... KL, a lonely city....

……”Sometime KL city, with all the hustling, bustling city dwellers and relentless traffic, still a lonely city” .. I couldn’t agree more when one of my close friends said this to me. The message was clear and you can comprehend it straight away, without needing any mental digestion, if you’re in similar situation.

Nowadays, we seldom say hi or salam to old and new friends, asking how they are doing, without associating to one’s profession. We normally ask how things are going with our friends’ business or job. Or worst, we only communicate to our long lost friend if we are looking for business or opportunity for job. We are more likely to associate people with their profession or how much money they earned, or how much they can give opportunity to us… Perhaps we see other peoples, especially our friends, like merchandise paraded on the shelf of hypermarket, with label and packaging. The branded, imported and expensive item, normally nicely packaged and displayed with their own class, while the rest, group in their own class…. Socially and demographically, separated.

Almost no more unconditional greeting or salam or hi or out of the blue message or call, asking how are you truly…. without associating with jobs, business, job contract or money.

When a friend of mine mentioned the above, I was quite surprised…. hearing a confession from married person with family. I always thought loneliness is the effect of being alone…. Like the word cleanliness from the word clean. I’m wrong and I need to understand from the psychological human behavior, not from English 122.

I thought I was the only one lonely from being alone, not only here or previous places that I have been, but also in my beloved home city… The only place where I felt lonely is an alien word, is my kampong. The almost 3 km square of space is all that I need, for me to feel connection to other people not just for their job, money or business….. rather than this vast land of busy city but lonely greeting.

Maybe this is one of the reason why people who felt he/she not as good as their siblings or their friends, felt self intimidation, not just from how much money you earned, or what type of car you drive…. But also from the life you lived and how happy your life is.

The feeling of inferiority and lacking, will lead to seclusion…

It’s a paradox for someone who’s job planning technology for peoples in far countries, to enjoy mobile communication and connection,… but he himself felt less connected to others. It’s like chef, whose job preparing the good food for major grand banquet, but at the end of the day…. had his meal, alone.

So pick up the phone, start calling your friends asking how they are doing. Wrote emails or sms… saying unconditional salam or hi. I would like to believe this action will improve the life of others, but in reality, it takes more than this effort to uplift human spirit………

At least we’ll not make KL, a lonely city...for someone…..