A Day's Chronicle

17th January 2005.3rd day after getting my result.I played game till the wee hours of the morning before finally dragging myself out of bed to do my mountain of laundry and proceed to Midvalley to attend to some matters. I was at the Masjid Jamek Putra LRT station when I saw a couple,husband and wife,I suppose,both of them holding the walking sticks for the blind.I was wondering whether to extend my help to them because it came across my mind that the wife might be a vision-able person.However,what made me think otherwise was the fact she was holding a walking stick too.She didn't hold the walking stick out like her husband.For once I thought she should be able to see.Thus,when the train came,I didn't extend my help.To my surprise and most regrettable error of judgement,both of them are blind.A pair of secondary school students helped them in.I was too far away to offer a helping hand already then.Siaw,how stupid can you get?She was holding a walkings stick for the blind for heaven's sake.So much for the empathy I thought I had. What happen next I would not be able to forget easily.The LRT was packed as it was peak hour.Two dishevelled guys with chains and a few piercings to boot,stood and offer the blind couple their seat as soon as they saw them.A few "pretenders"(Okay,I shall not judge people) took their own sweet time to move their arse off their seats.They hadn't even got up when the blinc couple had settled down.Those people are middle-aged and for God's sake,were abled-bodied. The blind couple got off at KL Sentral,which was not my destination.They got off the train,lovingly hand in hand,without any help from those who got off with them.Again,I was quite annoyed with myself for judging people when I didn't even offer to help.As the door closed,I saw the blind couple,still hand in hand,walked straight into a pillar,in between them!They were confused for a moment which way to go,the husband way or the wife way?Just as the train left,I saw the cleaner approached to help them.I felt so hypocritical,I being a medical student in training,show no signs of the empathy expected of me. However,that blind couple,got me thinking,isn't their love greater than all the things in the world?Come on,they couldn't see each other faces every morning they woke up.My heart goes out to them.And yet,they stayed so lovingly together.One of the times my heart really melted then.They were not as blind as I might think.They still can 'see' people who are kind to them.As for those who are blessed with sight,I felt ashamed sometimes even myself overlooked the kindness shown by others.As a famous saying goes,"Kindness is a language that the blind can see,the deaf can hear,and the mute can speak."How true!! Then it got me thinking further,well,with exam over,I became the thinker I once aspired to be.If we are to lose one of our ability:Sight,Hearing,Voice,usage of limbs,which one would I chosen?And which one would you have chosen?Given a choice,I wish not to lose any of that,just like the billions of people I believed would have chosen.Again,something has to give,you see.Thus,I guess most of us lost our humanity.As for me,I seem to be losing it too,whether forced by cynicism or the practicality of the real world.Everyone was taught to be an idealist since young,what to do? After settling all the things I have to do in Midvalley,I finally settled down for a dinner.After finishing my dinner,I went back thinking of the earlier events.Just as I wondering whether I did any wrong then,and justifying my wrongdoing if there is any,a casually dressed man approached me.I was 2 rows inside the restaurant for heaven's sake.There were people seated further out and nearer to him.However,he seemed to have found his "target",walking all the way in and approach me with some merchandise and some papers of certification of charity.It was one of the many "charities" seeking donation by selling merchandise for exorbitant price.As he was enthusiastically explaining his motive and etc,I just smiled at him and listened.I have wanted to say no from the start but he was sort of insistent.After babbling what it is all about,I said no,he smiled and left with a thank you.Money was a bit tight with the recent splurge after exam.Oh mine,what if what he said is true?I would have done lots of harm.Maybe I should just follow one of my friend's advice "I don't know whether they are real or not,if it is real then good,if it is a scam,well I do believe in karma." I chided him for his ignorance just as he chided me for my cynicism.Well,you grow up,you see more things,your perspectives change. Last of the things that remain in my though as I wrote this.At Masjid Jamek station again,I saw the blind guy in wheelchair selling kerepek as usual,shouting to sell his kerepek.And right next to him is a WWF(World Wild Fund) counter manned by two persons asking for donation.If you have money to give to one of them?Which one would you have given to?For the animals or the people.Ahh....what an interesting situation. As for me,I walked past both of them,without giving any donation.RM 10 with no change,I really have to consider.I guessed I have lost my humanity after all. I really opened my eyes to see all the happening around me today.What a day.....