JULY 24 — What’s there to say, when all and more has been said. There are no words that can describe broken hearts. Tributes, memorials, prayers. They don’t, they can’t take away the pain; they aren’t meant to. They are just  outward expressions of an inward grief that goes too deep to assuage. There are many questions, but few, if any, answers especially to the question, Why? Worse, for Malaysia, it’s not just Why, but Why...again? MH370, MH17...Deja vu. A nation shaken to its core.

Bad enough that despite all the political sloganeering, we are still, in fact more, divided than ever as a people under 1 sun; what with all sorts of acrimonious spats over race and/or religion happening every other day. We proudly proclaim ourselves 1Malaysian, yet we can’t seem to stop being petty with one another. Aren’t we sick and tired of calling each other names yet? Why must we curse or condemn others for being of a certain race, just because we don’t agree with someone else’s ideology or faith? Is there such a thing as a ‘wrong’ race? In the first place, how does one avoid being born of a certain race, right or wrong? If I still remember correctly the biology I was taught years ago in high school, no matter what race anyone happens to be, all of us are classified under only 1 species and that’s homo sapiens.

The litany of woes doesn’t seem to stop. How many years running has the Auditor-General repeatedly flagged wastage, negligence and malpractice in the usage of public funds? And let’s not even start on corruption issues. What about the rape, pillage and pollution of this beautiful land’s resources — the forests, rivers and natural habitats? And now 2 horrific disasters happening 131 days apart (the former yet unsolved) involving an airline, which once used to be touted as the pride of the nation, MH -Malaysian Hospitality at its best. Why are so many ‘bad’ things happening to and in Malaysia? Coincidence? Fate? Bad luck? Heck, some people even blame God.

Perhaps more than just pointing fingers, as someone remarked, it should be a wake-up call that we look inward into our own hearts to examine ourselves and what we have become really, as a nation. Must it take another national tragedy before we can unite as truly 1Malaysian grieving together because Malaysians (not this or that race) have died? What will it take before we are prepared to set aside all our differences? When will we recognize that all the politicking, polemics and posturing get us nowhere except all upset and angry with one another? How childish we are, trying to score brownie-points against each other in the infernal game of who is more entitled, more right, more to be respected, more this, more that. At the end of the day, when death strikes, we are not more or less than each other. All of us will stand on ground zero before the Most Holy and Most Righteous Judge and Creator of all, no matter what or whether we believe, for the truth of God isn’t dependent on man.

My daughter penned that death makes one more acutely aware of how we should treasure each passing moment of life and therefore make every moment count by loving those we care about whilst we still have breath to draw. I agree absolutely. But I don’t want to stop there. Life certainly should be lived well and good. We all should care for and love others, but that shouldn’t be limited to only those who care and love us back. As Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.” (Luke 32-34).

Love isn’t supposed to distinguish between relationship, skin-color, age, gender or social status. Life isn’t meant to be lived in a cocoon of self-satisfaction and self-glory. And a good life isn’t all there is to living, likewise living a good life isn’t good enough, at least not for me. A day after the news of MH17 broke, I found myself attending 2 funeral wakes consecutively over 2 nites. Both were unexpected deaths in the sense that there were no protracted or terminal sicknesses to deal with, no indication that their ‘time’ was up.

Actually even if death is ‘expected’ as a matter of course, it’s always unwelcome and still shocks those left behind. Even for Christians who are taught that death is really not the end, but the beginning of a perfect new life with the God who loves us so much He has prepared a beautiful eternity for us. Still we cry. Still we grieve. A permanent line is drawn between the living and the dead, over which there can be no crossing. And that hurts...awfully. We don’t understand the ‘why’s, or even if we do understand, we find it very difficult to accept that we are not in control of our lives, that anything can happen to anyone of us anytime.

Death is gut wrenching, heart-breaking no matter what the circumstances. But it also serves to jolt our senses to remember certain inescapable truths about life and about God. That there really is limited time for us to love one another, so we shouldn’t waste it on fighting against each other. That we must live useful, productive and meaningful ie ‘good’ lives on earth. You don’t have to believe God exists to live a good life. But beyond that, there is still another greater truth; that death doesn’t end for those who believe there is more than good.

Christian funerals always remind me of this hope I retain deep in my heart. As the old hymn puts it: “ And I don’t worry about the future, Cause I know what Jesus said, And today I’m gonna walk right beside Him, Cause He’s the one who knows what is ahead...There are many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand...But I know Who holds tomorrow...And I know Who holds my hand..” That know-ing is the only thing, which comforts the soul in the face of death, when there are no answers after living a good life.

 “...we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” 1 Thessalonians 4:13

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.