We Malaysians are not from a deprived background, the way we compete
with each other in the race for having the biggest house in the neighborhood or
the flashiest car on the road. Our lust for such status symbols stems from
materialistic impulses, hence streets choked to overflowing with CO-emitting
cars.
Generally-speaking, the Chinese are materialistic by nature. So too
the Indians. The Malays are not, but, sadly, they've begun acquiring such
habits as a result of close proximity with their more affluent neighbors, hence
streets even more choked to overflowing with CO-emitting cars.
Interestingly, the Dutch in comparison are the exact opposite. In Holland, the wheeled status symbol is the
humble bicycle, hence streets totally uncluttered by congestion of any
vehicular sort.
Not only that. No one can accuse pedal power champion Holland of
being an active contributor of vehicle-generated greenhouse gases which in turn
contributes to global warming, rising sea levels and chaotic weather patterns.
If each one of us is guilty of abetting the ultimate suicide of
Mother Earth directly or otherwise, forensic evidence will reveal no Dutch
involvement at all in this respect.
Unfortunately, the day Mother Earth dies, so too will the innocents,
and that is the real tragedy of it all.
