Wednesday, January 17, 2007

sympathy

a little while back, someone i know did something very commendable, something very charitable. she went off with a group of people around the streets of kl, distributing food to the homeless. something that i wish i will do instead of sitting here comfortably on my behind in this comfortable room, passing opinion like a high and mighty queen. she saw a side of the city that is not normally open to the eyes of the public, or perhaps it is, to those who choose to see.

she witnessed homeless people of all age, race and gender, blind, handicapped and even small children accompanying their drug-addict parent. there was a lady who looked like she had acid poured over her face, without a distinct nose or eyelids and a lipless hole for a mouth.

it is a given that such a scene will tug at your heart, bringing out sympathy even in the coldest of soul. it will serve as a reminder to all of our own fortune, which is often forgotten and unappreciated.

i do feel the same. however, my thoughts cast back to those that we deem as fortunate from what we see and know.

those who, to all appearance, seem like the luckiest person on the world but are fighting their own demons within. those that have all the material spoils they could possibly ask for but are trapped in a hell that others will not begin to understand. people who will not invoke sympathy from a bystander's single glance but is fighting for the very simple act of living every day of their life. people whom a donation or a free meal will not even begin to alleviate their sufferings. people whom others will never be able to do anything that will lighten their misery.

is their story any less sadder than those lying homeless in the streets? these people who will never invoke sympathy simply because there is no visible signs. people who think death is an easier alternative than living their lives out everyday. or is it just a sign of the weak? surely, that option in itself takes a lot of courage. who knows what demons they have been battling and for how long. what possible hell could they be living in that death seems like a sweeter alternative? like leslie cheung, the infamous singer who took his life when faced with depression, we'll never understand what they have to go through every minute of the day. hopefully, i'll never have to know.

my heart cries also for these souls. people who bleeds from the heart but you cannot hear their cries or see their misfortune. people whom you will never ever even begin to understand their plight. people with whom the whole world will never know to sympathise. people whom others will never understand.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

depression is an illness. It has to be treated.

there are alot of of whys in this world that cannot be answered by man.

do know that death is not an end in itself.

Anonymous said...

When you decide to go out and give food for people, cbox me and let me know, will ya? I could use some free cooked warm food.

I'm lazy that way. You giveth, I'll taketh.

*smile*

Your blog entry depressed me, I shall go mutilate Jonzz' puppy and yell at children passing by. You and Monty must be in a blue mood.

bad for blog world - what you need is some coffee with LOTS of sugar!!!

Anonymous said...

HA! Crap

Monty beat me

Anonymous said...

If Monty is right and Death is not an end in itself, I say we experiment.

Come here Monty Monty Monty!

*swinging a baseball bat*


No, I'm not violent.. it's all for the sake of science.

Anonymous said...

annie: lets go starbucks and order a triple espresso!

Anonymous said...

yep, beaten by a minute.

me said...

dear monty and annie: for a minute there, i actually tot my commentors have been revived from the dead. then i realise it's the two of you messing around here.

monty, i know. but there are so many out there that choose that path. can you imagine how horrid their lives must be for them to summon that courage? me? i'm a coward, thru and thru.

annie, cbox you? sure, though i don't see how i can hand out food all the way to your place. the air-ticket will be enough to feed many mouths. i wouldn't fancy freezing my butt off in all that snow anyway. :-p

mutilate scooby?! sick! *shudders* we'll have more fun mutilating and experimenting on monty! i prefer the scalpel and some live electrical wires myself. hehheh *evil laughter*

sorry, my post wasn't meant to depress readers. just wanted to let ppl spend a few mins thinking about those that ppl generally won't know to sympathise with. it's so easy to feel sad for those homeless, less fortunate. yet they found it still possible to live on. we generally don't even waste our sympathy on those who lived with such terror, that they tot death is a better alternative. just food for thought, my dear.

coffee?!?!? you guys are bad for me! shoo! shoo! you know i get manic when i drink that vile thing.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, ME, you've been flamed and on such a serious topic too. Tsk tsk tsk.. you must have hit a raw chord somewhere.

What??!! Mutilate Scooby... Dang, I better take down those scooby pics. Annie has had WAY too much coffee.

LOL.. ok ok seriously. *putting on thinking cap* I think people who are needy and have little worldly possessions only struggle to stay alive. Their focus is life. Whereas people who have enough but have mediocre existences think about higher needs. LOL, okay I stole that from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. *runs from ME*

Anonymous said...

I'm still at the bottom of that hierarchy.. I have not got enuf of lobster and sharksfin and abalone lunches. :( .. starving...

me said...

dear jonzz: hey, you hit the nail on the head there, with your hierachy of needs. so, who are we to say which is sadder, right? but it just seems easier to sympathise with what we can see, and those that we can't...seem even more heart-wringing(?). like there is no sympathetic touch of a kind person for them.

dear monty: ya, like with that big cheque coming your way, you can eat all the shark fins and lobsters until you puke! why are you still starving at 2.56pm? go get something in your stomach, for goodness sake. unless you are only holding out for the above and won't put anything else in your mouth! in which case, call ah yat for takeaway abalone. i have the no. right here with me.

Anonymous said...

ur entry doesn't depress me, u can't save the world so dun feel guilty that ur more fortunate than others. if u do then give up all u have & go find the meaning of life like someone from 4000 years ago so later ppl will worship u! hehehe

me said...

dear wuching: hahaha. and give up all my worldly pleasures? no way! i know i can't save all of them. the problem is i'm not even making very much effort to save a few, and i really don't like myself for that. sigh!

Anonymous said...

i dowan to comment!! my heart is bleeding... can't you see??? can't you see?!!!

me said...

dear ah pek: quick, red cross!!! got blood donation here!!! come, come, bring a few packets, fresh blood from the heart!