05/07/2025

SATURDAY | JULY 5, 2025

18 True currency of legacy M Y sisters and I used to fantasise about receiving an unexpected inheri tance from some long and left behind wealth but no wisdom. Their financial inheritance came with an emotional debt they are still paying.

time you volunteered may have taught others the value of service. If you died tomorrow, what would people say about how you lived? Would they remember your bank balance or your character? Would they talk about what you accumulated or what you contributed? Are you only thinking about leaving something for your spouse and children or have you considered the broader impact of your life? What charities reflect your values? What causes would benefit from your support? The most meaningful inheritances often come from people with modest means but generous hearts. Organise your financial documents and update your will but also consider your emotional estate. What values do you want to pass on? What lessons have you learned that others need to hear? How can you be more intentional about the daily interactions that shape your true legacy? As I prepare for future travels, I am redefining what “getting my affairs in order” means. It is about ensuring that my life creates more kindness, hope and possibility in the world. What legacy are you building? And more importantly, what are you going to do about it? Nahlana T. Kreshnan is a somatic psychotherapist and life and executive coach. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

someone they trusted failed them. These negative legacies can last generations. But I also saw clients who sustained positive legacies – encouraging words that echoed through their minds during difficult times or kindness that taught them how to treat others. You create these emotional inheritances every day, often without realising it. The way you respond when someone makes a mistake, whether you gossip about colleagues or defend them. Your children, friends and co-workers are watching, learning and carrying forward what you model. Beyond family Most people think about legacy in terms of what they are leaving their immediate family. But what about the broader community? Have you considered how your life has touched others outside your family circle? Maybe you have volunteered at a shelter and someone remembered your kindness during their worst moment. Perhaps, you donated to causes that mattered to you, contributing to changes you will never see. Maybe you simply showed up for people – attended funerals, celebrated achievements or offered help without being asked. These actions create legacies too. That charity you support may help someone break the cycle of poverty. The environmental organisation you donated to may preserve something beautiful for future generations. The

Then there are those who received no financial inheritance, yet speak warmly about parents who taught them resilience, kindness and integrity. Which inheritance would you rather receive? Take a moment to think about the people who have influenced your life most profoundly. Was it because they left you money or because they believed in you when you could not believe in yourself? The teacher who saw potential you could not see? The friend who listened without judgement during your darkest hour? The colleague who shared knowledge without expecting anything in return? These people left you something more valuable than assets; they left you change. Emotional portfolio We spend so much time building financial portfolios but what about our emotional ones? When people remember you, what will they say? That you were generous with your time or just your money? That you listened or just lectured? That you lifted them up or knocked them down? I work with clients who come to me carrying wounds from decades ago – harsh words from parents, betrayals by friends, moments when

lost wealthy relative. We would picture ourselves in

black mourning attire – pillbox hats, gloved hands, dabbing tears with lace handkerchiefs – while a stern-faced lawyer read aloud the terms of our windfall. The reality, of course, proved far less cinematic. This childhood fantasy resurfaced recently during a conversation about getting my affairs in order before an upcoming flight. When a friend expressed concern about my morbid planning, I explained my peculiar pre travel ritual. “It is strange”, I admitted, “because I am more likely to die crossing the street than in a plane crash. Yet, something about flying makes mortality feel immediate.” The conversation prompted a deeper reflection. With no children to inherit my modest possessions and no substantial assets to divide, I found myself examining what legacy actually means and what am I actually leaving behind? Most of us think about legacy in terms of wills and bank accounts – who gets the house and how much goes to the children. But what struck me was how people who have inherited millions speak bitterly about parents who were never present, valued money over relationships

Is Zohran New York’s red awakening?

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Stop the round-up of TNRM dogs I AM writing to urge the Petaling Jaya City Council and other municipal councils across Malaysia to halt the practice of capturing stray dogs that are already being cared for under the Trap-Neuter-Release Manage (TNRM) programme in Petaling Jaya and beyond. When City Council removes sterilised dogs, it invalidates months and sometimes years of effort. Every removed dog equals wasted TNRM funding and vanishing trust in local governance. The emotional toll is immeasurable – rescuers grieve for the dogs they see taken, often without transparency on their fates. Moreover, redirecting dogs to shelters such as PAWS, while well intentioned, is not a sustainable solution. These facilities are stretched far beyond capacity.

Ű BY ERIC S. MARGOLIS

THE cry echoes up and down New York City’s crowded streets. Out of nowhere has emerged a malevolent Muslim candidate for mayor named Zohran Mamdani. He is 33-years-old and born in Uganda – a country that was also home to the late Idi Amin. To many horrified New Yorkers, it looks as if he may win. Jewish old-timers on the Upper West Side and Wall Street are having apoplexy, muttering about the Holocaust. President Donald Trump, a fellow New Yorker, calls Zohran a “communist lunatic”. Zohran’s followers have similar unkind thoughts about Trump – who is a long-time foe of most Muslims – unless of course they have oil wells. Zohran has two huge strikes against him. First, he is a Muslim running in the world’s largest Jewish city that venerates Israel. Second, he says he is a “democratic socialist” and pro-Palestinian. Some big New York City (NYC) firms and from Silicon Valley are now trying to ban the word “Palestine” from their internal email – just close your eyes and it will all go away. Zohran, who came to the US in only 2018, calls for free buses, state run supermarkets, price controls and other market handcuffs. Where have I heard of these before? Why in the dear old Soviet Union, that is where! Price controls on everything except for T-52 tanks meant that just about everything else in the bad old USSR was either in crazy short supply or always out of stock. Now young Zohran wants to bring socialist enlightenment to my big city. Even more shocking for many of its citizens, Zohran calls for a Palestinian state and condemns Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians. Zohran does not seem to realise

This approach is not only ineffective but is also disheartening for many local rescuers and caregivers who have devoted their time, energy and personal resources to building a more compassionate and sustainable environment for people and animals. These dogs are not random strays or nuisances – they are part of our neighbourhoods. Many residents know them by name, feed them and have formed bonds, not only with each other but with the community at large. When Petaling Jaya City Council captures these dogs, it is not just about removing animals from the streets, it is about removing their trusted presence that communities have grown to love and protect. Under the TNRM model, dogs are trapped humanely, sterilised, vaccinated and released back into their “home” areas where they pose little threat to public safety. Scientific evidence and global experience show that TNRM helps stabilise and gradually reduce stray populations. Yet, when neutered dogs are caught and removed, it destroys that balance and invites the “vacuum effect” where new unsterilised dogs migrate into the area, restarting the cycle of unchecked breeding and overpopulation. Rescuers and NGOs in Petaling Jaya are not idle onlookers. These individuals have full-time jobs yet still dedicate their evenings, weekends and savings to care for these animals.

Many animals remain confined for years or are euthanised due to space limitations. This should not be the default answer to managing free roaming dogs. Instead, we urge all city councils to recognise the TNRM community as allies. By working in partnership, city councils can formalise cooperation frameworks with registered NGOs, offer municipal support for neutering campaigns and maintain a database of microchipped or tagged TNRM dogs to prevent mistaken captures. Educational outreach programmes and public awareness campaigns can also help dispel myths about strays and promote responsible pet ownership. The continued capture of TNRM managed dogs is not only counterproductive and inhumane, it also jeopardises the soul of a community striving towards compassion and coexistence. Let us not cast aside the volunteers who are offering real solutions. We urge the Petaling Jaya City Council to act in solidarity with these efforts and lead Petaling Jaya towards an ethical and effective model of animal management. David C.E. Tneh Petaling Jaya

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran reacts during a press conference with union leaders and supporters in New York City, US on Wednesday. – REUTERSPIC

horrified by their government’s support of Israel’s massacres in Gaza and then Iran. Americans from coast to coast detested their nation’s complicity in genocide and destruction of Palestine’s cities. Young people across the Western world loudly protested the Palestinian genocide. Draconian repression by the powerful Israel lobby has failed to silence these protests. The crimes in Palestine have shocked the entire world. Americans are starting to understand that their government is increasingly influenced by groups whose first loyalty is not to the US. For a startling example, the Trump administration is just offering Israel yet another US$15 billion (RM64 billion) in arms and cash as the massacre in Gaza continues while American’s health benefits are being slashed by many billions. No wonder Zohran is terrifying New York. Eric S. Margolis is a syndicated columnist. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

that all those Palestinian children being killed by Israeli forces are pre teen “terrorists”. What is wrong with using so called US/Israeli food aid handouts to lure and then kill Palestinians? It is the law of the jungle. What makes this so interesting is that it appears the tired old Democratic Party, so long entrenched in NYC, is showing signs of terminal exhaustion. Its day has come and gone. Muslims, who make up a quarter of the world’s people, are popping up in US Congress and government. Think of the fiery Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from Minnesota. Add the inflammatory Zohran. And who is next? One thing is for sure. The old Democratic Party is crumbling. The final proof was the clumsy election lost by Kamala Harris – a nice lady but without any political charisma. The Democrats were heavily burdened by the widely held view that the party had become a welfare machine for blacks. Just as strong, many right-minded Democrats were