Be Careful, and Stay Pure

Once upon a time, in an environment of different leadership, in a parish not too far away, I came across a situation which to some may appear to be from the realm of make believe, or from some Hollywood or Bollywood thriller or drama, but what had come to pass was an actual incident which ought to remind us to be careful of one's conduct, and not end up in dire straits or in deep trouble (in Chinese, some would call it "chaaam laa" or "完蛋了 wan dan la" or "sei for loh").

I was in my office getting some things done, when a young man came to see me. He looked very distraught, distressed and haggard, occasionally glancing back, possibly in fear, to see if he was being followed. I asked him what was the matter, and he sat down and sobbed profusely. If you wanted to see a grown man cry, this guy was one example to behold. I did not know or recognise the man, nor did I have any idea who he was or where he was from, but he needed to see someone and there I was, in front of him, waiting for him to tell his story.

Then, after several soaked tissues later, he poured out his story...

It seems that this young man had met a young girl in an entertainment establishment, and after a few shots (not "tembak senapang" - other kind of shot, if you know what I mean), he became friendlier towards her, and she brought him to a different place, apparently to get to know each other better. One thing led to another, and according to the young man, they ended up "frying sotong" (ahem... ahem... - if you get my drift). When the young man woke up, he found himself in a strange and unfamiliar place, and went back to his home, not realising at that time, the consequences of what had transpired and what was to take place.

Then, many months later, the young man was shocked to receive several summonses for "roti dalam ketuhar" or "bun in the oven" support. Upon inquiring further, the young man found out that, to his utter shock, and dismay, that young girl had had the audacity to collect "wild oats" that had been sown, and distribute it among several of her associates, leading to several of them having "buns in ovens." How such things could happen, I do not know, but apparently it had come to pass, and this young man was now being hounded and sought. Why did that girl do such despicable things? I suspect that it could be for the money, and some could stoop so low just to gain some form of financial security.

The young man was desperate, and beseeched and begged me, asking me whether there was some way I could help. So how? I could not do much for him financially, and felt that one likely option was that he may need to make a police report and seek legal help, to see whether some way could be found to salvage the situation, or rescue him from impending disaster. After that, he hastily left my office, and I never saw or heard from him again. I prayed that he would be alright, knowing that he had landed himself in hot soup, and getting out of it would certainly be no walk in the park.

So what does this incident tell us? To put it simply, “don’t cari pasal,” “don’t mess around,” “look before you leap,” “watch what you do.” Words of caution become meaningless once a person has landed oneself in such a situation or such a mess. Why have a moment of pleasure, and a possible lifetime of suffering? I pray that we maintain our purity, and not endanger ourselves into falling in such a manner.