The Myvi in front of me was slowing down to make a U-turn on the right, so I checked the oncoming traffic on my left through my side view mirror before slowly turning out to avoid a complete stop.
A loud bang jolted me out of my senses; my car lurched forward violently, but I couldn’t see what happened until I moved a few meters ahead and caught a glimpse of two Malay men lying in the middle of the road next to a badly dented motorcycle. My heart stopped momentarily – did I just kill someone? I stopped at the side of the road, debating whether to stay or just drive off. I noticed the Myvi previously in front of me had stopped too – his car was dented on the left side.
One of the men got up gingerly from the ground, his helmet still intact. He walked towards his ride mate, who was still sprawled on the road but his arms were moving. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and took off, my mind still trying to put together the pieces of what happened earlier.
And the only conclusion I could come up with was that the motorcyclist was weaving through cars, tried to scuttle in between my car and the Myvi but the gap was too small for them to whiz past, thus hitting the Myvi and bouncing off my car.
I struggled to fight back the frustrated tears. I felt bad for the men and prayed that their injuries were minor, but this was my second accident in a span of ten days, both through no fault of my own. Now my car looked horribly worn-out, and with the addition of this new battle scar there was no way I could put off sending it to the garage for repairs. A familiar sense of injustice crept up on me as I considered the money and time I have to waste on other people’s mistakes.
Then it occurred to me:-
This must be how some people wake up feeling everyday, especially during these times. People who got retrenched, people who suffered crippling pay cuts, American taxpayers when they heard about the A.I.G bonuses to the same group of people that catalyzed the recession and cost them their livelihoods.
When your boss cuts down mileage and expense allowances claiming economic downturn and yet continues to buy dog food and Zara shoes with the company’s money. When your CEO discreetly slips a resignation letter with your name typed neatly below the dotted line onto your desk tray, an impersonal Post-It note asking you to sign and agree to leave the company without receiving the appropriate wages and benefits. When your director refuses to give out last year’s bonus even though the company made a substantial profit.
Why me? The eternal cry of injustice from anyone who's ever been wronged before.
Life isn't fair – that was my parents’ advice for almost every unjust misfortune we came across when we were younger. The sooner you understand that, the easier life will be for you, my mom would say whenever I compared my
boobs height with my sister’s. Or my dad during his life-lesson speeches. He would tell us to stretch out our hands and look at them carefully. Got long, got short, he would say as he touches every one of our fingers. Such is life.
But how do we make peace with such injustice?
I don’t know. But I am reminded of Job. Blameless and loyal, one of God’s most faithful servants, put through various degrees of suffering with no end in sight.
And yet he was able to say to his wife:-
"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised." - Job 12:20
Some people lose jobs while others get paid $6 million in bonuses. Some families have a car for each family member while others risk their lives everyday on the road in motorcycles. Some get 30 days of annual leaves with dental allowance and others get less than half of that and zero medical allowance. Some win flat-screen TVs through lucky draws while others crack their brains tirelessly to come up with cheesy slogans that never win (current self).
I stared at my own hands, clutched loosely onto the steering wheel, and wiggled my fingers in mild bemusement. Got long, got short.
Such is life.
