In the beginning, many knew that I didn't quite enjoy Literature. In my lower secondary days, I even misplaced the "Singapore Short stories" just days before the exam and didn't even bother getting a new one. In Secondary 2, well that's how i started to change my perspective of Literature. But when it came to exams, I didn't know how to answer questions and felt that it was so difficult to score in Literature compared to other subjects like D&T or History. When it came to 2009 and when we started "Off Centre" my whole world probably knew i disliked the book totally. The way it was written, with the weird and awful Singapore slag, the awful language and the 'uncalled' for vulgarities. I didn't like it. And at that point, the book didn't make any sense to me. It had 5 scenes but not all of them were related to the previous scene. It was just something totally new. I felt a little out of place in class because this isn't my 'usual' class.
This week, everything has changed. From lessons to the book to Literature - everything. I had 3 lessons this week, which made learning easier because i didn't forget the lessons as quickly as I would usually do. (Whoopsy, i know this is a bad habit and I've got to do something about it!) But it is also through this week's lessons where i understood the whole idea of Literature. It is not a 'read & analyse properly and then write the longest essay' but it Literature is actually helping you to be a better person, to be different from the crowd, to make a difference in someone's life.
Off Centre is a play on how mad people have been discriminated in the society just because they are not like us, the 'centre' people. And because of that, they are treated differently from how we are being treated by our fellow humans. They are being taken advantage of, and not even given a chance to prove themselves that they can be able to fit into the society or at least try to fit in. We don't even give them a chance in our society. We expect them to be no one successful, we find it strange if we see them in top schools or universities because we feel that they don't deserve a place in our world. We just out cast them and leave them by the corner thinking hopefully they'll fan for themselves. THAT SOMEONE ELSE would do the duty of taking care of them, it just CANNOT be us. Why? Because we'll lose our 'face' to others if we chose to help them.
What happens if their parents feel the same way too? What happens if the people who they think loves them has the same idea about them too? On Friday, I stayed on to watch the full play, I wanted to know what the ending would be like, even though I've read the book thrice, the screened play was full of emotions and feelings. As the show ended, it made me feel a little upset with the way we are as humans, if we put ourselves in their shoes would we like it to feel discriminated by the rest of the crowd because we're mad? Would we like it to just sit at home all day till your last breath because you can do nothing? Because no one accepts you? No one wants to give you a chance in the society because you might not prosper their business?
Have you ever felt that maybe these people just needs a hug or assurance that everything's going to be fine? They are humans after all and I myself need that to survive almost everyday. Have you ever thought that these people just needs your support to take their best foot forward into the society? That they need someone like YOU to help them, to love them, to accept them? I'm not saying that we should all pity them and go around hugging every mad person tomorrow, but we shouldn't behave like how we are behaving today. If we create jobs for them, we take advantage of them. We make them feel fearful of the society. We just don't want to have any relation with them. We are fearful that they might harm us, because they are not like normal humans. So we simply look down on them.
If you realised, I'm using the word, "we" instead of "they" because to some extent, i too am guilty of this. I have fallen short in some areas and i hope by sharing my experience in leading a better life would not only encourage you to lead a better one but also spread the word to love everyone, just like how Jesus loves us despite our sins and failures.
One of Agapeland's song might ring a bell to many, "If you're black or if you're white, God loves you, If you're tall or if you're short or lean, God loves you, He loves you when you're happy, He loves you when you're sad. He loves you when you're good or when you're very bad. No matter what you look like, no matter what you do, God loves you."
It doesn't say, You the normal person. No. Not at all. If Jesus can love everyone of us, then why is it so difficult for us to love someone who isn't classified as normal in our eyes? Well to me, I always discriminated them and didn't one to have anything to do with them because i was fearful. Fearful of them. Thoughts like, " I want to be with people who are normal, who behave normally...", "What happens if i go and say hi and suddenly she takes out a knife from her bag?", "What would my friends think if they see me hanging around with someone who's mad?", "What happens if i get their "disease" and turn mad too?" The last can go on & on. I was just too fearful. It felt strange, weird, to go befriend them. Some don't speak well, super loudly and might not be able to understand what you are saying, so i decided then. To just give up the whole idea of mixing around with mad people.
Such thoughts were not right at all, I know i was just giving excuses to cover up the fact that i just didn't want to have anything to do with them. After Literature on Friday, i realised how mean i've been by just simply discriminating them when they are trying their best to be 'normal' but can't control themselves. I decided to change. On Friday night, i had a long bus journey home which set me thinking on how i could be a blessing to others, to give them support, to know that there would be people like me in the society how care and love them even though sometimes i don't know how to do so.There's this girl who lives a floor above me, she just moved in recently. And she was the first that came to my mind. I remember our first 'meeting' she was staring at me blankly and analysing me from head to toe. (It was at 6.30 in the morning when i was on my way to school)I felt scared. Other than Kashken & I and Her (Sarah), there wasn't anyone else. My parents were waiting for us in the car. Kashken was showing the "can we quickly get out before she does something funny" face. And I didn't make her feel any comfortable either because i too showed the same expression.
Two days later, this time Mom & I met her in the lift. We have 24 floors to get down together. I was holding on to my water bottle, the Pink'S' bottle, when she saw it, she took off her bag from her shoulders opened her bag to find for her own water bottle which somehow happened to be the same. She found something common between me and herself. She began to smile. She no longer spent the minutes in the lift analysing me from head to toe, but started telling me her name, Sarah. So i too started to cool down and said, 'Hello Sarah, I'm Tashka. Yes, we have the same waterbottle, i think you should keep it now, we're at the first story already.' She smiled and waved goodbye as we parted at the lift landing. Honestly, that made my day. Just the smile she showed me which was full of acceptance made me realise how easily she has found a connection with me and how different she has become compared to the time i first saw her when she stared at me blankly.
This morning, i saw her again. Surprisingly, she was the first to say hello. I replied saying hello, Sarah. A minute later she started looking for my water bottle which she had found a connection with. I quickly told her that oh that water bottle broke during my maths class thus I'd to get a new water bottle. And this is it. She still remembered me and asked me about school and how my school was compared to her's. After the conversation and parting i realised so much more.
Since i already felt that i want to befriend the friendless (someone like her), I started to think about how her life would be like when she goes out to the world. And i somehow didn't understand why humans like us just discriminate them just like that. She reminds me so much of the character, "Saloma" in "Off Centre" because i'm certain she would be bullied, taken advantage of and not given a chance in the society. And that is what hurts me the most as i think about it. She is a nice girl, but hardly anyone would accept her.
It is us, the current generation that can change the lives of these people. We can slowly but surely make a difference in their lives like how this girl has made a difference to mine. We can chose to treat people like them with love and acceptance. We can change our minds, as young as we are so that we can slowly accept them back into our society and give them a chance to be treated like how a normal human would be treated. Let's learn to accept and love everyone despite our differences. Don't discriminate anyone because we all deserve chances. Whether we're normal or not, we are all still considered Humans.
In Rappers Against Racism, "I want to know what love is", it is a song on Racism but in other words you can look at the songs as about discrimination. Listen to the lyrics and question yourself, What is love? What is love about?
I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me (oh, show me yeah!)
I wanna feel what love is, I know you can show me,
Why?
Could you tell me what love is?
Uh, could you tell me what love is?
Why?
Could you tell me what love is?
What about life and the prayin´
We people gotta stop all the hate and the shame that we´re bringin´
We´re all the same, we all feel pain
some uf us don´t even know what we remain
This is the life, the life that we´re livin´
With a little respect, we should all be givin´
So here comes the question, no rics or doubt:
Can you tell me what love is and what it´s about?
With love,
Tashka.