during the 1960s amercia was fighting a war in vietnam, and a related one at home with itself. both were attempts to stop liberalism from overtaking the US. communists were threatening to tumble democracies in asia and the progressive social movement was threatening to change the dynamic of control that was the 1950s. in vietnam, the US fought a three year campaign of B-52 strikes called rolling thunder. it was a failed mission that was doomed from the start by intrusive politicians and their conservative policy of gradualism. these are shadows of the past which i see in the lightening storms today.
a few months ago i awoke to the loudest thunder i have ever heard. well, the second loudest, the first woke me two years ago; that night i was standing when i realized i was awake. this time i was still lying down when the thunder shook me. living 250 feet off the ground, perched on the top of one of KL's highest hills translates to occasionally loud nights, but this was well beyond ordinary. i got out of bed and went to the balcony to watch the show.
thunder storms in KL normally come with torrents of rain. water falling so hard it has its own rhythmic roar that tries to mask the thunder in the distance. as i stepped outside, i felt the still air on my skin and noticed the depth of silence that seemed to have a hold on the night. the normal roar was replaced with silence so deep it felt like the night was standing frozen in time.
low clouds covered the city and obscured the mountains to the north. i saw a bolt of lightening reach downward, it lingered in the air as though it was attempting to hold onto the base of the mountains; refusing to let go of the ground it claimed to own. a moment passed in silence until the bolt's angry thunder passed through me. rather than being heard once and fading away, the thunder trapped between the deep clouds and mountains ricocheted back and forth over the otherwise quiet city. it was as though it wanted to be heard over and over so it would not be forgotten in history.
the normally active city had been stolen in the night and replaced with a kampung, one too small to make noise of its own. this was KL at its best, covered in clouds, shrouded and still. i knew i was experiencing something special. i have been here long enough to know the rhythms of the city, and this was not normal KL. it was raya season and i thought about those fasting, i wondered if this quiet was related to them. sleeping soundly, with another hour to rest before they got up to subo. was the stillness of the night because so many were asleep?
a few months ago i awoke to the loudest thunder i have ever heard. well, the second loudest, the first woke me two years ago; that night i was standing when i realized i was awake. this time i was still lying down when the thunder shook me. living 250 feet off the ground, perched on the top of one of KL's highest hills translates to occasionally loud nights, but this was well beyond ordinary. i got out of bed and went to the balcony to watch the show.
thunder storms in KL normally come with torrents of rain. water falling so hard it has its own rhythmic roar that tries to mask the thunder in the distance. as i stepped outside, i felt the still air on my skin and noticed the depth of silence that seemed to have a hold on the night. the normal roar was replaced with silence so deep it felt like the night was standing frozen in time.
low clouds covered the city and obscured the mountains to the north. i saw a bolt of lightening reach downward, it lingered in the air as though it was attempting to hold onto the base of the mountains; refusing to let go of the ground it claimed to own. a moment passed in silence until the bolt's angry thunder passed through me. rather than being heard once and fading away, the thunder trapped between the deep clouds and mountains ricocheted back and forth over the otherwise quiet city. it was as though it wanted to be heard over and over so it would not be forgotten in history.
the normally active city had been stolen in the night and replaced with a kampung, one too small to make noise of its own. this was KL at its best, covered in clouds, shrouded and still. i knew i was experiencing something special. i have been here long enough to know the rhythms of the city, and this was not normal KL. it was raya season and i thought about those fasting, i wondered if this quiet was related to them. sleeping soundly, with another hour to rest before they got up to subo. was the stillness of the night because so many were asleep?
this was a violent storm, breaking over the city and sending waves of sound back and forth through the valley. it was also a beautiful show to watch, impressive lightning and rolling thunder, the likes of which i have never experienced in the US. KL is an impressive and beautiful place, it is special in its quiet times. it is impressive in its shyness; curious eyes shifting away with a pleasant smile.
but KL also has a dark side, one that flared up last friday when the often discussed harmony was broken by SMS driven news that because some could correctly use a word others began firebombing churches and vandalizing cars while leaving prayers. i did not see the vandalism myself, but malay friends of mine did and told me it happened, with the same shyness and shifted gaze. this time they averted their eyes out of sadness for the truth.
i am old enough to remember the tension of race wars in the US. i had friends who were distrusted or disliked for the color of their skin, or the different name of their shared god. it took nearly 30 years for my country to recover from those violence stained moments in our history. the recovery was long, but it was better than allowing it to remain the way it had been. there were more brave people who cared for fairness than scared people demanding race politics; respect and justice won in the end.
i used to say that malaysia was like being in the US during the 1950s. my fear is that we are now slipping into the turbulence of the 1960s. malaysia is facing a storm of its own, one that is self imposed and similarly driven by fear of change. life here will not remain as it has been, so each person must decide if it matters that real harmony is found. liberalism might scare some, but we should all be more scared of firebombs and tyranny.
gradualism is code for status quo. all systems move towards equilibrium. this beautiful country has been out of balance for a long time. the distant flashes of light, and the sound of turbulence are signs of that the storm is out there. the only real solution is to allow the system to come into balance and stop simply saying that it already is. the US lost it's wars during my childhood, but won the peace by remembering what mattered most.
let's pray to {your version of the word} for satu malaysia, with liberty and justice for all.
but KL also has a dark side, one that flared up last friday when the often discussed harmony was broken by SMS driven news that because some could correctly use a word others began firebombing churches and vandalizing cars while leaving prayers. i did not see the vandalism myself, but malay friends of mine did and told me it happened, with the same shyness and shifted gaze. this time they averted their eyes out of sadness for the truth.
i am old enough to remember the tension of race wars in the US. i had friends who were distrusted or disliked for the color of their skin, or the different name of their shared god. it took nearly 30 years for my country to recover from those violence stained moments in our history. the recovery was long, but it was better than allowing it to remain the way it had been. there were more brave people who cared for fairness than scared people demanding race politics; respect and justice won in the end.
i used to say that malaysia was like being in the US during the 1950s. my fear is that we are now slipping into the turbulence of the 1960s. malaysia is facing a storm of its own, one that is self imposed and similarly driven by fear of change. life here will not remain as it has been, so each person must decide if it matters that real harmony is found. liberalism might scare some, but we should all be more scared of firebombs and tyranny.
gradualism is code for status quo. all systems move towards equilibrium. this beautiful country has been out of balance for a long time. the distant flashes of light, and the sound of turbulence are signs of that the storm is out there. the only real solution is to allow the system to come into balance and stop simply saying that it already is. the US lost it's wars during my childhood, but won the peace by remembering what mattered most.
let's pray to {your version of the word} for satu malaysia, with liberty and justice for all.
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as i stood watching that night, i was shocked that no one else came onto the balconies around me. how could a storm like this take the city and not wake the sleeping up? i guess some people heard but did not leave their comfortable place.
maybe i am the one that is strange, willing to get up and move towards the storm.
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