There are certain moments in our lives
when we pose the key existential questions that confront mankind throughout the ages:
(1) Who are you?
(2) What is your purpose in life?
The same existential questions beset nations (e.g. Malaysia after the 14th General Elections) that have undergone immense political and social changes:
(1) What are you and how are you different from the old order that has gone?
(2) What role do you as a nation have in the life of nations worldwide?
A typical millennial answer would be: "I am a man (or woman) and master of my destiny. Thus, the purpose of my life is to make the best of it for myself and loved ones."
In terms of nations, this response can be attributed to the ascendant nation of China that is well on its way to becoming the largest and most powerful economy in the world in the next ten years.
But when a man/nation goes about pursuing his personal goals, a problem arises known in economics as the Fallacy of Composition: what is true for one person is not true for everyone.
In other words, every man for himself and God against all.
The other problem, which is especially acute among the younger generation and emerging nations, is that people have trouble finding themselves (stage one), they get lost along the way (stage two) and finally (stage three) they, either regain their senses or flounder into permanent decay.
(See figure below: Historical Path of Nations that shows my take on China's and Malaysia's learning curve).
(See figure below: Historical Path of Nations that shows my take on China's and Malaysia's learning curve).
Who and what are we as individuals and as nations? Identities of culture, nationality and personal history form the exterior of a man and a nation.
Deeper inside, man is made of spirit, mind/emotion and body. For each element to function in a healthy balance, each element requires regular nourishment.
Likewise, a nation that nurtures only its material needs and succeeds in becoming economically prosperous usually encounters problems of inequality, economic imbalances and intellectual malaise rooted in spiritual undernourishment.
In this regard, China is a great case study of how a nation recovers from a traumatic history and positions itself into a global economic powerhouse.
But despite its successful model of development, it remains a communist and centrally planned one party state which has in recent years retreated in political reforms.
The sacrosanct right of a man and woman to believe and freely practice their faiths can not and should not ever be infringed.
The more powerful and ideological a state becomes, the more malignant is its infringement of the right to free belief. Unless, through a national crisis, the state is so shaken that it gives up its need to control the political and religious lives of its citizens.
In this regard, China is a great case study of how a nation recovers from a traumatic history and positions itself into a global economic powerhouse.
But despite its successful model of development, it remains a communist and centrally planned one party state which has in recent years retreated in political reforms.
The sacrosanct right of a man and woman to believe and freely practice their faiths can not and should not ever be infringed.
The more powerful and ideological a state becomes, the more malignant is its infringement of the right to free belief. Unless, through a national crisis, the state is so shaken that it gives up its need to control the political and religious lives of its citizens.
By far, the most essential is the spiritual needs of man and of a nation. When man/nation neglects spiritual guidance or violates his inner conscience (the voice of the spirit), he invariably undergoes a crystallization in mind and body into a key obsession (greed, power, fame, lust, etc).
Ultimately, a greedy person becomes greed itself and loses any vestige of being made in the image of God. And a nation obsessed with national dignity and supremacy will inevitably learn the lesson of the tyrant Nimrod who built the tower of Babel.
Ultimately, a greedy person becomes greed itself and loses any vestige of being made in the image of God. And a nation obsessed with national dignity and supremacy will inevitably learn the lesson of the tyrant Nimrod who built the tower of Babel.
Even the less ambitious among us fulfill what is in our very hearts. Our thoughts, emotions and actions are the fruits of the seeds planted deep within our inner selves.
In the case of Malaysia, the nation was led by a network of corrupt people who pushed the envelope of self-serving materialism, power and greed. That is until the voters kicked them out in quiet disgust.
This change occurred despite the uneven prosperity the country had experienced as a result of buoyant commodity exports and the trickle-down economics of infrastructure spending.
But the Rubicon has indeed been crossed and whatever trade-offs between social and economic priorities, Malaysians made their voices heard at the ballot box: "Enough is enough. We cant take this corruption and kleptocracy anymore."
Yet even as the right decision to change the ruling government was made with the favour of divine providence, we are now confronted with the same question posed by new nations.
What is Malaysia Baru? Is it a newly borned nation entering an unknown era guided by principles of clean and accountable governance?
What is this country of 32 million people made of various ethnicities and situated in the strategic corridor of trade between the east and the west (the Malacca Straits)?
Where do we stand as a small, sovereign nation amidst the great powers of China in the north and America in the West?
The answers will come slowly but surely as we continue to be amazed and give thanks to the Almighty for this blessed nation.
In the coming years, if Malaysia moves further up the learning curve of spiritual and political reform, it shall fulfil its destiny as a sovereign, democratic nation that has achieved a fine balance between inner strength and outer vulnerability.
Therein lies the mystery of Malaysia Baru: it is a mystery because the nation took six decades to finally become a mature democracy without a single shot fired or blood being shed.
But the timing could not be more perfect than to be standing up now among two empires that are battle-ready for geopolitical supremacy and, most likely, a region wide confrontation.
The answers will come slowly but surely as we continue to be amazed and give thanks to the Almighty for this blessed nation.
It is no coincidence, that Malaysia's political breakththrough raised up one man - a former Prime Minister who, despite having somewhat of a Machiavellian persona - is wise enough to strongly assert our independence from the influences of China and America.
In the coming years, if Malaysia moves further up the learning curve of spiritual and political reform, it shall fulfil its destiny as a sovereign, democratic nation that has achieved a fine balance between inner strength and outer vulnerability.
Therein lies the mystery of Malaysia Baru: it is a mystery because the nation took six decades to finally become a mature democracy without a single shot fired or blood being shed.
But the timing could not be more perfect than to be standing up now among two empires that are battle-ready for geopolitical supremacy and, most likely, a region wide confrontation.
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