Tragedies that Should not Have Happened

The world has shrunk. News is almost instantaneous. The good, the bad and the ugly come right into your room or home the moment events occur.

This is an example. I was watching the news via Astro when two planes were slammed into the World Trade Centre. A lot of people were distressed upon seeing this. But there were also people who rejoiced. I couldn't believe that there were people like that. But there are people like that. I was distressed not only by the tragedy but by what people said. If I had no access to Astro channels at that time, I may not have been so disturbed.

Later on, I bought a CD about that tragedy. It was a documentary by two brothers who were assigned to document the progress of a number of firefighter trainees. It turned out to be a documentary about that sad event. Thousands of people perished including more than three hundred firefighters. The firefighters were more concerned about saving lives other than their own. A priest, Fr. George, died while seeking shelter with a number of other people at the basement of one of the towers.

One of the things that touched me was how the elder of the two brothers worried a lot about the safety of his brother. How happy he was when he finally met his younger brother at the fire station.

This tragedy should not have happened but it did.

Much, much earlier than this, I was watching a space shuttle as it lifted up from the ground. Seconds later, it exploded. One of those on board was a mother and school teacher. This was the only space shuttle tragedy in which people perished. It should not have happened but it did.

Closer to home, the Triple Six Tragedy in Sabah should not have happened but it did. Some refer to this as the Double Six Plane tragedy. In this 'accident', the Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Fuad Stephens together with a number of Sabah Cabinet Ministers and other people died when the plane in which they were travelling crashed at Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu. This tragedy should not have happened.

Now tragedies seem to multiply. One cannot help feeling so. Newspapers, TV and radio broadcast or the internet seem so happy to let the whole world know. After all, sad news, tragedies or scandals sell.

There are very few good news nowadays.