Venting..&...Pleading....

In the course of my work, I was in Mumbai twice. Mumbai is a sea city. From all the reports, the militants arrived by sea route. These people claimed to be Malaysian students.

My heart bleeds on a wee Sunday morning. I received 2 SMS from my colleagues both in Thailand and in Mumbai. Two of our staff died in the Mumbai attack. One Thai and one Indian. They were in both the hotels - Oberoi and Taj. We were saddened by this unfortunate event and we felt sorry for their families. Operations personnel flew to Mumbai and arrangement for the burial of the Indian staff and to send back the body of the Thai staff. Both lost their lives in the course of work/ duties.

As the story unfolded, staff reiterated the experiences, the fear, and the worries for their colleagues and friends working in the hotels. They were worried about guests but nothing can be done. It was a massacre. It was shooting all the way. Many hotel friends died in their course of duty. The brutal killings were something that cannot be forgiven no matter what were the reasons. If it is in the eye of religion and any religion that allows such brutality is satanic. God will never allow this. Whether it is a white God, black God, yellow God or whatever. These militants did not shoot and left the injured or badly injured alone as I was told. They shot everyone that was both alive and injured to death.

The staffs of the hotels were the unsung heroes. I was told and read stories from those who made it out of the massacre that hotel staffs hide them. They survived but the hotel staffs were all dead. Greatness is one who sacrifices one's life for that of many others. This is the quality of God! It is compassion, kindness, humanity - NOT BRUTALITY!

Looking at the 911 incidents in USA, the bombing in Bali and now the killing in Mumbai, I sadly say the dark era is arriving. I have never known fear when I traveled overseas to work. Now I felt that travelling overseas for assignments are no longer safe. No one know what will happen next, be it on the plane, by sea or on land. There is no safe place in the world anymore.

Singaporean is never one of the casualties with the exception of this shoot out. We had a lady lawyer on assignment. She was shot at gun point. It must be hurting badly for her husband, families, colleagues and people who have known her. Hope time will heal but scares remained and will continue to hurt.

This World is changing. People's hearts are changing. People are full of themselves and their dreams. In the course of pursing their dreams, they couldn't careless whether it hurts others. I took this opportunity to vent my sadness over the chaotic world, the misguided religious teachings, the disregards for life, the selfishness of one and all these will drive us to the END.

We are facing the karma we all have one way or another created. This is a shared Karma. We are punished by nature because we abused it. Look at the way we treated the environment for our own comfort? We created the O-Zone, we cut down trees, clear forest to make way for bigger homes and now what? We saw the biggest Tsunami ever, the worst Earthquake ever and the fall of the World economy. None of us will be spared. This is Punishment! Did God punish us? NO!, we did it onto ourselves. Probably Mother Nature out of kindness will send us a great tidal wave and wash out everything at one swipe. The World needs a make over, she is badly contaminated so a 'big bath' is needed.

I posted the 2009 Earth Hour Champaign. Please return 1 hour to "THE EARTH" on 28th March 2009 from 8.30pm. Due to time difference, the date will defer from country to country. Do help to send this message around if you are reading here. The more the merrier. Please!

I am lighting this posting with candles...for various reasons and to support Earth Hour!