Cholesterol, Oxidative Stress, and Cardiovascular Disease - Why Only LDL Cholesterol is "Bad"

 

Ir. CK Cheong an engineer friend of mine asked me this question two days ago:

"Why do doctors still prescribe statins after Harvard researcher Dr. Kilmer McCully found no relationship between high cholesterol and heart disease, and recently, 17 doctors from across the world say to stop prescribing statins?

Can we get a clear answer please. Thank you in advance. 

(Kilmer S. McCully joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in 1965 and was Chief Pathologist)

I have already written many articles about cholesterol and heart disease.

Here are just two of them: 

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Does cholesterol cause heart disease?

Here  are just two of them.

1. https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=Cholesterol+does+not+cause+heart+disease+&m=1L

Saturday, December 16, 2023

2. https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2023/12/more-on-cholesterol-and-coronary-heart.html

Cholesterol per sec has been shown in numerous well-designed large scale studies does not cause coronary arterial disease. However, the only the low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol)  may be a bit of a problem.

 Here is why. 

I have written this for both the lay readers, and for medical and scientific professionals 

 Title:

Cholesterol, Oxidative Stress, and Cardiovascular Disease:

Why LDL Harms, Why HDL Protects, and How Chemistry, Biology, and Lifestyle Intersect

by:  

lim ju boo, alias lin ru wu (林 如 武)

 

Summary for Lay and Non-Technical Readers

 

Cholesterol is often misunderstood and unfairly blamed as the direct cause of heart disease. In reality, cholesterol is an essential substance required for life. It forms part of every cell membrane, contributes to hormone production, helps digest fats, and supports many vital biological processes. The problem is not cholesterol itself, but how it is carried in the blood and how it behaves chemically inside the body.

Cholesterol travels through the bloodstream attached to particles called lipoproteins. The two most important are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL is commonly referred to as “bad cholesterol” because it carries cholesterol from the liver to body tissues. When there is too much LDL, excess cholesterol can accumulate in the walls of arteries. More importantly, LDL is chemically fragile and can be damaged by free radicals—unstable molecules produced by normal metabolism, smoking, pollution, poor diet, and chronic inflammation. When LDL is damaged in this way, it becomes oxidized and highly dangerous to blood vessels.

Oxidized LDL is no longer recognized by the body’s normal clearance mechanisms. Instead, immune cells within artery walls ingest it uncontrollably, forming fatty deposits that gradually narrow arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

HDL, often called “good cholesterol,” performs the opposite function. It removes excess cholesterol from artery walls and transports it back to the liver for elimination. HDL also carries natural antioxidant enzymes that help prevent LDL from becoming oxidized in the first place. For this reason, higher HDL levels, generally 60 mg/dL or above, are associated with a lower cardiovascular risk.

Lifestyle choices strongly influence these processes. Diets high in refined sugar and white flour reduce HDL and worsen cholesterol balance. In contrast, diets rich in olive oil, fish, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and soluble fiber improve cholesterol handling and reduce oxidative damage. Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking significantly increase HDL and improve its protective function.

While medications such as statins can lower LDL cholesterol effectively, they do not replace the broad biological benefits of a healthy lifestyle and nutrition. Drugs may be necessary in selected high-risk individuals, but they should not substitute for natural, health-protective behaviors.

 

Scientific Discussion for Clinicians, Biomedical Scientists, Biochemists, Nutritionists, Dieticians and Allied Health Care Professionals

 

Cardiovascular disease is increasingly recognized as a disorder not merely of cholesterol concentration but of lipoprotein quality, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. Low-density lipoprotein derives its atherogenicity primarily from its susceptibility to oxidative modification rather than its cholesterol content alone. Native LDL particles consist of a lipid core rich in cholesterol esters and triglycerides, surrounded by phospholipids and a single apolipoprotein, ApoB-100. Under physiological and pathological conditions characterized by increased reactive oxygen species, LDL undergoes oxidative modification affecting both its lipid and protein components.

Oxidative modification alters the conformation of ApoB-100, rendering LDL unrecognizable to classical LDL receptors and impairing hepatic clearance. The resulting oxidized LDL is instead taken up by macrophages via scavenger receptors that lack feedback regulation. Progressive uptake leads to foam cell formation, which constitutes the earliest visible lesion of atherosclerosis and establishes the lipid core of atherosclerotic plaques. This process has been repeatedly demonstrated as a critical initiating event in atherogenesis.

The chemical susceptibility of LDL to oxidation is strongly influenced by the degree of unsaturation of its constituent fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids contain multiple carbon–carbon double bonds, creating bis-allylic hydrogen atoms that are particularly prone to abstraction by free radicals. This initiates lipid peroxidation chain reactions, generating lipid hydroperoxides and secondary reactive aldehydes such as malondialdehyde, which further modify ApoB-100 and amplify inflammatory signaling within the vascular wall.

In contrast, saturated fatty acids contain only single bonds and are comparatively resistant to oxidative attack. Monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, contain a single double bond and exhibit substantially greater oxidative stability than polyunsaturated species. LDL particles enriched in monounsaturated fats demonstrate reduced susceptibility to oxidation, providing a biochemical rationale for the cardioprotective effects observed with diets rich in olive oil and similar lipid sources.

High-density lipoprotein exerts its protective effects through multiple mechanisms extending well beyond reverse cholesterol transport. HDL facilitates cholesterol efflux from macrophages and peripheral tissues via ATP-binding cassette transporters and scavenger receptor class B type 1, returning cholesterol to the liver for conversion to bile acids and eventual excretion. Additionally, HDL carries antioxidant and anti-inflammatory enzymes, including paraoxonase-1 and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase, which neutralize lipid peroxides and inhibit LDL oxidation.

It is now evident that HDL functionality is at least as important as HDL concentration. Under conditions of excessive oxidative stress, HDL itself may become structurally and functionally impaired, losing its anti-atherogenic properties and, in some contexts, becoming pro-inflammatory. This underscores the importance of metabolic health, antioxidant balance, and lifestyle factors in preserving HDL quality.

Dietary influences play a central role in modulating these processes. High consumption of refined sugar and white flour products has been shown to lower HDL levels and worsen lipid profiles, observations presciently highlighted by John Yudkin early in the 1960's. 

(Professor Dr John Yudkin, BA (Cambridge), 

MBBCh (Cambridge), MD (Cambridge),  FRCP (London), PhD (Cambridge), FRSC (London) was my professor at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London when I was doing my postgraduate under him). 

In contrast, diets emphasizing monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids from fish, soluble fiber from legumes and fruits, and antioxidant-rich plant foods improve HDL levels, enhance LDL resistance to oxidation, and reduce systemic inflammation. Tropical fruits commonly consumed in Malaysia, including guava, papaya, mango, passion fruit, bananas, dragon fruit, and soursop, provide soluble fiber and polyphenols that favorably influence lipid metabolism.

Physical activity remains one of the most effective non-pharmacological interventions for increasing HDL concentration and improving HDL functionality. Smoking cessation, modest weight loss, and metabolic control further augment these benefits. Although moderate alcohol intake has been associated with higher HDL levels, it should not be recommended as a therapeutic strategy.

Pharmacological interventions, particularly statins, effectively reduce LDL cholesterol and are widely prescribed, including atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin, pravastatin, lovastatin, and fluvastatin. While generally well-tolerated, statins are associated with a spectrum of adverse effects ranging from myalgia and gastrointestinal symptoms to rare but serious complications such as rhabdomyolysis and hepatic dysfunction. Mild increases in blood glucose and reversible cognitive complaints have also been reported. Consequently, statin therapy should be individualized, carefully monitored, and viewed as complementary to rather than a substitute for lifestyle and nutritional interventions.

In conclusion, cardiovascular disease reflects a complex interplay between lipid chemistry, oxidative stress, inflammation, and lifestyle. LDL becomes pathogenic primarily through oxidative modification, whereas HDL confers protection through cholesterol efflux and antioxidant activity. Strategies that reduce oxidative burden, improve lipid composition, and preserve HDL function provide a biologically coherent and clinically sound approach to cardiovascular prevention.

 

Selected References

 

Steinberg D. The LDL oxidation hypothesis of atherogenesis. Circulation.
Parthasarathy S et al. Oxidized LDL and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Annual Review of Medicine.
Yudkin J. Pure, White and Deadly.

Esterbauer H et al. Chemistry and biochemistry of lipid peroxidation. Free Radical Biology & Medicine.
Barter P et al. HDL cholesterol and cardiovascular events. New England Journal of Medicine.
Libby P. Inflammation in atherosclerosis. Nature

The Brevity of Human Life

  “The Brevity of Human Life in the Vastness of Cosmic Time.”

A friend of mine sent me this in a WhatsApp chat (in dark blue) 

 

*In the End, We Are All Stardust* 

 

 Every generation asks the same questions: Where did we come from? How did life begin? What is our place in the vast Universe?

Today, science gives us answers that are not only rational but unexpectedly beautiful.

The Universe began in a moment of unimaginable energy, the *Big Bang,* nearly 14 billion years ago. From that first expansion, came galaxies, stars, and eventually building blocks of everything we see. 

When a star died in a brilliant explosion, it scattered the elements that one day would form our Sun, our Earth, and every living being. It is a humbling thought: the iron flowing through our blood was forged in the heart of a long-vanished star.

Approximately, 4.6 billion years ago, Earth emerged from a swirling cloud of cosmic dust, cooling into oceans that would nurture the earliest forms of life. From the silent chemistry of those ancient waters, life gained a foothold; and through the slow, steady  power of evolution, the planet blossomed into the astonishing diversity we witness today. This narrative is not just science; it is a reminder of our profound connection to the Universe, and to one another. In an age where division seems easier than understanding the knowledge that we all share the same cosmic origin, should bring us closer, not drive us apart.

When we say we are children of stardust, it is not a metaphor; it is a scientific truth, and a philosophical awakening. It tells us that *no race, religion, caste, or background makes one human superior to another.* We all began in the same cosmic fire, and we all depend on the same fragile planet to survive. Recognizing this shared heritage is more important than ever. 

 

As we face climate change, conflict, and rising social fragmentation, we must remember that Earth is the only home stardust has ever known to become conscious. Protecting it is not an option, it is an obligation.

 

Our common story of born in light, shaped by Earth, and carried forward by humanity should be a source of unity. It reminds us that we are part of something far greater, yet equally responsible for the small world we inhabit. In the end, we come from the stars, and if we choose wisely, our future can shine just as brightly.

 

 As we measure the age of the Universe, we are measuring the limits of our own understanding, for the cosmos is older or younger than we think, the true mystery lies not in its years, but in the endless wonder it awakens in us.

 *Raju* 

 ---------------------------------

Here is my answer to Raju

 

Thank you for this article. I have alright mentioned we are made from stardust.  I wrote that on Saturday, December 28, 2024. 

Read the details in this paragraph 

 

"The Stardust Connection and the Formation of Life" in this link here written by me. 

 

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=Stardust+&m=1

 

We are actually made of star dusts from another world through a supernova explosion of a star, its dusts that landed up as the soil of this earth from which God made us.

Whether or not we originated  through a supernova explosion of a distant star, our brevity of existence here in this world is humbling.

Both the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare frequently use evocative metaphors such as shadows, mist, and theatrical stages to describe the fleeting nature of human existence.

Biblical Verses on the Brevity of Life

The Bible often emphasizes life's transience to encourage spiritual wisdom and reliance on God. Key verses include:

James 4:14: "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes".

Psalm 144:4: "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow".

Psalm 90:10: "The years of our life are seventy... they are soon gone, and we fly away".

Psalm 90:12: "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom".

Other verses using imagery like grass, flowers, or a weaver's shuttle also highlight the brevity of life.

Shakespearean Quotes on the Brevity of Life

Shakespeare’s characters often reflect on the short, "dream-like" quality of life, particularly in his tragedies and later plays. Notable quotes include:

Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5): "Out, out, brief candle! / Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more".

The Tempest (Act 4, Scene 1): "We are such stuff / As dreams are made on; and our little life / Is rounded with a sleep".

Henry IV Part 1 (Act 5, Scene 2): "O gentlemen, the time of life is short! / To spend that shortness basely were too long".

Several other plays contain lines emphasizing life's shortness or comparing it to a stage performance.

Other Notable Literary Quotes

Seneca observed that life is not inherently short but is made so by our choices and wastefulness.

John Green suggested that lives are made up of a finite set of moments.

Marcus Aurelius emphasized the importance of focusing on one's inner state rather than external events, often interpreted in the context of life's brevity  

Let me illustrate this in another way: 

If 1,000 years, 10,000 years, 1 million, 1 billion, and 1 trillion years were each represented as one day, then how many seconds would 100 years of our life last in each of these scales?

Here’s the answer through a calculation. We simply treat:

100 years (scaled seconds) = (100 ÷ X) × 86400 seconds

where X is the number of real years represented by one day.

 

Results are: 

If a100 years is scaled down  to one  day, then 100 years of our lives last only for 8,640 seconds 

	1,000 years is 2 hours 24 minutes
	10,000 years is 864 seconds (14 minutes 24 seconds)
	1,000,000 years is 8.64 seconds
	1,000,000,000 years (1 billion) is 0.00864 seconds (8.64 milliseconds)
	1,000,000,000,000 years (1 trillion) is 0.00000 864 seconds (8.64 milliseconds)

This beautifully shows how tiny 100 years becomes when we place it against vast cosmic timescales

On a 1-billion-year-per-day scale, all of human history is a fraction of a blink.

On a trillion-year-per-day scale, an entire human lifetime is just 8.64 microseconds, far shorter than the time it takes to snap our fingers.

That realization  how incredibly short our earthly life is when contrasted with cosmic time is both humbling, heartfelt  and profound to me.

1. A human life to me is a breath in cosmic time. Even if a person lives a full 100 years, on the scale of Earth’s age (4.54 billion years), the universe’s age (13.8 billion years), or the trillion-year future predicted for the cosmos our entire lifetime becomes a flicker of light, a moment so brief it can hardly be measured.

2. Yet that short life can change the world. Paradoxically, even though our lifespan is tiny, a single human being can transform millions of lives, a single discovery can shape centuries, and a single act of compassion, love and charity can echo far beyond our death. This, to me  is the mystery and beauty of human existence. Our time is short, but our influence can be eternal.

3. Spiritual perspective (with the tone of spiritual thinking I like)

When I see  a 100 years

of life becomes 8.64 milliseconds on a cosmic scale, it reminds me of verses like:

“For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by.”

(Psalm 90:4)

Let me illustrate the brevity of life in another way. 

Image a calendar with leaves of each day on it. Consider how the leaves of days become less and less on the calendar as each leaf is torn away from it with each passing day. This is the same as the leaves of our lives being shortened with each passing day till nothing is left on the calendar of our lives. 

As I write this we have now less than 5  hours left towards another New Year - 2026. This evening is the last  leaf in this present calendar,  soon being torn away, similar to the life of  everybody in this world into a new calendar of their lives after midnight. 

Human life is brief, but in that briefness, something precious is given to us:

Purpose, love, curiosity, the ability to create, discover, heal, and think, and to share our thoughts  with others - things no other creature on Earth can do. Would you share your thoughts  with me? 

In 1 Corinthians 13:13 it tells us:

" And now these three remain: 

faith, hope and love. But the greatest of

these is love (charity)" 

4. Why does this thought moves me?

It is because it awakens me into two deep truths:

1. Humility:
We are tiny compared to the universe.

2. Sacredness:
Despite our smallness, our lives matter immensely. 

This thought touches countless patients, students, and friends, the impact remains long after the seconds of our life have passed.

It is a beautiful thought for me at least that I may share with anyone, whether he or she are highly learned and intellectual research scientists, university professors, teachers, or are medical specialists, ordinary medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, theologians, students, or just simple lay, but gentle readers here in my blog, provided they understand what I write, accept truths, be appreciative and be thankful.

For further reading please click to this link on:

"Seventy: The Narrow Bridge Between Time and Eternity"

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2025/12/seventy-narrow-bridge-between-time-and.html

Remembering a Time When We Were Simply Malaysians

 

 

I received a letter written by Admad Shauki through WhatsApp group. Here is what he wrote:  

 WHAT DO MALAYS THINK ABOUT THEIR PRIVILEGES OVER OTHER MALAYSIANS IN MALAYSIA?

by Ahmad Shauki

 "I am a Malay and a Muslim. My father was Malay. His fore parents were Malays. My mother was a Malay and her fore parents were Malays. I was born in January 1955 in a village in rural Kedah. The only economic activity within the village was related to farming and rubber-tapping. I began schooling when I was 7 in 1962. At that time there were 4 mediums of teaching in Malaya - Malay, English, Chinese or Tamil. In my hometown, there were Malay Primary Schools and Chinese Primary Schools. There was no Tamil Primary School in my hometown Yan Kedah. At that time there was no Secondary School in Yan Kedah. We went to a Primary School for 6 years. After Primary 6 we would enter Secondary 1 for 5 years. At the end of Form 5 we would sit for Senior Cambridge exams. Upon passing the Exams we would enter Form 6 for 2 years. We would sit for the Higher School Certificate Exam, something equivalent to the British A-Level. Passing the Higher School Certificate we would be able to enter the one and only university around, the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. At this University at that time the only medium of instruction was English. I can proudly tell everyone at that time our Standards of Education was truly very high. At that time almost everyone who sat for the Senior Cambridge Exams were fluent in English. When I was growing up we (the Malays) never considered ourselves ‘Bumiputra’ and we never considered the others (Chinese or Indians) as Non-Bumiputraa. At that time we considered everyone human beings. We were equals! My family was poor. Our house was next to a thick tropical jungle at the foothills of Gunung Jerai, which was known as Kedah Peak. Our neighbour was a Chinese family. My parents were rubber-tappers and our neighbours Ah Theik and his wife and children were farmers. They grew vegetables and sold their produce to vegetable-sellers in the small town. Ah Theik had a son, Ah Seng. He was a year older than I was. Everyday we walked about 1.5 km to town, our Primary Schools were adjacent to each other. At that time everyone walked. A bicycle was a luxury. A motorbike was a trophy. A car was more than a luxury. There were no Indians in Yan (my hometown) because there were no rubber estates. There were not so many Chinese in Yan because there was no tin mine in Yan. There were no ‘True Malays' in Yan or the whole country at the time when I was a small boy. I never knew I was a ‘Bumiputra' at that time. My father's family was immigrants from Thailand. His foreparents were immigrants from Yemen. My mother’s family were immigrants from Aceh, Indonesia. We (Malaysians) are all immigrants. Dr Mahathir who is the ‘Mostest Purest Malay Racist’ is an Indian-Muslim. His father was an immigrant from Kerala, India. Most Chinese in Malaysia have their parents who were immigrants from China. Majority of the Chinese in Melaka were immigrants from China. Their foreparents migrated to Melaka even before Mahathir’s great-greater-greatest- greatest plus grandparents were born in Kerala. Mahathir was born in Kedah, his father was an Indian immigrant and he is the ‘Mostest Purest Ultra’est’ Malay but a Chinese from Melaka whose first foreparents were born in Melaka before 1511 AD (the Portuguese attacked and conquered Melaka in 1511) are not Bumiputra ? Why ? Vernacular Colonisation. Malaysians were divided into ‘Bumiputra' and ‘Non-Bumiptra’ in order for Malaysia to be recolonise by a tiny group of mentally retarded inbred ‘Bumiputra'’ to colonise Malaysia. For me Malaysia would be the Richest Country in this World without the New Economic Policy. UiTM should be opened to all Malaysians. Beginning 1980 when Ka-Tun Mahashit was elected the Prime Minister of Malaysia the NEW ECONOMIC POLICY WAS USED TO LEGALISE CORRUPTIONS AND ROBBERIES OF NATIONAL ASSETS. CONSTRUCTION WORKS WERE AWARDED TO MALAY MILLIONAIRES AT GROSSLY INSULTING PRICES IN THE NAME OF ‘NEW ECONOMIC POLICY’ In 1970 the NEW ECONOMIC POLICY was formulated to ‘distribute the Wealth of our Country more evenly and to abolish extreme poverty within THE BUMIPUTRA GROUP. AWARDING GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS AT SKYROCKETTED PRICES TO MALAY MULTI-MILLIONAIRES DO NOTHING TO THE POOR MALAYS.

UMNO TALK ABOUT ‘BUMIPUTRA’ THE SENOI, JAKUNS, AND ALL THE ORANG ASLI ARE BUMIPUTRAS. HAVE THESE GROUPS OF MALAYSIANS BEEN GIVEN ANYTHING ? WHAT I KNOW IS - ‘RICH MULTI-MILLIONAIRES FROM UMNO WERE GIVEN LICENCES TO CUT LOGS IN THE FORESTS AND AS USUAL THE RICH UMNO MULTI-MILLIONAIRES SOLD HIS LICENCES TO SOME RICHER/POORER CHINESE LOGGERS. THE NEW ECONOMIC POLICY WAS USED BY CORRUPTED GREEDY UMNO POLITICIANS TO ROB THIS COUNTRY LEGALLY. UITM WAS USED TO BREED MEDIOCRITY AND PUNISH EXCELLENCE.

The downfall of this beautiful country is by Malays' themselves". 

 

Below the dotted line is my comment and reply in blue to Admad Shauki. I share my united Malaysians experience when I was in school. 

 

 ---------------------

Remembering a Time When We Were Simply Malaysians

by J. B. Lim

I write this as a personal reflection shaped by memory rather than ideology. Having read the views expressed by Ahmad Shauki, I find many of his observations are the same as mine  with my own lived experience growing up in Malaysia during the 1950s and 1960s.

I was born and raised in Batu Pahat, Johor, and attended High School Batu Pahat before continuing my studies in Singapore for my A-Levels, and later in India and England for university. During my secondary school years, English was the medium of instruction, as it was in many institutions at the time. Yet beyond language, what stood out most was the spirit in which students related to one another. The only language we used irrespective of our races  was  English - the universal language of education and media of instruction that also united us.

In school, my Malay, Chinese, and Indian classmates did not see themselves primarily through racial or religious identities. We regarded one another simply as classmates and friends, - as Malaysians. Our Malay classmates were Ahmad, Abu Bakar or Ali, our Chinese friends were Ah Seng, Ah Bah and Ah Leng, and our Indian classmates were usually Muttu, Doraisamy or Arumugam.  Differences in background were acknowledged naturally, but they did not define relationships or limit friendships. There was no sense of separation or hierarchy, only a shared sense of belonging.

Our lives were richly intertwined. We studied, played, and celebrated together. Festive seasons like  Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, and Christmas  were occasions for visiting one another’s homes in mixed groups, sharing food, conversation, and laughter. During each other festivals we would dressed in new clothes and came in mixed groups of all races - Malays, Chinese and Indians to visit each of our classmate homes where we would eat and drink freely with joy  with happiness and laughter.  Sensitivities were respected instinctively, but there was no anxiety or awkwardness. These gatherings were expressions of genuine friendship rather than deliberate acts of “inter-racial harmony”.

School sports days reflected the same spirit. Loyalty was directed towards house colours — Raffles (red), Ibrahim (brown), Abu Bakar (green), Gallimard (blue), and Monteiro (yellow)  — not ethnicity. We cheered one another on irrespective of race enthusiastically, valuing effort, teamwork, and sportsmanship above all else.

Outside school, life was equally communal. In those days, Johor observed Fridays and Saturdays as weekends, with schooling on Sundays. On free days, groups of friends — Malays, Chinese, and Indians  would cycle together to Minyak Beku 6 miles away  by the sea. We swam, shared simple meals such as nasi lemak that was only 10 cents per packet and  F&N soft drinks, and returned home cycling together in groups, tired but happy. These were uncomplicated joys, rooted in friendship and mutual trust.

As the years passed, Malaysian society evolved, shaped by complex historical, political, and social forces. Gradually, race and religion became more visible markers in public life, and some of the easy social mixing that once felt natural became less common. Places that were once shared by all communities began to reflect more segmented patterns of interaction.

Even so, personal relationships often continued to transcend these broader changes. Over the decades, I have shared meals and celebrations with friends of different races and reglious backgrounds, always marked by respect and goodwill. These moments affirmed my belief that at the personal level, Malaysians remain capable of deep mutual understanding when guided by friendship rather than fear.

This reflection is not written in criticism, nor as a longing for the past at the expense of the present. Rather, it is a quiet remembrance of a time when unity was lived rather than discussed, and trust was assumed rather than negotiated. If there is a lesson to be drawn, it may simply be this: the bonds that once connected us were formed through daily human interaction — through shared experiences, kindness, and respect.

Such bonds are not relics of history.  They are values that can still be nurtured, patiently and sincerely, for the generations to come.