Yayasan Suria JB (YSJB) – The world will be a better place to live!
Being a volunteer, I have the privilege of ‘peeping’ into the lives of many people, from the very poor, some on the verge of starvation (as due to pride & ego, they can’t go out to seek help) to the super duper rich.
Yes, there is a wide disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’. The poor become poorer and the rich richer. If only the rich can share just a small fraction of what they have with the ‘have-nots’, then there will be fewer poor around.
But, in this dog-eat-dog world where everyone cares for oneself, this ‘sharing’ doesn’t exist. The ‘haves’ always have what they want and they can’t feel for the poor out there – the ‘haves’ were never there, not knowing what it is like to be hungry and being poor.
People like to hoard, keep things to themselves even though they are not using it, just can’t give them away. Perhaps, it’s in the genes to be selfish?
When we collected preloved items, we discovered that some people are hoarders, keep in accumulating, can’t give anything away. And when we were asked by their spouse or children to remove the items – OMG!, we have to hire a lorry to cart away the things!
However, I have seen genuine acts of kindness and generosity and the ugliness in both the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’. I have always believe there is still hope for humanity!
We have a few donors who tell me this, “Just call me when you need my help”, one even wrote me a cheque for RM62k to buy the Toyota Hilux that we are driving now.
There was a kind lady who sponsored volunteers to a 5-star restaurant, telling us that volunteers must be rewarded for working so hard serving the Poor & Needy. Not once but on a few occasions!
Also there was a friend who borrowed RM200 from another friend of mine, gave them to YSJB and then paid back in 4 installments of RM50 monthly to that friend. Borrowed to give to charity?
Now on the ugly side of the “haves” told to me by a friend – filthy rich but not paying back after being given a loan of RM300k during MCO 1.0 when times were bad and that person wanted a loan to pull through.
When asked for repayment, he said, “Get a lawyer to sue me if you want your money back.”
That friend told him, “It’s ok, take the money with you when you die.” magnanimity by one person at one extreme end and such “bastardized ungratefulness” at the other extreme by the other person who was in trouble and the loan was given based on goodwill, pure trust and friendship.
To some, money is everything but to some, money is something that you can’t bring along when you die.
But before they die, they cling on and can’t let go. It’s by learning to let go (of money, of material possessions, etc) that you can be free and feel lighter in life by not carrying around all the burdens of accumulating and accumulating more!
Actually death is a form of letting on, albeit perhaps a final form of letting go!
Please learn to share, to give just a small fraction of the wealth you have for the Poor & Needy. You can’t bring along all the wealth to where you are going but you can bring along what you have done here on earth by giving to the Poor – these are the real treasures!
I have personally seen marriages broken up due to $ during this COVID-19 pandemic. When all is well and good and when money is not the issue, everything is fine but when money comes into the equation, hell broke loose – I too have my fair share of the money issue, it all depends on to what extent and to what degree of severity.
Everyone has ” money issues”, whether you are rich or poor. The “Rich” keeps on chasing for more and the Poor keeps on chasing for enough to survive!
Money is even thicker than blood!
A typical example of a case we are handling now for the past 12 years – the spouse absconded once one party knows the other party is paralysed, of no use, can’t support the person concerned with comfort and money.
No blaming here – we took over the paralysed person, tube feeding him for 12 years now with Ensure milk, RM85 a tin, monthly 15 tins and we shall continue to do so for as long as the person needs them.
This is our duty, our service with L
ve & Humility, our hallmark.
YSJB is not only colour blind, we are “money blind” too. We don’t revolve around money, we revolve around service to humanity and in God we trust that he provides!
Man proposes, God disposes!