Quite a good article by Nathaniel Tan on why he, and for that matter you and me, should think hard and decide if we want to continue to be a cynic. This is also good material to back up my earlier post on the importance of being counted in our imperfect democracy. The following is an excerpt from Malaysiakini. I strongly recommend that you subscribe to Malaysiakini for access to all their articles and opinion pieces. It's only RM150 a year! Support a freer press in Malaysia!
Shaping Malaysian realities
Nathaniel Tan
Apr 26, 07 1:51pm
Like any Malaysian, I have a simple choice.
I can work to make my country a better place as best I know how, or I can leave things to run their course.
Perhaps things will turn out fine with or without any contribution from me; or perhaps the popular notion that no one has the ability to change Malaysia for the better is true, and nothing I ever do could possibly have any significant impact whatsoever.
How can we objectively determine whether Malaysia is worth fighting for, or whether it is a burning ship, bound to rot at the bottom of the ocean?
The simple answer is – we can’t.
Commentators and analysts predict the future at great length, but if any one of them had any significant track record of accuracy, they would be very rich fortune tellers, and not political pundits.
So if no one can accurately tell me whether my country as the potential to change for the better, how do I know that working for it is worth my time and energy?
Again, I don’t.
Leading change
I have learnt however, that while cynics despair of positive change, leaders don’t speculate about the future, they shape it.
To a cynic, existing reality is but the shackles by which they are eternally bound. To leaders, reality is nothing but clay waiting to be moulded.
We can choose to be cynics, and fester in indulgent despair; or we can choose to have vision, and stop at nothing to make that vision a reality...
(for the rest of the article, click here)
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