When I grew up in under-developed British Malaya, where poverty was prevalent, one would be silly not to tie down any good which could be stolen. In fact, my family locked all the windows, even those which had bars across them, before we went to bed. Robbery was rife. Lesson 1: One did not put oneself at risk anywhere and at any time.
My father also taught us that, should anyone spit at us as we walked past, we should keep moving – and not to turn the other cheek. Behind the subtlety of that advice was a sound dictum: avoid being targeted by the malicious ignorant (Lesson 2).
Yet, all this year, I have been targeted and harassed by a neighbour. My stress was so great that I broke out in shingles, a very painful affliction. Since then, he had crossed an unfenced boundary, removed 2 trees and a shrub just inside my property, and put up a fence which has encroached onto my property. Not a criminal offence, said the police! You can take them to court, said a lawyer. Any award by the court may not cover your costs, advised an official of the court.
I have been peed upon from a great height; and that happened even as I sought to avoid confrontation. I now follow this advice from Confucius: When the typhoon blows, it is better to bend with the wind (Lesson 3).
In order to avoid the risk of becoming a target in the jungle of social media, I do not participate in any forum which allows the malicious and the silly free rein (Lesson 4). I am grateful that WordPress protects me; it has blocked more than 3,200 ‘scam’ comments, covering my 720 odd posts to date. Since I do not proselytise about any topic, and admit freely that my beliefs are all tentative, I expect reasoned and respectable dialogues, rather than intemperate attacks.
Therefore, in relation to spirits who might seek to be malicious, denying them access by keeping one’s metaphorical doors locked is the only way to live securely and in peace. There then remains this question – is there any evidence that any spirits have behaved with malice? Why would they?
RAJA ARASA RATNAM 