Be not weary of well doing

In my absence I've been reading quite a fair bit, and I chanced upon the story of John Wesley who wrote his last letter to William Wilberforce, the man we remember today for his opposition to slavery. It was a significant letter for the both of them- for Wesley because it was to be the last recorded letter of his life, and for Wilberforce because upon receiving the letter he had just suffered another defeat in one of his many futile attempts to abolish the cruel practice of slave trade. The words of this letter, however, inspired Wilberforce many a time in years to come to continue in his effort until finally, the Parliament outlawed the practice in 1807.

Balam, February 24, 1791

Dear Sir:

Unless the divine power has raised you us to be as Athanasius contra mundum, I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.

Reading this morning a tract wrote by a poor African, I was particularly struck by that circumstance that a man who has a black skin, being wronged or outraged by a white man, can have no redress; it being a "law" in our colonies that the oath of a black against a white goes for nothing. What villainy is this?

That he who has guided you from youth up may continue to strengthen you in this and all things, is the prayer of, dear sir,

Your affectionate servant,
John Wesley


"O be not weary of well doing!"

Happy Chinese New Year and happy holidays to all :>

Moments Captured (Dec to Jan)

Some of the guys in my cell, after a hike in FRIM. A good bunch who remind me of my own youth.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan, taken during the camp briefing in the youth camp. I served as the Camp Commandant last year, and thoroughly enjoyed the process of planning and executing our plans.
The committee, whom I appreciate very much and are dear friends to me.
The 145 of us, unprepared for the shot. Photo courtesy of Leo.
This is Eugene Koo, my treasured team member, who leads the group of young guys with me.
Watching Vegetales intently with some friends, during the Christmas Eve Party.
Christmas Day, with Meng Yoe, Joey and Kar Kien.
This is Jason, a close friend of mine from the days of high school whom I think has never been mentioned here. We meet every now and then, and during each time, share and exchange ideas, thoughts and dreams. Soon, Jason leaves to Tasmania to further his law studies.
This is a reluctant 'Arsenal' fan whose picture I thought is worth displaying. My fellow 365 committee member and buddy, Daniel Chia.
Chien Aun, another friend who leaves to continue his studies in Monash Australia soon. A person of well balanced opinions and good sense, I enjoy many engaging conversations with him.

This is a shot of a MUFY orientation session in which I came along to assist my youth pastors in, speaking as a Monash student on university life.

I decided to spend the rest of my holidays helping out at a home for disabled and handicapped children during my free time. The experience alone has many colours to it, and I thoroughly enjoy the kids there. Many have terrible stories to tell, and many of these stories need to be told to the rest.

Have a good week, to all of you.

Happy New Year

Unity

A collage is made when cuttings which vary in size, shape and colour are put together meticulously, piece by piece, until a bigger image is formed. Prior to the finished work is the process of sticking these papers which by themselves, bear no logical sense or aesthetic value unto a big sheet or canvas. In isolation, an insignificant, tiny piece of coloured paper is of little value. At a close range, one barely sees a meaningful image when looking at these cuttings. From a distance, the collage, made up by tiny, insignificant pieces makes perfect sense.

Unity must never be carelessly equated with similarity, or mere common-ness. To achieve homogeneity (a state in which a group of people are found to be uniform in characteristics and are like-minded to each other) is to achieve nothing more than a comfortable place of similarity. There is no synergy here; there isn't a 'team' of people, rather a ritualistic and bland condition people succumb to which they call 'unity'. On the other hand, to completely advocate 'diversity' may sometimes be folly; we cannot embrace anything under the sun that is right, and wrong too. Unity is more that this.

Wars at all levels, from the domestic to the international have been fought because of this very struggle: to embrace the differences, or to stand up against the unacceptable. We know today, many of these wars were justifiable, just as well as we know some of them should never have been fought. We hear unity preached and bellowed from the dim classrooms of our schools to the living rooms where our televisions are.

What seems to be lacking however is the understanding that unity is not a single coloured sheet of paper, but a collage of sorts. Yellow and brown are different, yet when put together as one, they present a common picture. The educators need to know: achieving unity is NOT by making the people homogeneous through the pages of national History books. The governments need to realise: too much of a single colour ruins the collage. Friends need to see: 'different' is not necessarily 'opposition'. Legalists need to tell apart: tolerance and compromise. To say, "my team is not united because its members are too different from each other" is a false idea. There is only unity where diversity comes together.

"You're never closer to defeat as when you are in victory"

To ponder upon. I pray hype and temporary excitement will not get to us; because a lifelong commitment to die to selfish dreams and lofty desires is what makes it all truly worth it.

Cats