The old lady on the bus
I was on this SBS bus.. a couple of months back.. It was quite a crowded bus and this old lady (around 70 years old) was standing with an umbrella in front of me... The bus suddenly came to a jerky stop... everyone standing including me (taekwondo exponent training 5 days a week) stumbled... and I actually stumbled on that old lady... and she was the only person the bus who did not stumble at all.. she stood steady as a rock...
The old man with the cans
Was waiting for bus 86 after sportsteam training one day... just about 1 month back... I saw this old man... with a bag of collected used aluminium drinking cans... He was about 60 years old.. and had really skinny limbs.... He took out the cans.. and systematically and neatly arranged the cans in a straight row... then taking a hammer from his bicycle (which had a plastic basket mounted behind it)... he hammered the cans one by one.. in sequence and reloaded them into his trash bag.. which he neatly placed back into the bicycle basket... Next.. he had to mount his bike.. but there was no proper mounting platform nearby.. So... he hopped a little then in a split of a second displayed remarkable agility by mounting his bike in one swift movement... then he cycled off...
The old lady with the heavy bags
This is the most amazing of all the stories... I just gave tuiton at Hougang.. It was around 10 plus 11 PM... I was walking to the bus stop when I saw this old lady... carrying two huge (bue red white PVC bags) of things... the bags look so so so heavy... The old lady was very very very old (70 plus 80).. and hunched back.. but she was carrying this very heavy bags.. waiting to cross the road... Of course I went to offer her help.. but she said.. its ok... that she can make it on her own.. then she very steadily walked across the road ON HER OWN... My goodness... my eyes almost popped out...
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The purpose of me telling you these three stories is not to show you how terrible Singaporean kids are to abandon their aged parents... It is to show you what life teaches people.. and how old people have grasp that lesson so well that
- They are very independent.. None of the three people asked or wanted help... They planned each and every movement perfectly so that they could to it entirely on their own.
- They don't expect pity. They don't expect anyone to love them.
- They don't pity themselves.
- They do amazing things.. Because they want to and know what they must do to survive...
Sorts of reminds you of the old lady in Madagascar beating up the lions eh? Hahaha... thing is... I am totally amazed as well as heart broken...
It is alright to see old ladies looking vulnerable and walking around with a walking stick... requring assistance to do board buses.. to get around... to visit doctors.. but when I see old folks having this drive to survive... it just pains me because somehow I relate to it...
At some point of time.. you begin to learn some lessons you never ever have to... To know that however pathetic you feel.. you have to ignore all that pain and survive... and self-pity doesn't help.. Because society is so uncompassionate.. you have to depend only on yourself... It is the same kind of terribly drive that I have in me now.. the drive that will keep me going even if i have blood oozing out of my legs.. and I am dying of depression... To just keep it all in.. and behind a smiling cover.. to survive... It is the kind of drive that you develop when you completely lose hope in mankind... when you realise that no knight in shiny armour is ever going to come to rescue you ... so you better start rescuing yourself...
Fortunately for me... I have God... That totally offsets everything... But what about these old people? I am sure they go home (probably some old stuffy one room flat.. believe me.. you must see their living conditions to believe it) And feel so so so sad.. so so so sad that their children have abandoned them.. that God has abandoned them... that they have no choice but to try to stay alive because they are just simply too scared of dying and dissapearing into thin space.. (because they don't believe in God.. they do not know heaven)...
Quite heart wrenching eh? So.. if you ever have an opportunity to see one of these amazing people.. selling tissue.. or collecting cans.. please be kind to them... Serious.. sometimes.. all they need is a pat on the shoulders and a smile.. and if you give them perhaps.. a 10 dollar bill and collect only 3 tissues (shows them that you care.. do it if you have spare cash k..) It's really worth it.. Imagine.. you will easily splurge the 10 dollars on a movie.. this is so much more worth it...
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