Spilled Blood

I was walking back to my house after working out at the gym when I heard a girl screaming on the top of her lungs. A motorcycle was around 200 meters in front of me and the cyclist was trying to rob a girl of her handbag. The girl was being dragged on the road like a helpless rag doll as she held on to her bag, bouncing on the harsh rocks, arms stretched, trying hard to let go of her bag but it was clung to her shoulder. The motorcyclist had no intention to let her loose as he sped across the evening road. Neighbors emerged from their homes shouting scared the snatch-thief, forcing him to accelerate to an even deadlier speed. The girl's terrifying shrieks did not stop the motorist, but the men's waving arms and bats did. He swung the girl to the side of the road with brutal force and fled right past me. Everything happened within 15 seconds.

I ran towards the girl, just like the other neighbors. She was bleeding badly. Her ankles, legs, arms were bruised and severely scratched. Her hair was a mess as she was being tolled on cold, hard road. Somehow the men didn't want to touch her. And I tossed my gym bag on the roadside and carried her to a girl's car nearby and she kindly took the horrified student to a nearby hospital. And then everybody went home. The neighbors, meanwhile, were all mouths.

I wonder what they would do if it was their daughter. Would they still be reluctant to give the girl a hand when she was down on her knees sobbing, crying in pain and trembling in fear? I was the one who carried the girl, and another teenage female driver drove her to the clinic. What's happening to compassion and kindness? Where did all the bullshit go? Where's the neighborhood ronda folks when you need them? Why can't anyone do something other than saying "Oh my god, look at her!" and "Oh my god, what happened?" or "Oh my god, that was scary!"

Can you practice what you preach?

There's always bad people in the world. I remember saying that I was willing to give my eyes if there could be world peace if I did. And my friends laughed at me because they thought I was silly. It's not about the possibility, it's about the thought. It's about the willingness to help. The urge to lose and gain something. The ability to see the bigger picture. The love for others besides oneself. Can't you understand?

When people asked me why ROAR for animal rights? Why not for women or kids? I answered, "If a person is able to treat animals and insignificant beings with love, respect and tenderness, how do you think he would treat the ones like him?"

You don't complain about the government when there's a fault within the system. You can't expect the people around you to make change. You shouldn't think that small things you do don't matter because at the end, they do. Be a part of the solution. It doesn't make you a hero-of-the-hood carrying a hurt girl to a car, but it wouldn't hurt if you did. I washed the blood off my hands and wished her well before I closed the door and watch the car drove away.

Make a difference, Malaysians. You "boleh", too. We have the power to shape the country. We have the ability to shape the society. When you hear Singaporeans look down on us, you blame them for being 'kia su', but look at ourselves! Are you better than that? Can you be better than what you already are? Can you make things better for the people around you?

I wish you well.


The guy who lives down the street,
Kevin C.