Beyond Words
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…. ” Charles Dickens in ” A Tale of Two Cities “
A Tale Of Two Flags
5 June 2015 marked the opening of the 28th SEA Games, back on home soil after 22 years. The Opening Ceremony set the National Stadium ablaze with jaw-dropping performances, light and sound effects. This culminated in an endearing class-act by our very own Son of Singapore, Fandi Ahmad, and his son, Irfan, to bear the torch for the last leg of the run, to declare the Games officially opened. Our National flag flew high and proud.
In stark contrast to the euphoria, we were greeted with news of an earthquake in Sabah and possible casualties of our own – primary school children on an expedition.
In the days that followed, our worst fears were confirmed. On the slopes of Kota Kinabalu, when the earth shook and boulders rained down, leaving 10 Singaporeans dead.
8 June 2015 saw the same flag at half mast in a sombre memorial and tribute to those whose young lives have been tragically lost.
As the news continue to unfold, we embark on a roller-coaster ride of emotional discordance, from elation to despondency to any place in between.
The SEA Games
This is proving to be Singapore’s best games yet – with the gold medal tally already surpassing our previous best of 50. Yet, it is not only a numbers game. Behind the jubilant faces of the winners on the podium, there are the untold stories of their journeys – stories of grit, sweat, mental strength, all made worthwhile for this one moment.
There are also stories of those who did not make it to the podium but are gold medalists in our eyes – Ashley Liew, who gave up the golden opportunity of securing a gold for himself when he found himself 50m ahead of everyone else – and realised that they had taken the wrong route. Instead of taking advantage of the situation, Ashley stopped and waited for the rest before continuing with the race.
In the end, he came in 8th…This is the spirit of a true athlete.
Then there were the spectators who became the champions for our swimmers when the National anthem suffered overworked malfunction on the sound system: they sang their hearts out with gusto and verve.
The Earthquake
There are moments when words cannot describe the overwhelming grief and crippling sense of loss. Children, barely in their teens, and youths in the prime of their lives. How does a parent feel, sending a child off with expectancy only to receive that same child with cruel finality – in a body bag? A last goodbye. How does a wife feel, losing her husband, the sole bread-winner of the family, and father to a 6-month old baby?
There will be naysayers, who are obliged to add feeble rantings to a delicate situation – perhaps a sad reminder of something amiss in their own makeup. There were the blatant tourists who had earlier posed nude and pissed on the nature reserve they thought they have “conquered” – it is nothing more than self-aggrandizing and wholly pathetic.
Behind the flag at half mast, the nation stood with the bereaved and cried with them.
Then there were stories of the teachers and mountain guides who shielded the children with their own bodies to take the blows of the avalanche – some even giving up their own lives. These are the unsung heroes we now salute.
In Moments Like These
In moments like these, we observe a minute of silence or more – to reflect on something intangible that is more than ourselves: the human spirit, of love, honour, sacrifice. We want to embrace the sanctity of life and what lives on long after life has passed us by.
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