Before December

December. Apparently it is supposed to mean something to me. It is part of my life after all, 31 days of it. Maybe something meaningful is going to happen but most likely not. Then why does it have to mean so much? November, this month, happens to be my internal exam. I need to see where I am academically and then use this December to do the work. To prepare for IGCSE. That is what is in most student's mind right now. Use this month to rigorously build the mental power, fill the memory palaces, and most of all not missing important details. 

However, this is where it gets interesting. We are so self-centered. This December crisis from all over the world that had been dragging on for years is still continuing. The Boko Haram cases and the girls that we all forgot about. The ISIS recruitments that is still happening all over the world. I do not want to talk about politics so I will not mention the impact of Donald Trump's success in the U.S.A election. Moreover, the on-going denial and refusal to fight global warming as some people still thinks it is a hoax. The deforestations and poisoning of our environments.

There are so many problems, yet no answers or even if there is, corporations would do their finest to undermine anything that does not profit them. For example, the 3 million tons of oil spills in the Niger Delta had devastated local people, destroyed their well-being, blundered the children's education, no livelihood in the area. Where was the government in all this? Apparently, they are too filled with Shell's informants to pass anything forward to save the people. They even harassed local people that have tried to use their free speech with their own military units.

Our world seems to be getting worse everyday. It is hard to find a glimmer of light these days. We hope for the best but we do not prepare for the worst. After looking at all these problems and cannot find a solution, I feel rather obsolete. These problems are all around us but we pretend to be ignorant as ignorant is bliss. While writing this I attempt to really find something to restore my hope in humanities and I found the glimmer of lights. But do you know what happened to those glimmers? Overcame by shadows. The complete and absolute control that people with power has over us is unimaginably huge. When you look at all those glimmers, you can even say that the free will is an illusion. All those people with ideas but no power. August had shown me that those glimmers are hopeless. However, I also notice something. Something that is rather obvious but worth mentioning all the same. Those glimmers are all separated. The dispersion of light all over the shadow, the shine brightly for a few second then was extinguished. They are like sparks rather. Those over powering shadow will put out any material that the spark is trying to light before it becomes a problem for them. I know this personally since I am Cambodian. Cambodia had been under one single powerful political party for a long time and now there is finally a competitor. In August, a Cambodian political analyst: Kem Ley who is trying to speak out had been assassinated. In gas station where there was security camera all over the place but somehow the public never gets to review it to its fullest extent. The murderer's name just happened to be Choub Somlab which mean "meet and kill" in Khmer. These all just seem too fishy and while both sides had motives to carry out to assassination it is really hard to determine which one did it. However, finding out who did it is not a problem but the main problem is to get every citizens of to unite and fight against oppression. To get everyone to march the street and fight for the people. We need to make Kem Ley's death meaningful. This is a turning point. We need a clean government.

This December has to be a December of actions. Either you fight your way for free speech or modifying your lifestyle to release less carbon dioxide, it does not matter how you do it but it needs to be done. For the future of next generations we need to do something. We can not just stand still and be ignorant while everything else is going to hell. My life alone maybe obsolete but a group of people's lives matter. We need to stand strong and fight for our world.

By Sewen Thy

P.S. Get better soon Mr. Raisdana!!