Friday, November 25, 2011

Old Man Who Sells Tissues

Here in Singapore, it's very common to find old, crippled, disabled people selling tissues. It has just become an everyday sight so I never really paid attention to it. Yes, they sell small packets of tissue, mostly 4 small packets for 2$. Which is more like a donation. And YeS, they have to be licensed to do that.
So yesterday I was sitting inside the bus and this old man with one trolley of tissues came into the bus. He is old, thin and weary. His trolley kept on going back and forth following the bus movement and he doesn't have the strength to hold it still.

I felt sad, it felt so wrong for a man so old to be working so hard. Why does he have to travel far just to sell tissues? Can't he just go downstairs his block to a coffeshop nearby and sell it there? At that moment I started counting my blessings, I felt ashamed of myself.

This old man sells tissue because he needs money, and he'll do anything just to survive. While I at times, sitting comfortably in front of my computer and I still complain. I am sure I earn more than him, and I still complain it's not enough. I am young and healthy and sometimes I've got no passion to work. I only need to sit in front of my computer, do my task and go home. No hard labor, nothing.

I understood why Sporeans are such complainers. They always to compare to better countries better people better times. They never look down and compare, they despised when they look down and they always demand better things. They are people who are crippled by their own comfort. At that moment I prayed,
Ya Allah, make me always your humble servant who's always thankful, never make me a person who always look up instead of looking down, stop me from complaining, if I were to rise higher always remind me where my feet are and help me to always strive to do my best in everything.

I'll feel ashamed if I account lesser than this old man. I'll feel ashamed if I had all the possibility in life and I do nothing but complain.  No more will I complain of my tight budgeting, how much I need to save, how much I need to give up. I'll do my best to manage. No more will I complain of my boring work, and envy those with better work, better salary. Everything has its own blessings. This one is the one I choose for the moment.