Peaceful Samoa the place to be

By Mata'afa Keni Lesa 24 May 2017, 12:00AM

It’s happening just about every day. Everywhere we look in the world, there is suffering, losses and unimaginable pain. There are deaths right, left and centre. Terrorism has changed the way we live and the world we live in.

People have become fearful and rightly so. 

Look at the front page of your newspaper today. The world is coming to terms with a terrorist attack in the form of a suicide bombing which immediately killed at least 19 people yesterday. This number is expected to grow?

What did they do wrong?

Nothing. The simple answer is they are innocent people who just wanted a good time at the Ariana Grande concert. The people whose lives have been wasted did not deserve what happened. We pray for their souls, their families and their loved ones. We join the rest of the world to mourn the tragedy of what has unfolded.

These incidents should make us grateful that we enjoy such a peaceful existence. The mere fact that we are alive in an environment of peace, political stability and national unity is a blessing.

You see ladies and gentlemen, this is a remarkable achievement during times of terrible conflict, racial and religious division and bloodshed.

For as we’re making our way around Samoa in such peace, and in an environment of safety and unity, we’re being reminded of wars in other parts of the world killing innocent people every day. 

There are ethnic strife causing bloody divisions among races, ruthless murders and killings tearing families and countries apart.

Elsewhere, pestilences with no cure have claimed thousands of lives so that there is endless suffering and torment. Even as isolated as we are from the world, we feel for them.

It’s been hard to ignore their plight, especially when pictures about what’s happening in those countries are beamed into our living rooms day after day.

So for us living in Samoa, life is indeed a gift. 

And with every new day is a promise that the next 24 hours will be better than yesterday. Sure there are plenty of challenges and life can sometimes be so tough to the point where you feel like you simply cannot go on. But step back a bit, take a deep breath and soon you’d realise that it’s not that bad. 

Somebody always has it worse than you.

You see, the last time we checked, the air you and I are breathing is still free. 

And so since the air is still free and that the trees remain green and vibrant, there is much to hope for and look forward to. Sometimes when the going gets tough, we need to be reminded about this constantly.

Bear in mind that we’ve not been completely trouble-free ourselves.

There is no doubt that the evil we’ve seen in Samoa in the recent past is so unbelievable that the mind shuts down thinking about some of those things.

We’re talking about the ruthless corruption being perpetrated at the highest level that you really wonder what the future holds for the young people of this country.

And then there are a couple of cold-blooded murders and deaths that have remained unsolved with the idea that the people responsible for them are still among us.

We’ve also had our spate of political squabbles and verbal disagreements, which are relatively minor in the bigger scheme of things.

But despite all this, today we find that we’re slowly and surely moving forward, inch-by-inch, one glorious day at a time. Which is why we should be thankful there is peace aplenty for everyone to enjoy.

For without peace, inspiration is hard to find. We believe that in this country today, there are people inspired by the burning desire to help move it forward.

So as we watch the sad developments around the world unfold, what we want to tell the world is that Samoa is democratically secure, reasonably independent, politically stable, economically healthy, and above all, the ultimate destination for the people of the world to see. Come visit us.

What do you think?

Have a wonderful Wednesday Samoa, God bless!

By Mata'afa Keni Lesa 24 May 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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