IF at all people particularly feel helpless and angry in the years following the turn of the millennium, they can hardly be blamed what with pandemics, terrorism, recession and whatnots forming a series of relentless calamities set on bringing about misery and destruction. 

 New Millennium Horrors

In fact, New Year's Eve 1999 was marked by fears of a Y2K bug that would apparently paralyse computers worldwide and then wipe-out mankind.  When that didn't happen, the very next year we had 9/11.  Then SARS and various other flu viruses, then the nightmarish 26 Dec 2004 Tsunami (which left approx 212,000 dead); and as if natural disasters were not enough, the greed-propelled melamine in milk formulas scandal showed us how people can wipe-out other people too... for money.

There were also other events that did not threaten life directly but for the average working man, it was for all intents and purposes just as bad.  Human creativity has taken somewhat of a quantum leap when you consider the ingenuity of the Ponzi Scheme (a fraudulent pyramid investment scheme, recently brought to greater heights by Bernard Maddoff), and other schemes you read about involving gold bars, bird's nest, black money, etc... and then there were the Wall Street cats who have allegedly sent us all into a recession of biblical proportions. 

It surprised me how businesses can be run by deliberately giving out loans to people who cannot afford it and how something called sub-prime rates was going to bring about our doom.  I always thought it was going to be some kind of plague or mutated virus.

Coping with the 7Ds

It should be obvious that I'm trying to paint a very bleak picture, but what you may have missed is that I'm not trying very hard.  We are pounded daily with various elements of Ds (Death, Destruction, Disease, Doom, Deception, Deceit and Disaster).  Everyday there is something new to threaten me and mine.  Life goes on of course, but not without a heavy dose of scepticism, distrust, paranoia and you should NEVER leave home without a protective cloak of suspicion with disdain lining and your hat of pessimism.

I don't know whether to say it is unfortunate that people feel this way or that it is simply a matter of, considering all that is happening, natural consequence.  Because it is almost a proven fact that crabbiness is directly proportionate, among other things, to the price of fuel.  People were especially crabby at RM2.70/litre.  There is also a fairly new but well-defined sub-culture of shrugging, eye-rolling, "what's the matter with you?" facial expressions, and various expertly-executed expressions of feigned indifference.

"That's sad" you might say, but that's life.  When life throws at us an incessant barrage of, excuse my French, crap; our coping mechanism kicks in.  We COPE.  However, coping is not the same as adapting.  Just like while "hanging in there" may mean that you may not have fallen, it does not mean that "you're off the hook".

Coping Stance

Personally, I seem to cope by, unfortunately, increasing my threshold of intolerance (which is believe is the same for many others).  There are the standard politically incorrect kinds of intolerance, i.e. racial/religious intolerance, but I have an intolerance of nonsense and wasting my time.  This includes accommodating other people's (albeit harmless) idiosyncrasies, less than mature opinions, and telling me about their day.  It is almost fatal to approach me to tell me about something that one recently found to be so profound; like whether I knew that there should be a separation of powers between the Executive and the Judiciary.  I tend to reply with a look that says "if you're only realising that now..." followed by the "please don't talk to me" face.

I am, assuredly, trying my best to change that, but it is admittedly difficult and hindered by things like, believe it or not, a friend who recently told me, very proudly, that he just learnt how to shine his shoes.  You would be surprised, if your social circle is wide enough, by the things people want to tell you.  We all cope, but few of us adapt.

Coping as Catholics

As Catholics, it seems that we face an assault of sorts on many fronts and are forced (although I think it is not necessarily bad) to change our outlook or at least to take another look at our Church holistically.  We can no longer choose to practice our religion insulated from "the world" so to speak and be concerned only with the inward and introspective. 

The government has chosen to curtail our use of the word "Allah" for reasons most of us find ridiculously hard to accept and then there are our undercover Muslim friends who carried out a highly secret espionage mission in one of our churches.  I do not wish to discuss the merits of either sides of these issues but merely mentioned them to show that we are affected.

Is there no sanctuary for us?  Time and time again I have been told that when the world comes down on me, I can always seek refuge in God.  That still remains the absolute truth, but one cannot help but feel that in light of all that afflicts us so badly, it is a bit of a let-down that the sanctuary of the church that many of us turn to escape our problems for a little bit, has also been somewhat invaded.  We want to do something but really feel absolutely helpless. 

This helplessness is compounded by the fact that since 9/11, Islam has to be approached with delicately.  This is proven by the fact that I must now appropriately qualify myself by stating that not all Muslims are terrorists and that I, in fact, have as some of my best friends, Muslims.  Indeed, I do find it a beautiful religion and my Muslim friends are beautiful people.

Nonetheless, the world finds itself having to deal with the subject of Islam very, very cautiously, Catholics included.  The producer of the movie "2012" actually wanted to, among other apocalyptic events, depict the Kaaba in Mecca being destroyed but decided against it when one of his assistants retorted that he "didn't want to have a fatwa on his head".

... but How?

I offer no solution to any of the above.  I have none.  Personally I find it hard to cope, and as a Catholic I find it equally hard to cope.  It seems like I see nothing but sadness and depression and I am sorry.  But I suppose the answer is to turn to God, but that is all I, along with every other Catholic, will tell you. 

It is true, we must turn to God.  But I think many of us are not sure how "turning to God" is done or whether "turning to God" equals to going to church, especially when many of us also wear our special protective cloaks to church and think, "Our Father in heaven, please don't let the guy whose hand I'm holding, infect me with anything..."

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Andrew, 27, originally from Melaka, is a law student and co-writer of the book "50+1 Malaysia" (QuahChee publications).