Alas the curtains will come down on 2008. For some more resolutions will be made only to be broken yet again as the clock ticks past the midnight hour of 2009. Indeed many will be reflecting on the days and months that have gone by. For those who have put in effort to do something useful, they may be looking back with fulfilment. Others, it may well be precious time wasted as they find themselves left by the wayside while the world moves on.
Certainly there were many challenges in these past months, especially in the last quarter of this year. The not altogether unexpected economic downturn shattered the dreams of many. Jobs were lost, opportunities missed and the luckier ones only lost their year-end bonuses. The painful tragedy of Dec 2004 is still remembered when the tsunami killed thousands and left many more homeless. Obituaries still fill the newspaper pages to remind of the passing of loved ones. Indeed 2008 may also be remembered as the year where names like Nobel Prize British playwright Harold Pinter and US singer and dancer Eartha Kitt will be missed. Then there are the many others, unknown but fallen heroes who died in the course of their line of duty in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Pakistan, India including civilians killed because of senseless bombings by terrorists. Even as this blog is written, more are being killed in the Middle East as they will also be in the South African continent such as Zimbabwe, Sudan and Somalia.
Mankind is known to be great builders of cities and nations. Mankind is also known for its great civilisation, artistic talents and ingenuity in inventions. If the present carnage continues, mankind may well be better known for its work of destruction and mayhem. Let's hope that 2009 will bring good sense and civility to the leaders of the powers so that mankind can continue to build on its good reputation. That there will be greater kindness, concern and goodwill to all mankind.
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