One Pen Ma: Let's Start with Oneself

Clear Newspaper
March 1, 2012
One Pen Ma column
Steven Ma

Let's Start with Oneself.

The mainland, China incident of a boy and girl beset by emotional problems in the end turned into a police case of the boy using fire to disfigured the girl's face, causing her much bodily and mental harm. Half a year belatedly, the case was reported grabbing enormous attention and inducing much discussions from mainland media and netizens, alike. Reading the responses from the victim, the perpetrator and their respective kins, my heart was painful and very heavy.

Falling in love is free will. You have the right to choose whom you love, and that person also has the right to choose not to love you. Regardless whether in unrequited love, mutual love, breakup or triangle love, if not fated then let go. Revenge? Extreme harmful  measures? The outcome will only destroy other people at the same time destroying self. What is more dismaying is that the perpetrator, the victim and their respective families will henceforth enter together into an irreversible tragic situation.

In this kind of tragic happenings, who should bear this painful responsibility? Actually, the answer has always resided in this big world, this big cycle.

People influence family; families influence society; societies influence country; countries influence the world;  mutual interactive influences. When one does not have the ability to influence the macro climate then perhaps one can start with oneself: learn to let go as much as possible the selfishness and rage, in this chaotic troubled world, at least that will considerably lessen the interpersonal conflicts and increase friendliness by a little, consequently, peace and laughter will increase by that much.