Plea...

I went for salsa class on Thursday and I had a wonderful time. I loved the music, loved the steps, the only thing I didn't like was changing partners all the time and the half-drunk jokes and innuendo. But I loved salsa class. When I hear the music come on, and the beat, I just feel as though my feet are going to fly and fly and never stop.

Salsa class made me think about how "normal" I could be. I enjoy many things everyone else enjoys, and I understand the people around me, their arguments, their logic, the way they think, I like chatting with people, laughing at jokes, being "wu liao" sometimes, I like sitting in the bar and playing Jenga... I stress over assignments like everybody else, and make highlighted scribbles all over my journal articles. Just like a "normal" person.

It's just that I'm a Christian. I lead a fairly "normal" life. But it's as though there's a whole new side to life I can see. I still enjoy salsa, I still joke, still study, still get stressed sometimes, still cry, still make mistakes... But beneath it all I know my purpose in life... I can have joy through good times and bad and I know why bad times happen... I can cling to Him through bad times... and deep within me I know that nothing can shake me cos I have my refuge in Him.

I feel sad sometimes when I see people going about their lives without knowing what they do things for, managing their own lives when they're like ants in an anthill who can't look out and see the world around them. As humans, we think we've advanced so far - we have detailed studies of philosophy and ethics, we debate endless issues but we're still the only species to voluntarily and systematically exterminate our own species on a large scale all the time. We think we know so much, but we don't know how to find joy in life and we don't know how to take care of ourselves. We care so much about animal rights but we don't care for our friends as much as we care for ourselves.

Please, please, if you're reading this and you don't know what your purpose is in life, you don't know where you're going and you don't know why you go through the same routine everyday, do stop and think about it. If there indeed is life after death, if there indeed is a God, surely these would be the most important questions you could ask in your life. And surely we are equally incapable of managing our own lives and taking care of ourselves no matter how strong and how independent and intelligent we are. There's more to this life -

than living and dying,
more than just trying to make it through the day
more to this life, more than these eyes alone can see
and there's more than this life alone can be.

today I watched in silence as people passed me by,
and I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes;
but they all looked at me as if to say
life just goes on...

the old familiar story told in different ways,
make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave;
dream your dreams tomorrow because today
life must go on...

but there’s more to this life than living and dying,
more than just trying to make it through the day;

more to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,

and there’s more than this life alone can be..