A Day in the Life of Pre-War

What is happening to this world? What is going to happen in the future? These are the two questions that I constantly ask myself today. A male student in Singapore, living in fear every day, this is the situation I am experiencing today. I ask myself, “Why, why do I need to face or even accept reality?” Every day, all of us are so tense; we sat at the edge of our seats, as we experienced fear and anxiety. Almost every now and then, there were drills for the whole school, in order to prepare us. Every day, we have a different piece of news entering my ears, first China, then Thailand agreed a treaty, then the Philippines and now, they were at Malaysia. Am I going to lose my life? I worry every moment, every large sound heard made the hair on my arms stand and sent a chill down my spine. I was prepared to face this reality, it can happen anytime, anywhere. Should I accept my fate or should I continue to fight on for justice in the future (if they ever come)? There is pressure and fear in every one. In the past, our hearts beat as one, our life was peaceful and we lived a gracious life but now, what is the situation? As each day passes, our hearts have never beaten as one again, our hearts beat faster (but the reason), the fear in us grows continuously throughout the day. Whether is the morning or night, whenever outside, we looked up into the sky, making sure there were no Japanese planes before making our way out for outdoor activities. Why must we have this kind of life? Why is there war in the world? I do not understand why. Why can’t we have peace and build a harmonious Mother Earth and prevent destruction. They are coming, those in green uniform, yes they are but the question is: Are we ready for this war? Our masters, the British have said that Singapore will be safe but the two important ships have been sunk off Kuantan and they have been beaten in Philippines and Malaysia, will we be the next to fall? I must continue – to fight on for survival when they come. Yes, I am only but a 14 year old boy but what we need is courage. As I have learnt in the Book “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, courage is not a man that has a gun, instead courage is when one has licked before he begins but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win but sometimes you do. I must have this courage, to fight on for not only myself, my family, my community, my society but my country and my world. I do it because I want to make this country, this world a better one. When disaster comes, it brings out the best in men and I hope that this war will bring out the best, the courage in men.