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Friday, March 19, 2010
today it rained the whole afternoon.
came back from the YOG volunteer meeting and also the woodlands library thing
was feeling freaking miserable cause i was wet and cold.
my shoe was going squish squish squish..
then as i was walking from YCK MRT.
i saw this old man.
with the help of some AJ students, they helped him to his "regular spot".
where he would sit there for hours on end selling tissue paper.
he'd be there, rain or sun.
u might think..
why mention an old man?
he's just an old man.
what struck me at that moment was that.
how could it be that despite us saying that we are so connected, everyone is so seperated?
despite all the crap about globalisation?
people were looking at their iphones, listening to their MP3, talking on the phone all with a destination in mind.
they rushed to one place and to another.
that they failed to notice little things at the side.
like that old man.
then i stood there.
thinking.
he's not just any old man that's just too lazy to work.
its because he has a reason.
and he's reason is that he's partially blind.
whats left of his eyesight is only enough for him to tell whether its night or day.
he also has some severed fingers which i think stems from diabetes.
what wrong did he do to deserve this?
he's forever courteous, greeting u good afternoon, good evening, saying thank you to u.
begging along the wet pavement,selling tissue packets for what meager profits that he would earn, getting wet himself.
where were his family members?
dont old people in singapore or in any other country deserve a nice cozy bed, 3 full meals for all the work they have done to contribute to the society?
i give that uncle $2 every time i see him.
and i don't take the tissues that he offers me.
its not that i'm trying to say that i'm very charitable and have a big heart.
in fact, i feel like i should be giving more.
i wonder is $2 enough for him to buy his dinner?
to buy a bottle of water?
every time i walk away from him, i feel a little piece of my heart ripping away.
i wonder, why doesn't anyone help him?
but maybe everyone's like me, just waiting for somebody to help him.
and nobody takes into action.
as i hear him shouting "THANK YOU VERY MUCH, HAVE A NICE DAY!"
he says its constantly, he being so polite.
i wonder..
would i get to see him again the next day?
or would he disappear like that?
if he did, then i think i would noe what had happened to him.
i want to learn his life story.
of how he got to this stage.
even though i do not noe him.
but my heart connects to him.
i feel close to him, he gives me the feeling that my grandmother gives me.
i want to buy him a meal, albeit it might be a packaged meal.
but i dunno what he can eat.
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12:08 AM
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