a matter of construction

The poet, Thomas Macaulay, said these words - which I believe ring true - "Perhaps no person can be a poet, or even enjoy poetry, without a certain unsoundness of mind".

The thing about language is that language is made up of words. You can't actually hold words in your hand and toss it around to weigh each one. Words are alive - living, breathing creatures that change and grow to encompass the great expansion of life and civilization as we understand it. So, the language we speak - the words we use - is it really anything more than a matter of construction?

If you're familiar with the old British comedy series "Yes Prime Minister", you'll have heard of the term "irregular verb". For example, "I am eccentric, you are an individual, and he is around the twist." I think they're hilarious! It just goes to prove my point that words are a matter of construction.

Ah. Well, anyway - to stray away from the potpouri of relatively abstract musings in my head, I attended my very first neighbourhood committee meeting on Saturday. It was at a neighbour's house, and lasted from late afternoon until night had fallen - it took longer than anyone expected, I think. And mostly because there was just so much to debate about, and so much to discuss.

Safety was really the topic of discussion. With the rising crime rate, especially in our own backyards, how can we isolate ourselves from this any longer? The "It-Won't-Happen-To-Me" mentality is just another form of living in denial. It could happen to anyone! And it has happened - to neighbours, family members, friends, colleagues, schoolmates - it has been growing so rampant, and the police can only do so much.

We have to take action. We have to keep an eye out for suspicious characters and look out for our neighbours. We have to stop being so selfish and cowardly and for goodness' sake, REPORT suspicious behaviour to the police, or your local security.

So many issues came up at the meeting - among those present, besides concerned residents, were the President and Vice President of our neighbourhood resident owners' association. One of the most disappointing stories he shared with us was that there were literally people who saw break-ins or robberies happening, saw the criminals - but did nothing, simply stayed in their houses and came outside only after the criminals left, loudly proclaiming that they saw everything.

The question was - why didn't they CALL the police or the security guards?

It is understandable that one may think if you ignore something, it will just go away. But your house could be next, or the house of your loved ones - call the police/security, the criminals will get caught, and they'll be put away!

Grr. Some people are just so incredibly frustrating!

Anyway, now that I've got a bit of spare time on my hands, I'm definitely going to take up an active role in the neighbourhood safety measures. It turns out there's a huge lack of manpower from the youth - the committees are always made up of retirees and housewives. They need people who know how to use computers and have the energy to get stuff done quicker.

I deeply hope that the state government will implement the Rukun Tetangga system again, but even if they don't, you - we - can still do whatever we can to help!