Caring

Caring for others is such a satisfying feeling especially when they are less priviledged or have been treated unfairly. In my case, I spend most of my time caring for labour expats who have been abused one way or another and local women and children who have been abused by family members... It's a great humbling experience that has made me want to work more and do more.

Caring for someone means being able to live in their shoes and feel what they are feeling in order to really empathise. But I've recently realized that I understand the sorrows of strangers more than those around me. Charity starts from the home.. or through those who are closest to your heart.

A couple of years ago a close person to me had a bad foot injury.. This person was one of the most physically active people I've ever known ... The injury really took a toll on my friend's morale... my friend became disconnected... because of the severe pain, there was no more physical activity in their life .. it was almost like it's the end of the world... especially being at such a young age. This friend recently opened up to me about all these feelings and how hard it is to find an incentive to do anything anymore in such a weak physical state and all I could say was "You are unbelievably smart, how about focusing your energy on that instead of just dwelling on your physical disabilities".. I really thought I was helping, I thought it was quite shallow to care so much about whether you can kick a ball again or not... I did not realize the enormous effect it had on my friend's mental state.

A few days ago I had a cramped muscle in my thigh from (oddly enough) Tai Chi and I struggled going up and down the stairs at my grandmother's house.. I remembered my friend's conversation and how sad my friend was for not being able to go up and down the stairs on both legs. Tears rolled down my eyes within seconds, not only because I cared about this person but also because I didn't take the time to understand the situation and live in my friend's shoes untill I had to experience it myself.

To truely care is to really empathize and sympathize. Maybe we should take the time to understand people more and put ourselves in their shoes and understand what they are going through... well atleast I should.