World AIDS Day
Imagine if Singapore's population was destroyed 5 times over. Killed not once, but over and over and over and over again.
Then imagine seeing all of that massacre within your lifetime.
That's like watching 5 people dying at the same time. Slowly, in front of you, while you are alive, breathing, growing, maturing.
If you ever wondered about the scale of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, UNAIDS reports that 25 million have died from the virus since the epidemic was officially documented. 60 million have since been infected.
That's 10 Singapores' worth of people that are documented to be struggling with this. Not to mention those as yet undocumented.
There's been a blitz on TV these weeks about HIV awareness and promote care and concern for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. Singapore idols are apparently singing about this. Hip and cool ads abound.
Just wanted to give everyone some perspective.
While I had Singapore Idols on as background noise, Tabitha sang a cover of "Praying For Time" - an old classic last made famous by George Michael. (Great job Tabby) It was hauntingly familiar, so I took a brain break and googled the lyrics again, which I reproduce below.
As a prelude to that, here's an extract from a 1990 NYT article about George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice album, which sparked a strange sense dejavu in me.
"[The album] also generated controversy when some American radio stations banned the single, ''I Want Your Sex,'' for being too suggestive in the age of AIDS." (Stephen Holden, Sept 16, 1990, New York Times)
Ironic, huh.
"PRAYING FOR TIME"
These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers
This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses
The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we'll take our chances
Because god's stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all god's children
Crept out the back door
And it's hard to love, there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too late
Well maybe we should all be praying for time
These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year
This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here
So you scream from behind your door
Say "what's mine is mine and not yours"
I may have too much but i'll take my chances
Because god's stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you
That he can't come back
Because he has no children to come back for
It's hard to love there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time
Then imagine seeing all of that massacre within your lifetime.
That's like watching 5 people dying at the same time. Slowly, in front of you, while you are alive, breathing, growing, maturing.
If you ever wondered about the scale of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, UNAIDS reports that 25 million have died from the virus since the epidemic was officially documented. 60 million have since been infected.
That's 10 Singapores' worth of people that are documented to be struggling with this. Not to mention those as yet undocumented.
There's been a blitz on TV these weeks about HIV awareness and promote care and concern for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. Singapore idols are apparently singing about this. Hip and cool ads abound.
Just wanted to give everyone some perspective.
While I had Singapore Idols on as background noise, Tabitha sang a cover of "Praying For Time" - an old classic last made famous by George Michael. (Great job Tabby) It was hauntingly familiar, so I took a brain break and googled the lyrics again, which I reproduce below.
As a prelude to that, here's an extract from a 1990 NYT article about George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice album, which sparked a strange sense dejavu in me.
"[The album] also generated controversy when some American radio stations banned the single, ''I Want Your Sex,'' for being too suggestive in the age of AIDS." (Stephen Holden, Sept 16, 1990, New York Times)
Ironic, huh.
"PRAYING FOR TIME"
These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers
This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses
The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we'll take our chances
Because god's stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all god's children
Crept out the back door
And it's hard to love, there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too late
Well maybe we should all be praying for time
These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year
This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there is over here
So you scream from behind your door
Say "what's mine is mine and not yours"
I may have too much but i'll take my chances
Because god's stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things they sold you
Did you cover your eyes when they told you
That he can't come back
Because he has no children to come back for
It's hard to love there's so much to hate
Hanging on to hope when there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above say it's much too late
So maybe we should all be praying for time
posted by tygertyger at 9:09 PM
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