TODAY we celebrate the 57th anniversary of our independence. Our history has been filled with one conquest after another, from the Portuguese, Dutch and eventually British governments. They came because of tin and spices as well as to control strategic and lucrative trading ports such as Penang, Malacca and Singapore.
Every Aug 31, we celebrate in various ways. There are National Day parades at the national and State levels. There are school-level celebrations with patriotic activities.
Unfortunately, patriotism seems to stop there once the celebrations are over. As it is, we don’t really have many opportunities to show our patriotism except during national sporting events such as a football tournament or badminton finals.
Sometimes, tragedies bring the nation together. But must we wait for such events before we feel patriotic? How can we create future generations who love the country in a true sense?
It can be done if parents are proactive.
WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR COUNTRY
In his inaugural speech as the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy said: “Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country.” This was his way of instilling patriotism.
Often, we feel the country owes us a living. We become very demanding and often get frustrated when we don’t get our way. At the same time, we rarely think about how we can contribute to society.
As parents, we may also inadvertently create this entitlement mentality in our kids. They may be trained from young that they are entitled to the latest gadgets when we keep buying them new things even if they don’t deserve it. We may also be showing them a bad example when we treat maids or other service providers poorly.
No one owes us a living, not the government, our parents, our siblings or the people on the street. Yes, we are born with certain rights but that doesn’t mean we are entitled to everything. If we take the entitlement approach to the extreme, chances are we will be trampling into other people’s rights.
This is an important lesson to teach our kids. They cannot expect to be given everything on a silver platter just because parents can afford it. They need to learn to earn their living because the world will not be so generous when we are gone. In addition, they can break the cycle by offering their best services and efforts before expecting the same. Regularly ask them these questions: “What can you contribute positively to Malaysia? How can Malaysia be a better place because you live here?”
These are powerful questions that should prompt their thoughts towards contributing to the country, and not just merely fulfilling their personal objectives.
DIFFERENT KIND OF INVASION
Talking about colonisation, invasion and freedom, parents today worry about another kind of invasion - the electronic intrusion. Yes, electronics have invaded our lives. There are very few moments when we don’t stare into some screen or other. Most of our working hours are spent in front of the PC. Our lives depend so much on devices that we don’t know what to do when these stop working or when the Internet is down.
At home, we spend more hours in front of the television, trying to “clear our minds”. Then, our smartphone starts ringing, signalling messages and emails.
So, when do we have “face-to-face time” with our loved ones? Hardly. The electronic invasion has robbed us of this valuable time. It’s becoming common that a mum in the kitchen would text her daughter upstairs for some help or a teenage son in his bedroom would message his dad in the living room.
In the spirit of Merdeka, we also need to free ourselves from this new invasion. A great strategy is to just turn them all off. You can start by turning off the TV. You will experience some magic when your mind shifts its focus from the TV to the family. Then, extend this to all other electronic devices. Create a few “electronic-free hours” every day.
In conclusion, let’s pledge to make our 57th Merdeka celebrations a meaningful one for the family. Always think of how we can make this beautiful country a better place. At the same time, truly liberate our minds from being colonised by being proud of who we are and what we are capable of.