Always both

I met a guy on the LRT the other day.

He ranted on how the world was going to end, and that there would be many murders by God. He told me and my friend to be careful. All the while, my eyes raked his exterior. Decently dressed, but with aging sneakers; a ring and a gold watch, probably once rich. In a higher income group; an old umbrella, not doing to so well now. I asked, 'Do you have a family?'. 'No.' That explains everything.

I was right. This man used to work in an oil business in America. Before Malaysia, he lived in Singapore. 'The world is coming to an end, bad times for the world these days.' Then he pointed behind us, at the sky. 'Bad', he shook his head. 'It's going to rain.' Wow, he already had an umbrella, I thought.

Also, he kept repeating, 'I'm Catholic,' while motioning to his heart with his right fist. 'I go to church, pray often.' As the train reached Masjid Jamek, suddenly he exclaimed, 'There's my church! See, St John's.' But it was Wesley Methodist Church he was pointing at, I've been there. It's beside MBS. Plus, as the name suggests, that church is Methodist.

He got off just as we did, I looked back, expecting to not find him. Like in the movies, where the angel suddenly dissapears, but he was there, walking in the opposite direction, taking the opposite stairs.

I would have liked to believe that he was a messenger from above. But Hui Ning and I concluded that loneliness and religion sometimes distorts reality. But what if faith was the only thing keeping this man alive? I'm confused.

But the world was never black or white. It's both, always both.