Daily Lessons from Life 09 January 2010

"Togo team mulls Nations Cup pull out after gun attack - Sat, Jan 09, 2010 AFP

LUANDA (AFP) - Togo's football team would decide Saturday whether to pull out of the African Nations Cup after hooded gunmen ambushed their vehicle killing the driver and injuring nine, the squad's captain said.

African football officials were also due in Angola's restive Cabinda enclave to review security and probe the circumstances surrounding the deadly attack."

This is very silly and tragic! Football is the beautiful game as some famous world class players so poetically said in the past. This is not what it meant to be. Losing life due to a game is ridiculous and incomprehensible. Yet, combatants in an internal conflict decided to take aim at these innocent and defenseless footballers and made them part of the conflict!

Lessons for me are:

1. in a war, nothing is impossible. No matter how cruel and how silly it may be. It is really 'play at your own risk!' situation;

2. if the attack has achieved the 'right' publicity wanted by the rebels, fine. At the same time if it backfired, it is really a waste of innocent life. I hope this attack will draw widespread condemnation by EVERYONE so that it will backfire!;

3. if I were the captain, I will withdraw the team from the tournament. Some may said the attackers have achieved their aim but it does not really matter as life is more precious. Damned the tournament. That may fired the supporters to condemn the attackers and maybe see that killing innocent and defenseless sportsmen is just not acceptable.

May the dead driver rest in peace and the injured players recovered well.