Natalie Shobana Ambrose (29 January 2009 – theSun)
SOMETIMES we can be at the right time, at the right place and magic happens. Other times we might find ourselves at the wrong time at the wrong place – like when I parked my car legally along a street lined with beautiful trees.
SOMETIMES we can be at the right time, at the right place and magic happens. Other times we might find ourselves at the wrong time at the wrong place – like when I parked my car legally along a street lined with beautiful trees.
Lucky me I thought and headed to the restaurant. When I got back to my car after a lovely dinner – it was covered in bird poop. Not so lucky after all – free parking but an expensive car wash and an embarrassing drive home. My punishment for being cheap I suppose ... Sigh. Not so lucky after all.
It’s the season where everyone’s wishing everyone luck. And it’s got me thinking – is it luck that I’m here in Malaysia, is it luck that I’m female in this age and not the 1600’s. Is it luck that I’m able to write this column and is it luck that you’re reading it? Perhaps all luck.
There are people who have all the luck and some that just don’t seem to have luck. When I look at people I admire, who seem to have it all, I do stop and wonder what their childhood was like. Who their parents were, and how they were brought up, what experiences shaped the person they have become and what their story is. It might be anyone from Miley Cyrus to Tun Mahathir Mohamad. What experiences did they have and opportunities they seized that got them to where they are today. Was it pure luck?
As a child I used to have many thoughts about my existence. At one stage I found myself wondering why I wasn’t born a fish. I thought being a fish would have been much easier. As I grew up, I realised that there was a reason to be here at this time, at this place, at this moment in history. It was not just luck.
These are exciting times to be alive. Last week during the inauguration of President Barack Obama, people repeatedly said "it is exciting to be part of history". The hope and excitement of something big could be felt even in my little corner of Malaysia. I started to wonder, did Obama’s parents know they had a future American president in their midst? And I wanted to know what his experiences were and wondered – if he had been born in another time would he be the person sworn in last Tuesday? If his upbringing was any different would he be the 44th president of the United States? Was it all chance, fate, luck?
I’d like to think it was a combination of opportunity and inheritance. It was his ability to seize the opportunity of his time and the history of his upbringing that shaped this president. I might be wrong, but I believe that his success thus far is not only a personal achievement but a product of the world he grew up in – and not just chance. He was at the right time, at the right place but he also used what he had, to follow his dream and took the path less travelled. The difference: He had purpose.
Sometimes we might get discouraged thinking our world and our circumstances are not ideal. Right now the world seems to be falling apart while life just continues at a high speed. Nothing is safe, morals are disarrayed, there is a lack of solidarity and nothing is sacred. So what do we do?
There is a reason you are here, right now in this generation to make a difference. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible. You’re not too old or too young or the wrong skin colour to do so. If you don’t like the world you grew up in – change it for the better.
I’m glad it’s not just luck that’s allowed me to be in Malaysia and not a war-torn country, and I’m glad it’s not just luck that gave me the opportunities that I have to stay out of police custody, and I’m glad it’s not just luck that has made me who I am. But perhaps, besides counting my lucky stars – I should be doing something about it.
We should take charge of our future and be the ones that command our dreams. But our dreams have to be the right dreams – of peace, and a prosperous, polite, secure nation.
Is it luck that you picked up this paper? I hope not.
Natalie is glad she’s not a fish but believes that we’re all here for a reason at this time of history to fulfil our purpose and that it’s not by chance.
It’s the season where everyone’s wishing everyone luck. And it’s got me thinking – is it luck that I’m here in Malaysia, is it luck that I’m female in this age and not the 1600’s. Is it luck that I’m able to write this column and is it luck that you’re reading it? Perhaps all luck.
There are people who have all the luck and some that just don’t seem to have luck. When I look at people I admire, who seem to have it all, I do stop and wonder what their childhood was like. Who their parents were, and how they were brought up, what experiences shaped the person they have become and what their story is. It might be anyone from Miley Cyrus to Tun Mahathir Mohamad. What experiences did they have and opportunities they seized that got them to where they are today. Was it pure luck?
As a child I used to have many thoughts about my existence. At one stage I found myself wondering why I wasn’t born a fish. I thought being a fish would have been much easier. As I grew up, I realised that there was a reason to be here at this time, at this place, at this moment in history. It was not just luck.
These are exciting times to be alive. Last week during the inauguration of President Barack Obama, people repeatedly said "it is exciting to be part of history". The hope and excitement of something big could be felt even in my little corner of Malaysia. I started to wonder, did Obama’s parents know they had a future American president in their midst? And I wanted to know what his experiences were and wondered – if he had been born in another time would he be the person sworn in last Tuesday? If his upbringing was any different would he be the 44th president of the United States? Was it all chance, fate, luck?
I’d like to think it was a combination of opportunity and inheritance. It was his ability to seize the opportunity of his time and the history of his upbringing that shaped this president. I might be wrong, but I believe that his success thus far is not only a personal achievement but a product of the world he grew up in – and not just chance. He was at the right time, at the right place but he also used what he had, to follow his dream and took the path less travelled. The difference: He had purpose.
Sometimes we might get discouraged thinking our world and our circumstances are not ideal. Right now the world seems to be falling apart while life just continues at a high speed. Nothing is safe, morals are disarrayed, there is a lack of solidarity and nothing is sacred. So what do we do?
There is a reason you are here, right now in this generation to make a difference. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible. You’re not too old or too young or the wrong skin colour to do so. If you don’t like the world you grew up in – change it for the better.
I’m glad it’s not just luck that’s allowed me to be in Malaysia and not a war-torn country, and I’m glad it’s not just luck that gave me the opportunities that I have to stay out of police custody, and I’m glad it’s not just luck that has made me who I am. But perhaps, besides counting my lucky stars – I should be doing something about it.
We should take charge of our future and be the ones that command our dreams. But our dreams have to be the right dreams – of peace, and a prosperous, polite, secure nation.
Is it luck that you picked up this paper? I hope not.
Natalie is glad she’s not a fish but believes that we’re all here for a reason at this time of history to fulfil our purpose and that it’s not by chance.
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