Last minute attempt to be happy

Yes, this will be another post on the latest death penalty saga. Let’s now talk about the late Andrew Chan. I’m not gonna lecture you about the pro/cons of death penalty nor the crimes that led him to the shooting range. I wanted to talk about one (of the many things) that broke me: how love prevails even in the darkest hours.

Andrew was arrested in 2005 for drug smuggling, and so on, you must’ve heard the story by now. In 2012, he met Feby, an Indonesian pastor, when she was visiting the jail where Andrew was located. Their friendship grew and they began a relationship in early 2014. After his clemency appeal was denied by President Jokowi, Andrew proposed to Feby. They got married one day before the execution date. And as you know, Andrew is very much dead now. Read the touching story here. 

I know what you think: so what? She had it coming. That’s what I thought, like why the hell you got involved in that relationship in the first time? Why did you get married one day before he was gonna get killed? For heaven’s sake, this is not A Walk To Remember.

Then it hit me. You cant choose who you fall in love with. “Good and nice people are hard to find, that’s why when you find them, you stick with them,” my dear friend once told me during our late night talk.

And then, people are crazy. “We’d like to think that people are rational, but they are not,” the big boss, Maria Ressa, said. People do stupid shit they might regret later on, and no one is perfect. Everyone comes with a huge baggage behind them (I know I do), so I guess, if you’re lucky enough to find someone willing to share that baggage, then you do whatever it takes to hold on to that, right? 

People are irrational, especially when it comes to feelings, and nobody can claim what is right or wrong to do. Read my stupid thoughts from 2013 on the same thing here. 

Well, rest in peace now, Andrew. And Feby, stay strong.