TWO pictures in the newspapers caught my attention yesterday.

The first was a picture of local hero Lee Chong Wei giving his coach, Misbun Sidek, at one-time a badminton darling himself, a hug. The look on their faces spoke a thousand words.

They wore an expression of relief, one of finally having done the country proud at the ‘jinxed’ Putra Stadium.

In the midst of all the jubilation, I find inspiration in the old-new combination of Lee and Misbun.

In them, we have a winning combination — a youthful champion benefiting from the tutelage of an old war horse.

The lesson I find here is that to get somewhere in life, you have to gel experience with youthful exuberance.

Youth shouldn’t be looked upon as naive or clueless, while the old shouldn’t be viewed as passe or lagging.

Look at those two. What con spired between them was the accommodation of each other’s strength, enough to combine them into a winning formula. The problem, I believe, starts when you start being territorial.

The old wants to think he knows best, the young unwilling to learn from experience.

Life is all about finding the right balance. I wish that there were more who would not use the weaknesses of others to curse them, but instead, utilise them for their own benefit.

Life is about burying the hatchet. That was fully exem plified by the other picture that jolted my interest.

It was a picture of Cheras Wanita chief Datuk Faridah Abu Hassan putting on a cap on Cheras Umno chief Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee.

While some cynics were quick to say that this was a temporary truce between the two politi cians, whose long-standing conflict was well-known among the political circle, it was a land mark moment nonetheless.

Never mind the talk of a looming general election, bury ing the hatchet takes a lot of guts, especially when it comes to setting aside your ego for a good common cause.

I wish for their truce to last. Again, I see the silver lining here: if you work together, you can even take on seemingly impossible tasks.

That, even if it’s belated, is my New Year’s wish for every one, especially my family here in The Malay Mail.

To be free, you have to learn to let go, they say. Do not be afraid of changes as some are necessary to liberate you.

Learn from the wisdom of experience, but trust in the power of youth.
A businessman told me that in his world, there was no such thing as permanent enemies. Nothing good comes from being bitter. Forgive, forget and move on. I know I will be looking forward to this when we embark on our new journey soon.

To our Hindu friends, Happy Thaipusam!

Yushaimi Yahaya
Deputy editor

Source: Malay Mail – January 22, 2008