Question: What do the 3 things have in common?
1. News on Gaza
2. Obama's very multicultural family
3. My extended family having a webcam conference with my uncle in NZ
Answer: They show me how interconnected we are in the world today.
Even though Gaza and Israel have already called for a truce, the devastating remnants of innocent blood and broken bones broadcasted in the news stirred up a sense of injustice within me. Even though we are physically miles apart, the empathy is just as real.
Sometimes I truly wonder if the price of war/conflict is worth it.
How do we measure the worth?
By the number of tangible lives lost or by the intangible ideology of freedom and security? Do we necessarily have to fight for ideologies? Or will they come if we just drop the violence and murder?
Centuries ago, who knows about what is happening hundreds of miles away?
The fact that I can feel for something which has happened in a distant land tells a lot about how globalized our world is.
And talking about globalization, Obama's family is globalization in action. It's a family that spans different continents.
His biological mother is a white American (North America)
His biological father is a Kenyan (Africa)
His step-father is an Indonesian (Asia)
Geographical distance doesn't seem to matter that much when technology can bring us much closer.
We need to observe how we can make use of this interconnectedness for the betterment of mankind by speaking up for injustice, embracing the richness that diversity gives and spreading the love to different parts of the world.
Idealistic? Probably.
But it is these ideals that keep us all going, isn't it?
His step-sister's husband is a Chinese Canadian (Asia)
He is probably the change that we need - embracing diversity.
Here is a picture of Ah Ma talking to my uncle, aunty and cousins in NZ on the first day of Chinese New Year. She even gave them a kiss by kissing the webcam on the laptop! All of us were so excited when my tech-savvy cousin, Samuel hooked up his laptop to the plasma TV.
He is probably the change that we need - embracing diversity.
Here is a picture of Ah Ma talking to my uncle, aunty and cousins in NZ on the first day of Chinese New Year. She even gave them a kiss by kissing the webcam on the laptop! All of us were so excited when my tech-savvy cousin, Samuel hooked up his laptop to the plasma TV.
Geographical distance doesn't seem to matter that much when technology can bring us much closer.
We need to observe how we can make use of this interconnectedness for the betterment of mankind by speaking up for injustice, embracing the richness that diversity gives and spreading the love to different parts of the world.
Idealistic? Probably.
But it is these ideals that keep us all going, isn't it?
***
This afternoon's steamboat lunch aka Fungi Feast (I ate so many kinds of mushrooms, ranging from Enoki to Portabello!) made me so bloated that I still feel uncomfortable now. Urgh.
I feel mushroomy.