It was really refreshing to read the letter by assistant professor Engseng Ho of Harvard University, not just because it was written from the heart of the academia, but he could recall a chapter from our history to remind us to look history in the eye and tell ourselves that we must learn from our past.

We must be mature and look upon the challenges of the Information Age, especially in how we deal with speeches and writings. We cannot arrest (people) and shut out ideas crying to be heard and printed. Where would we be today if o­nn Jaafar had been arrested and shut out in the pre-Independence days?

A little idea thrown up, written and published will not turn us to hate other races or start a riot, even if construed as seditious. Instead we need all the ideas we can share and, occasionally think 'out of the box' to build a stronger and a more resilient nation.

Like the young body which needs to get sick occasionally while growing up so it could build up the antibodies to face the more tenacious virus of future years, so too, must Malaysia, in its infancy, be tested with strong words and deeds to prepare future generations for better resilience.

I am stating the obvious, but obviously, every now and then, we need to remind ourselves of the obvious.