait for such a moment to jolt you awake or you could start doing something about it now. Apathy is like enduring a slow painful (maybe painless!) death. Despite having the means to avoid such pain and death, the victim simply does nothing to improve his condition.
We're living in a time of conflict; conflict between good and evil. And to remain inactive in this battle is to allow evil to triumph. As Paulo Freire put it "Washing one's hands off the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral."
Heavenise week
Ganjiki
"INSPIRING PASSION"
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