The Poor Ox

2009 kicked off with a big bang but it wasn't the kind of celebratory bang that we were expecting. Instead, calamities hung around the sidelines, accompanying The Rat on its exit and laid out a few traps for The Ox as it was preparing to enter stage right. Thus, the big bang.

So, what is the The Rat leaving behind for The Ox (since the Lunar New Year only starts on 26 Jan)?

Nothing short of wars, crashes and disasters: the global economic meltdown, natural disasters, my own personal pseudo-disaster, Malaysia's political dramas and most recently, the crisis in Gaza.

Enough's been said about everything. Everyone has an opinion about it all.

There is no one solution that would bring about the turnaround of the global economy - it was a disaster waiting to happen (still happening) and it'll take more than a short time and a couple of bailouts to right the situation.

The more I read about Gaza, the more I feel the conflict is too deep-rooted to be solved by just a ceasefire and talks. Both parties are at fault and yes, the Israeli attacks felled more civilians in a day than the Hamas' rockets in years. However, Hamas' disregard for their own civilians (who else would be targeted if the Israeli army attacks?) is nothing short of appalling. The Israeli's counter-attack of 'but they've been attacking us all this while!' is absurd; you can't possibly equate thousands of innocent deaths with a few handsful. Considering that the Palestinians are refugees in their own land, they really have no choice but to fight and continue fighting. Ultimately, the ones who really should carry the largest blame created the problem way back when, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It's an intractable problem with too much political, social, religious and economic vicissitudes and repercussions attached to it. The answer should be easy but the decision to arrive at that solution is paved with booby traps. No matter the resolution, no one party is going to be happy about it.

I don't even want to start to say anything about Malaysia.

The only thing I know I can control and change is myself, so in ushering in the Year of the Ox, I'll just have to strive to be a better person and to treat the earth better so that there's some semblance of a habitable earth and environment for our kids and their future.