Sup3rnality

It makes my blood boil when I see negligent parents who do not know how to take care of their children; or are very complacent or indifferent about their children's well-being. I very much feel like slapping any parent who cannot prioritize their children and see no urgency in ensuring their child's safety.

On top of that, I hate the complacency many Malaysians adopt; the attitude in which they would very much prefer to not get involved in anything that might inconvenience and instead, prefer to watch things and see how it goes. They all like a good drama, but if they need to get up and out of their comfort zone, then let whatever will happen happen. Bad or good, it'll probably be a chance for them to say something on tv later.

Stupid, pathetic waste-of-space people.

My mother told me this story; it happened that day when I was in Cyberjaya signing the contract, so I wasn't around to witness it myself:

That morning, after I left with my dad; my mom just backed out of the driveway to send my siblings to the nearby school. As she was about to drive off, she saw a frail, tiny girl of about 3 or 4 running barefoot and crying on the tarred road from a junction. There was no one else in sight. Well, no one pursuing her that is. She was alone, other than some neighbours who were outside looking. Just looking.

The little girl ran and ran and ran, as fast as her little feet can carry her. She turned the junction and came onto the street that I lived on, and she kept runnig. She reached the main road and she just crossed without looking left or right. What would you expect from a little girl that age? And you know what the people who were standing exactly at the junction at the main road, buying their kuih and nasi lemak, did? Nothing. All the makciks just watched the girl run and cry and didn't bother to do a thing.

My mom pulled over, told the kids to lock the car doors and chased after the girl just as she was about to cross the main road. But it was already on the other side when my mom finally caught up with her. My mom grabbed her and she collapsed in my my mom's arms sobbing. She told my mom that her mother went to work... So she was presumably chasing after her mother. When my mom asked where her house was, she did not know.

Then suddenly, a guy turned up leisurely on a bike. Operative word; leisurely. And mind you, that was about 10 mins later. He nonchalantly told my mom that that was his daughter, and the little girl called out to her father and went to him. But here's the thing, there was no trace of urgency nor concern in his voice. So worry at all for his daughter. As if he didn't care. As if he didn't spend the last few minutes frantically worried. It was as though my mom went to the girl just for the sake of holding her. And the father only turns up after 10 minutes?! Where the hell was he when she was running barefoot and crying and crossing a busy main road?? Did he even care? He didn't even say thanks, and it was not like my mom expected it; but his demeanor was as though he was just claiming his her from a woman who was trying to take her. My mom couldn't care less, she was just glad the girl was safe; but she felt almost sorry to hand her to a guy who did not show any concern for his own daughter.

Come on la, even if I was just in my under things, and my daughter was chasing after a car like that, I'd rather make myself the laughing stock of the town than let my daughter go like that. And in the first place, what is a little girl like that doing unattended? I don't care how busy a person is, a little kid needs supervision and the house always has to be childproofed. No excuse the father could have given me would appease. If you can't look after your child, then don't have one.

And those makciks and other people who just stood and watch? They had the nerve to go to my mother and bombard her with all sorts of questions. Now they're concerned...probably looking for a good story to share over the table as they eat their breakfast with family or friends. When it was happening, not a soul bothered. Too "busy" to care.

So here's the thing, why have Malaysians become so stupidly complacent and uncaring? I remember the case when a girl was being raped in an alley in broad daylight, everyone was passing by and looking, but no one went to help. And how another girl who was the victim of snatch thieves lay there bleeding and no one bothered to aske her why. Or how in shopping malls when some ladies are juggling holding their child and pulling their stroller up a slight flight of stairs, everyone just looks...

What happened to us? How can it be hard, to just walk a few extra steps and scoop the little girl up? She's light as a feather and cannot fight back. And so what if she kicks and screams? You want to live your entire life remembering how you could have saved her life before she got hit by a car? Or what if my mom was a kidnapper? In the time the father took to get there, my mom could have made off far away by then. Would you forgive yourself? What will you answer God at the Day of Judgment? How can people be so heartless?

I'm ashamed. Very ashamed. How have we come to this?

Lin~