Call me a heartless bitch but I hate to say that I had gotten to a point where every other terrorist attack that I heard about was just another unfortunate statistic. Don't get me wrong, it was a horrific thing to happen and I condemned the acts but if I were truly honest, it never hit me on more than a superficial level. I'd denounce it but I'd forget about it the next minute.
Many people know that on 26-27 Nov, a bunch of crazy terrorists went on a massacre in Mumbai, killing people point blank. At the time I heard about it, I was mainly concerned about my friends who had family there, praying they were all alright. But as per usual, other than just condemning the acts, I wasn't too bothered. That is until I heard about Ms. Lo Hwei Yen. Internationally, I doubt many people know who she is. But in Singapore, she's become a household name overnight. She was a young lawyer who had been in Mumbai and had been shot twice by the terrorists in her hotel room.
What struck me the most about her though was the fact that she could have been anyone of us. She was only 28, having started her legal career at the Firm, just like many of my friends, before she moved on to other big firms. she had been in India that night only because she had gone there for a business seminar. She was only supposed to be there a night before coming home. Any number of us could have been sent over for a business trip like that one. Any number of us could have been placed in that situation. Everyone keeps asking "why her?" because she was so young and full of life. The scary part is that if it wasn't her, it could have just as easily been one of us.
For once, its really hit close to home. In Singapore, as much as we talk about terrorism and defending ourselves from it, its always been something that happens in other countries. I feel sad that it took something like this to make us pay attention.
Many people know that on 26-27 Nov, a bunch of crazy terrorists went on a massacre in Mumbai, killing people point blank. At the time I heard about it, I was mainly concerned about my friends who had family there, praying they were all alright. But as per usual, other than just condemning the acts, I wasn't too bothered. That is until I heard about Ms. Lo Hwei Yen. Internationally, I doubt many people know who she is. But in Singapore, she's become a household name overnight. She was a young lawyer who had been in Mumbai and had been shot twice by the terrorists in her hotel room.
What struck me the most about her though was the fact that she could have been anyone of us. She was only 28, having started her legal career at the Firm, just like many of my friends, before she moved on to other big firms. she had been in India that night only because she had gone there for a business seminar. She was only supposed to be there a night before coming home. Any number of us could have been sent over for a business trip like that one. Any number of us could have been placed in that situation. Everyone keeps asking "why her?" because she was so young and full of life. The scary part is that if it wasn't her, it could have just as easily been one of us.
For once, its really hit close to home. In Singapore, as much as we talk about terrorism and defending ourselves from it, its always been something that happens in other countries. I feel sad that it took something like this to make us pay attention.
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