Today’s the first day of school in the Second Term for primary and secondary school students in Singapore. It was a week’s break for these kids. Yet, in the space of only a week, so much has happened in the world. For one thing, coalition forces are attacking Iraq to liberate its people from a tyrant. And, for another, a new contagious killer virus is on the rampage in Asia and other parts of the world.

So, our kids return to school today knowing that the world has changed so much in such a short time. But, then, the only thing that is constant in this world of ours is CHANGE - there’s always change happening all around us.

This week, we come to terms with the fact that the killer virus Sars has infected 51 people here so far. We hear the health authorities advising parents with children who are having a fever or flu to tell their children to stay at home and not come to school. That’s good advice actually. We want the disease to die its natural course here in the next few weeks. From three index cases, the disease has spread to 51 people in total so far. Thank goodness, there are no new index cases to cause complications here.
 
Many of us have also been keeping away from the crowds. We avoid going to shopping centres in the city area for fear of catching this dreaded disease. But, that’s not the only reason for avoiding the shopping centres. With the war going on in Iraq, we are also fearful of reprisals from terrorists sympathetic to the cause of Iraq’s tyrant and his gang. So, even though we know Singapore is a pretty safe place to be in, we are nevertheless as nervy as those in the USA.

We can’t avoid getting these feelings. Since 911, our notion of the world we live in has changed irrevocably. We know that there are crazy people out there who have no qualms about killing thousands of innocent people to further their morbid cause. So, we stay away from crowded places in town - better safe than sorry eh?

But, that’s exactly the wrong type of thinking. We should never let these terrorists dictate terms to us. We should not let them unnerve us. The Government has taken security precautions, such as implementing stringent checks at border points and the port, and guarding important commercial buildings. We should also do our part by continuing our daily routine. After all, how can we call ourselves Singaporeans if we do not go shopping - I mean, whether we are men or women, shopping is in our blood.

I am not talking nonsense. We should carry on with our lives and not let these terrorists succeed in making us fear for our lives - mindlessly.