The conversation was very much typical daily lifestyle-related, but when it comes to the topic of something closer, I am rather disturbed but the way certain people opinionated.
"You know, iPhone new software iOS 5 really sucks. It is making my Facebook slower. Then for those users who used to jailbreak, now they cannot jailbreak at iOS 5 anymore. I want to download free software now cannot, because need to pay. It is not fair you know? It is making life more difficult. I am so used to download free new movies, music, software. Why can't they understand we consumers have the highest say over things? It is not fair to not have everything for free!"
If it is meant to be on a stand up comedy impromptu, that should be fine. However, I was genuinely surprised when the discussion was not only dead serious, it was an announcement against the anti-piracy movement. The lady (who happened to look pretty & young, appealing on the outside) appeared to notoriously claim that consumers should have everything for free.
That really disturbed me, especially when the notion of consumer being gods are the prominent theme in the conversation.
As I went off, walking down the isle towards a nearby coffee cafe, I noted the surrounding area, and I couldn't help but notice the apathy the people there have towards poverty. There are plenty of maids, cleaners, building contractors and several 'lower class jobs' hanging around the central area where there is man-made green pastures, and there are job executives hanging around smoking and calling on their iPhones, 'Blackberry'-es, etc. One particular poignant visual that captivated me was when a Caucasian, with his Singaporean female counterpart, were smoking around a corner close to the green pasture, and an old man lying across the green pasture sleeping. Obviously their casual, occasionally loud laughter may have disturbed the poor soul for sleeping, letting alone the fact that the couple were smoking.
I was not happy seeing the visual, but with extraordinary contempt I decide to look around. One do not need to come back another day to see the same vision everywhere around. It hurt me to see - how much the technology has advanced to appease the consumer, and we have people left behind, without even thinking about the hard work they have provided every single day of their life.
It is sad that we lived in a consumerism idealism, that we all deserved the best of what we have for a price so low that every one could afford, yet even the people left for poverty were left to fend on their own. I often thought about the social justice we all always tried to advocate, and how much we send people overseas for mission field - but where is our strength when we see the same state of poverty lying at our front door? Would we shove them off, and try to step over those in need around us, and jump towards the neighborhood further downtown? Isn't that absurd?
These thoughts are easy to pen down, but to apply and to learn to use - even I have difficulties applying them. And I struggle to. But when I think about the vision where we meet Jesus, it shivers me to think that Jesus might not recognize us.
"Depart from me, you evil one. For when I am naked, you leave me be. When I am hungry, you didn't give me food to eat. When I am shivering with cold, you did not clothe me with a cloak."
"When did we ever see you naked, hungry and shivering with cold?"
"The least of those you did not do unto, you didn't do for me."
Penitence, and repentance. And I, upon seeing it here, walk up to the poor soul - and placed the water bottle for him. And he continued sleeping, ignoring the noise around the city - as if the surroundings are part and parcel of who he is.
Sometimes I wished that I can offer more than just a water bottle. A Living Water, perhaps. But my consciousness... always stopped me. Always put me on hold.
Lord... have mercy on me.
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