year four
It was in 2005 when I posted in this blog about a visitation to an old lady's house. She was then eighty something, husband wheelchair-bound, living only with him. That was a terrace house, a little bit dilapidated on the outside, but turns out to be ok on the inside. She was collecting cans, masses of them, for a living. Each trash bag of empty cans sells for $10, and that's all she did to pay for her husband's medical bills.
Fours years later I passed by the same house, realizing that I visited that place before, I took steps back to take a look. I saw that same old lady's silhouette, as she was crossing the road, background are car lights. "Hey ma'am, ma'am -runs to her-" she is now at her gate "I visited you 4 years ago, do you remember me?" Of course I don't think she did.
Anyway, after that visitation, I continue walking the private estate, and this house stopped me in its tracks. It was of modern design, beautiful, not the most expensive, but still, potent. They are semi-Ds. One has an E-class, another is a Lexus. Ambient lights, fountains, incandescent lights, aircon, stone walls, marble floors.
So it occured to me: In life we may happen to run too fast to forget and not catch many things happening around us. We are too engrossed with our dreams, targets, aims and goals that we don't stop to look at people in need of a helping hand. It could have been our greatest aims to earn our first million, but there are people dropping by along the way whose babies can't make their first year, people who never know if they can see the sun rise again.
So slow down, slow down down down.
Labels: charity
Y-camp
I like to do reflections a few days after my events so i don't forget them.
From the 5th to the 8th June, i've been devoting myself to pro-bonoism, volunteering in a camp for the intellectually disabled. As much as I gave them, I felt that the roles of beneficiary-mentor are reversed. What i've learnt from them, is far more than they did from me.
My benefactor was this 38 year old salesman who ISN'T mentally disabled. He sells objects of art made by the disabled. What strikes me, besides his thin-ness, is his optimistic and openness towards life. He seemed to find something to be happy about in every seemingly ugly picture in life. While we are fiery and passionate, he was just so optimistic. And it lets me to confirm, that happiness is found within one's own outlook to life; one is only unfortunate if he sees himself to be. Though he was born normal, and had his nervous system wrecked due to fever, thus losing control of his feel and fingers, he never showed a gloomy face, always there to enlighten, and well, he was kinda like sidharta.
But however, taking care of him was hard, and i get my first glimpse to taking care of these people. A toilet business could easily take 20-30 minutes. Showering takes 40 minutes. And then i really respected his family members for taking so good care of him, and lets me introspect the basics, the importance and the meaning of charity.
What is it? Is it organizing the camp well and make sure everything goes smoothly? Or is it trully caring for each other and the beneficiaries with all your might and all your heart? Will we be able to carry this out out of the camp? this is what led to my deep self-reflection and introspection.
I hate to further elaborate on how fortunate I am, to even have 4 limbs, to even have an eccentric and complex mind, and furthermore, would aspire for great heights in dance. Sometimes I miss out the preciously simple things in life contrasting with my oblivious and ignorant conscience.
Who am I to say that I dream, for the efforts I put in to my aspirations isn't worth a mustard seed they worked for their lives?Should I be more altruistic? I pray hard.
Labels: charity, resolutions
