i sent this in for a nationwide contest in Malaysia with the theme 'My Country My Deam'. I really need to know whether it is good enough to win anything. So please give me your comments and a honest rating from 1 to 10. I would really appreciate your help, especially the more experienced writers and English speakers.
MY COUNTRY - MY DREAM
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a country that truly has it all. A nation not only with its coffers filled with gold, but also its heart filled with love. A land where limitless love, kindness and charity flows as easily as the water in its gushing rivers. A place where the flames of patriotism and passion in its dwellers’ hearts burn bright and strong all day long, from the moment they take their first breath of air with a cry, right down to the moment they take their final breath with a sigh. A realm filled with people who are of different race, religion and beliefs. But in truth, they are all siblings. From the young soldier prepared to die for the country in the battlefield, right down to the quiet old men who fight their fair share of battles on the checkers board. They are all the blessed children of their motherland. Open your eyes now. Yes, that was a dream. But not just any dream. That was Malaysia.
My country.
My dream.
The books say the world is just not what it used to be. People are getting more and more caught up in the rat race that they just could not care less about other people, screams the media. In Malaysia, the opposite is true. Yes, people do work hard. Yes, they do go to work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and come back exhausted. But NO, they do not forget about sharing and caring, especially when it matters most. Whether it is a simple favour to a neighbour, or volunteer work at an old folks home, or donations to victims of natural disaster, Malaysians have a hole in the heart, with compassion and charity pouring steadily out. We are never too busy to help a blind man cross a street, or to offer the grieving owner of a burnt-down house a roof to sleep under for the meantime. In the wake of the recent tsunami tragedy, Malaysians tore open their purse strings and emptied everything into the outstretched palms of the anguished but grateful victims. Some students even went hungry at lunchtime after donating all their pocket money to help put a roof and a warm blanket over the homeless tsunami victims’ weary bodies at night while others went down to the scene itself to comfort the victims and give them words of encouragement. Malaysians from all walks of life did all they could for the victims. Nothing could better sum up the typical Malaysian’s sharing-and-caring spirit than this saying, ‘your heart is only as big as the portion of it that you choose to give away to others’.
John F. Kennedy once said that ‘think not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country’. I am a steadfast believer of this fact. Our motherland not only quite literally bears our weight; it also gives us a safe place to sleep at night without any worries. The relationship between the countrymen and the country is that of a fruit tree and its proud gardener. The gardener waters the plant when it is young and gives it all the protection and caring it needs. In turn, the fruit tree bears fruit to the gardener as a way of repaying the good treatment and tender, loving care provided by the gardener. This perfectly describes the relationship between Malaysians and the country of countries, Malaysia. Malaysia has been a heaven-on-earth to us, being free of war, fighting and hate. As a way of repaying this, Malaysians are willing to put it all on the line for their nation. The fierce soldiers stand guard at the countries vast borders, more than ready to fight to their death protecting what has become a second mother to them, our cherished nation, land among lands, Malaysia. It is not only the soldiers who display this spirit of nationalism and patriotism. You don’t have to carry a gun over your shoulder to show your love for the nation. The enthusiastic young voices of the nation proudly singing the national anthem, ‘Negaraku’ during assembly at school. The thousands of dollar bills donated by the private sector to the country and the pay cuts taken by civil servants to help the country during the economic recession. The passionate cries of ‘Malaysia Boleh!’, the famed patriotic chant during world-class sporting events involving Malaysia’s finest. The cheerful grin on the faces of young children as they run around the neighbourhood while waving the glorious national flag, the ‘Jalur Gemilang’. These are all parades of the national spirit overflowing from every pore of our soul. The bottom line is that there is nothing that I and more than 25 million other Malaysians would rather shed blood, sweat and tears over more than our adored country, Malaysia. That’s all there is to it.
Most countries are predominantly made up of a certain race of people. There are, however, countries with more than one race as a majority. Somehow or other, many of the latter countries consist of citizens with of the same religion and belief. Apparently, this is good because it helps ‘avoid difficult situations’ and prevents ‘religious clashes’. Here in Malaysia, it is a melting pot of different races, religions and beliefs. Many non-Malaysians claim that there are three main races in Malaysia, or more specifically Malays, Chinese and Indians. They also a variety of other races in smaller numbers, like Punjabis, Eurasians, and ethnic races from East Malaysia, like the Dayaks, the Ibans and the Kadazans. In a way, they are both right and wrong. Yes, those are the races that make up the beautiful land that is Malaysia. But they are also wrong. Wrong for forgetting that we are all also members of a common race. Wrong for thinking that we are naïve enough to separate and segregate ourselves according to our skin colour and language. Wrong for forgetting that WE ARE ALL MALAYSIANS. We live and die by one flag, one country. The ‘Jalur Gemilang’ is that flag, Malaysia is that country. In many other multiracial countries, racial difference causes many problems and builds hate. Racial integration simply does not work in these countries. In Malaysia, we make it work every single day. Whether it’s a Malay boy and a Chinese girl eating the classic Indian meal ‘roti canai’ while on a date, Chinese and Indian women donning the ‘baju kurung’, the Malay traditional costume, or even a group of students comprising all the different races in Malaysia chit-chatting while eating lunch together after school has dismissed. These examples may not seem out-of-the-ordinary to us. But then again, that is simply because we are so used to living happily together with each other regardless of race, that race just doesn’t matter to us. We are also colourblind when it comes to helping somebody; we strive to help them, no matter what the colour of that person’s skin is, of even what his religious beliefs are. In short, we are all Malaysians, and that’s all that matters.
Initially, I was planning on writing about my dream country, a place where everything would be perfect and exactly how I want it to be. Then, I realized that it wasn’t a dream.
It was reality.
It was Malaysia.
My country, my dream.
(the top 21 essays will get prizes. Do you think I'm good enough for one? Please give your comments and ratings asap)
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