A Little Act of Kindness

Sitting with a little old lady last night, I witnessed something truly extraordinary.

We were talking, and another old lady wandered over, asking how she was getting along. ‘Not long more’, the first lady answers, smiling. ‘Let me wait for you over there,’ the second answers, before moving off to sit a distance out of the way.

Some time elapsed, and the second lady came back. Good-naturedly, she asked, ‘Will it take much longer? If you are I may have to go home first.’

‘Are you going home with your friend? Does she stay close to you?’ I remarked.

‘Oh no, she’s not my friend. I just met her. I was number 2 in the queue and she was number 1. I started talking to her. As I have problems with my eyesight and it is dark, I asked if she minded walking back home with me.’

And once they were both done, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world, they tottered off together, contented with the world.

I was momentarily quiet. The incident speaks for itself, when a simple gesture of kindness, of watching out for your fellow human being is the most natural thing in the world.

Both of these old ladies were just ordinary folk. Neither of them were particularly well-educated, nor could they speak the Lingua Franca of the country. But nor had they any expectations of other people being obliged to help them. No bitterness either for those who had drawn a better lot in life.

And if we are blind to the lesson these two little old ladies teach us, it truly is our loss.

Shoulder to Shoulder

Last week, some of us bore witness to a truly impressive sight.

A fork of lightning lit up the sky behind a rally stage where the Workers’ Party of Singapore. A few stared upwards at the heavens, before raindrops started smacking down. And as those famous blue umbrellas started opening up, I spied a man neatly step sideways to share his umbrella with a complete stranger who stood stubbornly rooted to his spot.

And as we opened up our copy of the Hougang newsletter in a vain attempt to keep our heads dry, a stranger offered to share his umbrella with us. The rain continued to hammer down, but the speakers kept going on, and patiently, people waited as they funnelled into a sheltered spot. No pushing, no shoving.

And while this may be all too abstract, a more concrete expression of what they stood for was shown as Hougang erupted into a huge roar of delight on Saturday night as it appeared that downwards of 150 residents were convinced by promises of better material comforts and tears. The celebrations and euphoria at Block 322 has been more than circulated on the internet and touched many.

This is why Hougang is special. Not because that their residents are freaks when seen on the national stage, but because they understand the principle of looking out for one another. They have something that no amount of fear nor favours nor money can buy.

Armchair analysts and those who think you are listening, you aren’t listening hard enough. Perhaps you are right when you say that some are good to playing to emotions. But have you considered which emotions they play to? That there are those who may be humble, but still see what equality is far better that you do?

Our Roots

The time of the year swings by again for us to visit the final resting places of ones dear to us. It is a time for remembrance, reflection, and to me, gestures that I shall hold them close to me always.

Amidst a backdrop of outrage and resignation over government plans to build a new road through what is said to be the largest cemetery for the Chinese diaspora, we slipped quietly at the break of dawn across a border still shaking off the sleep of the previous night, through a much-changed-but-somehow-still-the-same town we spent our weekends in.

And as the sun beat down with its usual vengeance, we laid out the offerings and did what we had to do. A special shout-out to the sponge cake by S.

And we were joined by a little fellow, with a face so sweet and a tail so joyously wagging that it broke our hearts to see the patches of skin that were bare all over his tiny frame.

I hope he keeps well, despite all the odds beyond him.

And somehow it was touching to see the imagination put into the grave decorations with Alpine tranquility. We take our ability to transport ourselves into these environments so much for granted.

So I felt my thoughts calm as I spared a moment to think of the past, with the excitement of the present and future coming a close second.

A Global Citizen

Recent events have had me thinking about the meaning of nationality. Perhaps it is because I have spent a decent proportion of life feeling a little disconnected, but such questions of how bound up citizenship can be with identity I have always found interesting.

More than one person has spoken to me about their thoughts and concerns about the way sentiment in many parts of the world is going. That like 100 years ago, jingoism and anger seems to be spreading. I sometimes shudder with the ideas and thoughts voiced so matter-of-factly around us these days.

I am not going to go into the rights and wrongs or even the whys, but for every thought that we find ourselves having about an outsider, may I suggest that we think, deep and hard, about just what we meant by that. Because no matter how much we feel we belong, no matter how much we think any particular place is ours, the other person too is human, is someone’s son or wife or friend.

And that brings me to my final point. That no matter where we hail from, how different we act look, think, speak, one thing connects us. We are all inhabitants of this planet. We all call Earth Home. It is all in our interests to think about what sort of place we want inherited by generations to come.

Don't Forget Earth Hour 2012: 31 March 2012, 8.30pm

And with that, we march into the 2nd quarter of this year.

Novelty wears off

Emerging on this end of the tunnel, blinking in the bright lights all of a sudden. Time has really whipped by, where has it gone? Already we are hurtling towards the second quarter of the year.

Therefore we are properly into the thick of things, where the initial fun factors may be wearing a little thin.

What is it that always makes us feel so uncertain, that we need to look for the next better thing? Is it something that is innately human?

And speaking of humans, I never fail to be amazed by human beings. It is a theme that I will unfortunately keep repeating like a broken record I’m afraid, but I am truly both fascinated and addicted to it. I do not know that I can help myself from saying so. Each time I think the limit has been reached, something (or more accurately, someone) will push the boundaries just beyond that. Maybe this would explain my being hopelessly glued to historical narratives of courtly intrigue. Who says academia and history is boring?

But having said all that, there are moments where I sit back and enjoy little simple joys in life. Like when Little Brother pays the bunny a visit in his den.

Life carries on

Wow. I’m tired. For the first time possibly ever, the alarm did not rouse me from my sleep. Perhaps things are indeed catching up with me.

I often try to do too much, to pile my plate so high I can no longer see the bottom. This much I have always known. That relaxation and a blank slate is a luxury to be treasured.

Although this weekend I did hang out with friends old and new. And realised how funny it is in the way us humans connect with each other. That we often get so caught up in the busy everydayness of our lives, that we forget to stop, breathe, and smile over the little things.

It is not unexpected that my postings are taking on decidedly more philosophical slants. But I still think I am trapped between the sage and the wonk, as the terms are so marvellously expressed by a friend.

No, not being e-mo. Just reflecting and looking inwards, trying to make sense of the outer world. And happy that we are still learning, still maturing, still growing.

Respect

I have been thinking a lot about the way we treat others a lot recently. Partly because I’ve had experiences both good and bad that are weighing on my mind rather a lot. Although I highly doubt that anything I say here will be ground-breaking (even in my own randomly wandering thoughts).

And I guess first and foremost it’s the matter of self-respect. How many moments have we spent inwardly cringing at the behaviour of our fellow human-beings as they bow and scrape to another in the position of authority. Perhaps it is me turning my nose up, but the dignity that one affords oneself, no matter what position one is in, surely must rank first and foremost, otherwise how do we look in the mirror every morning and feel happy with ourselves? But would I really be able to muster up all my pride and my self-worth were I to be struggling to put food on my plate? I keep telling myself yes, but really do not know.

Which brings us to the point of how we treats others. Again and again, I have been variously disappointed and then impressed to see various human dramas playing out. And I like to think that I would be fair and respectful towards those who are in positions worse off. After all, a lot of this is just common courtesy, is it not?

I am also questioning at length a lot of my pre-conceptions and thoughts that have crystallised over the years. Perhaps it is because I have been coming out of my cocoon a little bit more these days? Because it is so easy in this society we live in to ignore all that we are not surrounded by.