When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to grow up. Partly because grown-ups don’t have curfews, can stay up late at night and drive cars. But also because grown-ups have a lot more power. I remember seeing beggars come by our house and my grandfather would pass them some money. I remember watching the news and seeing wars, fights, and people crying. There were always people crying. And I remember telling myself, ‘When I’m bigger, I’ll make everything better’. That dream only solidified as I grew older.
When I was a child, people would tell me to dream big. People would tell me that being youthful is powerful. At school, teachers would tell us that we are the next generation that would rule the world. Every time I pretended to be Superman, people would call me cute. Being nice to others and helping the needy were actions that came naturally, without a second thought. ‘Destined for great things’, they would say.
Funny how all that changed.
As I grew older, I realise being a grown-up is not fun after all. For one, grown-ups complain about a lot of things but really, that’s all they do. They’re given power but they choose to throw it in the thrash. They’re given solutions and opportunities but they choose to be the problem.
‘Bribery is a way of life now. You want to survive, you adapt.’
‘Well, this is not Gandhi’s time anymore. If anyone starves to make a point nowadays, people wouldn’t even blink. Now it’s all about guns and blowing things up.’
‘Don’t be too naïve. Good people don’t exist anymore. You’re only going to get yourself hurt.’
‘Most friendships are fake. Be nice for the connections because in the end that’s what they want from you too.’
‘It’s not our responsibility. Leave the job for those with power.’
Any of the above sound familiar to you? I know it sounds familiar to me because these are the comments I get almost every other day from people around me. Ironically, these are the same people who always wish things would get better. They suffer, they complain and they wish. They wish for someone else to come up with the solution. If only I could tell them that by wishing hard enough, things will really get better. But I can’t. Because it’s not.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” – Edmund Burke
Things don’t have to be so complicated. You don’t need to be someone special. You don’t need to be rich, have extra-terrestrial powers or try to be anyone else for that matter. You just have to be willing enough to be the change instead of the problem. Until enough people realise that, things will not get better.
If ‘changing the world mentality’ is a mentality only for the naïve, out-dated, immature and childish, then that's what I'd rather be.
Author
Zulaikha Zainal Efendi
When I was a child, people would tell me to dream big. People would tell me that being youthful is powerful. At school, teachers would tell us that we are the next generation that would rule the world. Every time I pretended to be Superman, people would call me cute. Being nice to others and helping the needy were actions that came naturally, without a second thought. ‘Destined for great things’, they would say.
Funny how all that changed.
As I grew older, I realise being a grown-up is not fun after all. For one, grown-ups complain about a lot of things but really, that’s all they do. They’re given power but they choose to throw it in the thrash. They’re given solutions and opportunities but they choose to be the problem.
‘Bribery is a way of life now. You want to survive, you adapt.’
‘Well, this is not Gandhi’s time anymore. If anyone starves to make a point nowadays, people wouldn’t even blink. Now it’s all about guns and blowing things up.’
‘Don’t be too naïve. Good people don’t exist anymore. You’re only going to get yourself hurt.’
‘Most friendships are fake. Be nice for the connections because in the end that’s what they want from you too.’
‘It’s not our responsibility. Leave the job for those with power.’
Any of the above sound familiar to you? I know it sounds familiar to me because these are the comments I get almost every other day from people around me. Ironically, these are the same people who always wish things would get better. They suffer, they complain and they wish. They wish for someone else to come up with the solution. If only I could tell them that by wishing hard enough, things will really get better. But I can’t. Because it’s not.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” – Edmund Burke
Things don’t have to be so complicated. You don’t need to be someone special. You don’t need to be rich, have extra-terrestrial powers or try to be anyone else for that matter. You just have to be willing enough to be the change instead of the problem. Until enough people realise that, things will not get better.
If ‘changing the world mentality’ is a mentality only for the naïve, out-dated, immature and childish, then that's what I'd rather be.
Author
Zulaikha Zainal Efendi