The frenzy after the paralysis

Coffee makes me feisty, no doubt about it. The last two days I've been paralysed by the immensity of the disaster, and have been incapable of writing or thinking of anything else. Today, I am full of words, about the tragedy, about stupid people, about everything I can have a thought about.

Tsunami Tragedy
The latest death toll has reached 76,000. I cannot comprehend that number. I cannot imagine the dead and the mourning, the depth of sorrow and pain. I received an email today from a dear American friend based in India who was holidaying at Phuket at the time of the disaster. She was there with her husband, and a group of other friends whom I got to know really well while I was in America. I read her email with fear and trepidation, especially since I just read an email from another friend who lost 11 close relatives in the tsunami. But her email was nothing short of a miracle, and I was very relieved.

I want to collect some money from the office staff for the victims and put it together with the final collection that will be going to the red cross, and I got this response from my colleague, "Office is office." That piffs me. What do you mean "office is office"? Dang it, we are a church office for crying out loud! What is this mysterious entity called the "office" that over-rides our duty in functioning as a body of Christ? I had this argument with one of my Seniors in College before. He said, regarding the Christian group in the college, " We are not the church." I balked at it; I will continue to balk at it for the rest of my life. Go read this article by Chad Hall. A church is not just the Para 501.c charitable organisation as defined by the government. It is people! God's people gathered anywhere and everywhere! The institution is also a church (See this article) - being organised helps in efficiency and effectiveness - but it is not the ONLY church. Why are we so narrow-minded?

So I am going to do it anyway. It is actually not a big deal, because the churches are collecting money this Sunday anyway. But it says something of us as a whole. We are always collecting money for people's birthdays, funerals, dinners, etc, why shouldn't we collect for people we don't know, but are called to love?

About Stupid People
The older I grow, the more intolerant of stupidity I get. I don't know where all this self-righteousness sprung from, considering the meek and mild girl I used to be. Most of my old friends still think me meek and mild, but boy, they don't hear my thoughts. This morning, I was very angry at the stupid bus driver who stuck his third finger at the cyclists and proceeded to knock Mr Slyvester Ang down, killing him on Christmas eve. I was irritated at how colleagues kept comparing benefits, painting themselves as the poor victims who always lost out on half-days and bonuses; I was piffed at the statement "office is office"; I was full of disbelief when this lady refused to wait 5 minutes on the phone for me to retrieve a tel no from my colleague's file, who was on leave. Ah, someone recite to me what love is again? love is patient; love is kind.. love is loving stupid people.