The Seladang 1971

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Considering man's many probes into the world of the unknown we might surmise that much of the world has been explored already. Yet this idea would instantly dissolve if your mind concentrates on the fact that science can open new frontiers of adventure. In its place a shroud of mystery provides us with a new and refreshing challenge. Let there be will power and determination in man. If these human qualities can be acquired, the journey into adventure will continue to beckon us - summoning all our energies and efforts.

Our conscience and mind dictate adventure as centred upon traversing ledges or manoeuvring on the crests of the Everest or, for that matter, any unusual activity demanding raw courage and skill. Adventures of this nature have occurred through the centuries backed by mere curiosity and bravery. Now it has become startlingly clear that the perimeter of adventure is not so limited. Hence it is necessary to swerve from our deep-seated notions and redefine the frontiers of adventure - widen its horizons - to provide man with still many more opportunities.

To begin with, three-quarters of the earth's surface is salt water. The depths of the oceans provide a mystery that few can unravel. Its great store of marine life and haven of natural resources can never really be understood and fathomed. Therefore, it sounds plausible that the Seven Seas will assume the role of rectifying the shortage of food and raw materials in the future. Already man has wandered into the depths of oceans on many occasions. Deep sea divers in bulky steel-encased suits are lowered into the deep to open up oil-prospecting grounds. Bathyscaphs and bathyspheres are machines reaching for greater depths where sunlight is absent and bizarre fish dart around in the darkness with innate illumination.

Beyond this frontier, man's knowledge of the "vast deep" comes almost to a halt. In spite of this he has dispelled any speculation that he will reach a respite. At all costs he will proceed with an intensified research programme. So far seaweed has been recognised as a rich organic food containing fats, proteins, carbohydrates and other plant food, and is a promising raw material for industry.

The pressure and upthrust of water, perhaps the most nerve-racking problems in this endeavour, have since been overcome. And yet there is always a scope for evolving new theories and conclusions, each adding on to the ultimate goal of extracting resources from the sea. Indeed, oceanography provides one of the greatest adventures to man, next to space technology, in the many offshore laboratories, especially in Florida and California.

Towering inexorably above a land traversed by gorges and interspersed by a few signs of vegetation, some of the highest uplands in the world are found. The Tibetan Plateau best epitomizes the impact of mountainous terrain, providing the headwaters for four of the world's greatest rivers. Research workers have envisaged the feasibility of harnessing the power of the water in their upper courses, where they plummet to form waterfalls, swirl through rapids and slice through gorges. Besides this great accumulation of hydroelectric power, this attempt could be used to regulate river waters: to overcome floods and to churn up profitable agricultural pastures. Of late, man has acted upon a more diversified line in the middle courses of rivers. The fishes have been diverted into natural depressions to exploit their reproductivity with new spawning techniques in the hope of feeding Asia's starving millions. This great but silent adventure rages on. It is perhaps the most far-sighted scheme ever to expose the resources that lie in the mountains and the great waterways that pass through them.

Meanwhile, in both hot and cold deserts, another great adventure goes on. Oil rigs and derricks are rising in prolific abundance in the Sahara, Arabia and Alaska. In what was recorded as the largest source of petroleum ever discovered in North America, men from virtually every oil company of stature in the United States have flocked to Alaska's North Slope to bid for leaseholds. The oil hunt has also seen the influx of peoples from the surrounding areas, comprising the labour force required in the oil fields and refineries. Men have braved the biting cold and tearing blizzards. With the thaw, the land has been turned into a huge quagmire, infested with mosquitoes. Ice sheets break off and flow through a country, which, if not for the precious liquid found in it, would support only stunted bushes, lichens and perhaps some wild life.

On the other hand, under the broiling equatorial sun, men pit their energies in the many oil refineries and wells that rise above the desert sands. This rugged country, with the chill of the howling night wind and the shrill whipping sandstorms, is comparable to the other great adventure in the cold Arctic and Antarctic wastes.

Man began his life in this world with inspired thoughts, in search for adventure and greater understanding of the world around him. And with faith he must advance step by step. There is no haphazard hit-or-miss method to succeed. It has to be achieved by meticulous planning, sweat and toil. Only then can the fruits of his adventures be channelled to productive ends.

   I shed bitter tears for
old love letters
for long-forgotten moments
   of childhood and innocence
   I shed bitter tears
for times like this,
   When I can touch you
   and cherish you
and know that such moments
are transient
   and afraid
   that loneliness
   will fill my lonely moments.
For humanity,
   I cry aloud and bitter
   for they cannot see my tears
they cannot feel my sorrow
   Love is strong
   I love you
and I love the world
for love veils my eyes
   from pain and death.
   For such temporary respites
I cling
   With every tear I shed
with every breath I breathe
I cling to you
   and cannot let you go
   for loneliness is
      strange and cold.