It is very important to have contentment in life - feeling that you are enough and having enough. Indeed, everyone of us have enough. You don't believe me?
Try opening your wardrobe and check out the many clothes you have. Try opening the refrigerator - the food and drinks we have. On the tap - the clean water running out the tap for our daily use. On the electricity - lights brighten the night at one blink of an eye. The fact that you are reading this blog, you have Internet access. Ain't our lives have enough? We live with ease, eat and drink enough - until obesity is even the major problem now....
Yes we have enough. Contentment is gratitude to life - the fact that you have enough, you feel enough and thankful for whatever is given or whatever you have in life.
However, we all should not be complacent, being too comfortable of our lives till we fail to improve. Improvements in life is one of the greatest gift you can give to humankind. We are not a beggar on the street or someone who could not make things work for our lives. We can.
Improvements in our lives, whether you are ordinary or special or unique, everyone should improve! Some people who added me on Facebook - after looking at my website always say - "Oh there is nothing to introduce myself about. I am just an ordinary person" Well hey ordinary in your own way has specialty in many ways. And in fact, improvements should start from HOME, not making hoo-hah of getting BIG things done. If you cannot do big things, do small things in a big way - that is just right from home!
Well, starting from home - you slowly inspire your family members and eventually your friends encircled you and later the community and eventually the country and slowly the world.
Let me share an example. I have been promoting organ donation since I first read a booklet on this topic. I first started with MYSELF - pledging my organs. Then I talked to my friends in school and even put up related articles at the school notice board. Well, many would say "How many people will be influenced that way?" But surprisingly, I have ex classmates (that was 16 years ago) putting a comment on my facebook saying "Hoong Ling I still remember you telling me about organ donation when we were in school and I still do not have that courage yet." Well, at least is a good start, and people REMEMBER that I told them about organ donation. Yes, so what if 16 years and she still has not signed up but years to come, more and more people talk about it, I am sure it will happen. Slowly but surely, 16 years efforts will not go by just like that.
I also remember my friend, Anas Zubedy starting ads on unity during festive seasons in Malaysia since 1990s (forgot which year he started it). And then, he also fought for September 16th as a holiday because it will be something significant and so Malaysians will learn Malaysia Day - the day we all Malaysians unite and not just merely a August 31st. His dream came true last year.
Last few years ago, crime rate in my housing area was at peak. We could hear people getting robbed even at daylight every other week. We first gathered among neighbours to add more lights at night. We also figured that many of us do not know our neighbours thus we should have some "parties" to know each other. Party means food and that attracted people. I was so glad to have a Malay neighbour who was never calculative and we shared the costs. At times he absorbed the full costs. We have small parties of about 10-30 people.
The tipping point was when a lady got slashed on the chin and needed 7 stitches from the doctor. That was when we figured we should do things collaboratively - eventually we spread out news that we are having a meeting. The community there was unconcerned and never bothered much so we expect only a few of us from our close community, the most maybe 30 but a whooping 120 people turned up! We eventually set up a Neighbourhood Watch and collaborate with the local MP to fence up our area. Crime rate fell - amazing results. See how we first started small....
Today, I am still doing the same thing. I figured out that environment is a big issue now. Dad wanted to start our own gardening long time ago so we have 2 big containers meant for gardening. We have a dog now so he cut the grass at the front porch often so our dog can play comfortably. I started last week to collect the cut grass, threw in every vege/fruits peels we have and I now also have a hamster - its bedding also can be threw in the container. Yesterday the local council cut trees in front of our house so we have dead wood, saw dust, green leaves but alas - a neighbour is now burning it right in front of our house!!! How disgusting! I should have shared about compost building with them so I can keep all the "rubbish" that they are burning. But I successfully inform my next door neighbour and she, too thinks she can do the same. As she plants some potted plants, she thinks is good to have compost, too so I taught her how to do it. This will eventually lessen the rubbish we have - vege fruits peels, table scrap can all be recycled as compost now.
Slowly but surely.
At times I, too fell into complacency but my nature is such that the complacency only last 2 months - bored with nothing to do, I will do something that will improve my life. And I am glad to have this nature in me. I hope you are too!
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