GREY AREAS
The purist in me will always stubbornly insist the world can be divided into black and white, and morality for that matter is a clear distinction between good and evil!
The romantic that I am yearns for a society of people with fine ideals and noble intentions – which kind of presupposes I’m one of them, or at least I’m trying to be as good as I possibly can and cultivating a couple of noble intentions in the twilight of my years!
For this I’m being labelled “unrealistic”, a “tin kosong” and “holier than thou”! I’ve been accused of blowing hot air and blowing in the wind. There have been threats to gag and lynch me! I’ve been asked whether I’ve received phone calls from so and so…
…and all because I write what I feel and think about some issues – personal, educational, political, moral, religious etc etc etc. I’ve shied away from bread n butter and economic ones because quite honestly, there’s too much being said already about how to be rich and successful! Not many people want to talk about morals and values!
Yes – so much in life is grey; so much is interpretation! If you’re looking for the truth versus untruth; black versus white; good versus evil; right versus wrong – you can’t find them these days! Not in the real world. They exist in your dreams and imagination. They form part of your ideals and noble intentions!
But this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop preaching and moralising! Once a teacher/lecturer, always a teacher/lecturer! I shall persevere as age and experience gives me an edge over some. Way back in 1997 when I was much younger I wrote this sajak:
AKU PERNAH MUDA
seperti kau juga akan tua
Kalau kau sangka aku sudah tua
Seperti bunga diserang sang suria
Lesu tangkai, layu kelopaknya
Hilang wangi, habis madunya
Lemah maya, luruh jasadnya.
Seperti kau juga, aku pernah muda;
Megah mekar mawar berbunga
Harum semerbak, kekar kuntumnya
Lawa memutih, manisan rasa
Dipuja kasih dipuji rata.
Tua, Muda; Kanak-kanak, Dewasa;
Baru, Lama; Berumur, Remaja;
Pusingan jam pasir dunia
Pandangan mata kaca manusia
Bandingan masa, imbangan ketika.
Seperti mengesan
Anak bulan Ramadhan
Pemastian puasa
Penentuan purnama
Peralihan waktu alam nyata.
Aku tua di sisi kau yang muda
Namun muda di sisi insan tua;
Bagai teka-teki menduga
Reka akal menyangka
Ukur usia mudah sahaja.
Tetapi – kalau kaca mata
Sudi di buka
Kaca pasir jadi intan permata
Gerhana bulan terang cahaya
Empulur hati tiada baya.
Mestikah tua bermakna tidak muda
Tidak berguna, tidak berdaya?
Bukankah tua tanda
Kekal abadi akal dan jiwa?
Akar tunjang berasal nyawa
Berurat berumbi, berbenih mulia;
Bak ubi hina tumbuh merata
Semakin berisi semakin lama
Teguh saraf, kukuh baka
Seharus juga engkau yang muda.
nini talk 
dear kak halimah
i’m glad that you’ve become more introspective since my last comment. (though i still note that you’re still ending your paragraphs with exclamation marks, hehe). after 2 angioplasties, a mild stroke, the loss of a dear mother and a sweet brother within the last two years, i have to keep reminding myself not to get angry and not become a cynic.
not that i’ve lowered my standards but i have to relook at life (you know how linggi people tend to become idealitic about most things)
salam and god bless
kassim
Kassim – I use exclamation marks as a substitute/ tool for the intonation and pitch that make spoken language so much more expressive. The new styles of writing use traditional punctuation marks like the comma more sparingly but I like to use the exclamation mark to emphasise or highlight a point.
Yes – I’ve been rather relentless in my pursuit of moral issues so it’s time to take a short breather and restrategise lest I’m discarded as a wet blanket. People don’t like it when you remind them of their moral failings or ask them how to change society for the better. They prefer to sit back and just whinge and whine rather than commit themselves to a point of view.
You are right! Many things are of no importance when you have suffered a family tragedy or ill health. I hope this year will be better for you and family.
HOWEVER, being a Bugis Linggi I shall continue to uphold the ideals that our fathers and forefathers held dear. One of them as you know is to reject corruption and to embrace knowledge!
Take care Kassim!