Art Thou Reckless?

Nowadays, I see more and more people driving at high speeds, especially on the highway (North-South highway, LEKAS highway (some of the many highways in Malaysia), doesn't matter. You get Formula-1 wannabes). The speed limit is 90 Km/h or 110 Km/h, depending on which highway one is using, but these people seem to be going much faster than the speed limit. Sometimes, you get drivers who cut across from the left lane, right to the centre lane and to the right lane - almost in one motion, as if they are doing "sapu jalan tepi ke tepi" (driving the car as if sweeping the road sideways, in case you do not know the Malay language).

Why do people need to do such dangerous things on the road? Perhaps they are in a hurry; perhaps they want to show how canggih or sporty their vehicle is; perhaps they are suffering from acute diarrhoea and they need to get to the toilet quickly before they explode in their pants;  or perhaps some people have become more impatient, possibly due to the impact technology has on our lives and being quick, being fast seems a necessity.

When we are reckless on the road, accidents could happen. This picture I took while going to Jelebu to celebrate Mass at St. Augustine, a village church at Titi, is of a badly-damaged vehicle. This is a chilling example of what could happen.

Accidents could also happen to our souls, especially if we are reckless in the way we live. If we commit sins and refuse to be regular in our confession, then we could be reckless in our relationship with God. We do not know when we are going to "balik kampung" (depart from this world). Let us not wait until it is too late... Rather, let us strive to be closer to God and "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbour as yourself."