Just come across this video in Facebook, shot in Malaysia, about Autism which I would like to share with you. According to Wikipedia, although there is no known cure to autism, there have been reported cases of children who recovered. And as the message in the video, I believe that if we are patient with autistic children, we can discover their strength and the keys to their lives; they too, will Shine and become successful in life. A good reminder to all of us.
Someone shared this video with me about two weeks ago and it wasn’t till now that I am making the time to share this with you. Thank you for sharing this with me and pardon me for taking so long to share this gem with you.. The video was written and directed by Malcolm Green; cinematography by Daniel Trapp and produced by Simon Goodman. It was part of Jewish Care’s Pearls of Wisdom campaign, which aims to highlight the value and importance of older people in today’s ageing society. This video is a wonderful reminder of the wisdom of elderly around us. From a Chinese Proverb, “Having an elderly at home is akin to having a treasure at home.”
Random Wisdoms from the video: (as presented in the video)
Pardon me that this post came much later; it was easy to be caught up in the news, watching what was happening in Japan and finding out if friends and their families were safe after the quake. Fortunately, I was able to contact my friends and unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for others who are still doing their best to contact their friends and families. My heart goes out to all of you.
As I reflected in the quietness of my room, many images flashed through my minds; images of babies, smiling children, elderlies and faces … faces whom I do not know and yet they seem to be just like the faces of my friends.
It dawned upon me that these images of babies, they could have been the images of our babies. These images of smiling children could have been my smiling niece and nephews, giggling as they tried to climb up to the lap of their uncle. These images of elderlies could have been our grandparents and parents. Last but not least, these images of familiar faces could have been our best friends, friends and working associates. It could simply be the images of people whom we hold dearly and closely in our heart … it could be images of you and I.
In that moment of quiet reflection, I realised there is no Singaporean, American, British, Indian, Chinese or Japanese etc; there is only human being of one united race on Planet Earth.
Symphony of Love is making a special request from you to continue to send prayer and positive wishes of Loving Kindness and compassionate to our friends in Japan and for those of you who are able to help out financially, below are some ways:
1. Singaporeans may make a cash, cheque or SMS donation to the Singapore Red Cross for victims of this disaster.
For walk-in donations, the Singapore Red Cross is open from 9.30am to 9pm from Mondays to Fridays, and from 9.30am to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
For cheque donations, cheques should be made payable to the “Singapore Red Cross Society”.
Donors may also donate via their mobile phones to 75772. For every SMS, S$50 will be donated to the “Japan Disaster” fund.
Let us continue to send positive wishes of Loving Kindness and Compassion to our Japanese friends. As the saying goes, “Strangers are friends we have yet to meet.“
“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” – Abraham Lincoln
Religion is one of the topics which I have diligently steered clear ever since Symphony of Love was set up in 2006. It is a sensitive and controversial topic to talk about. Yet, I have always believe in the conscious need for us to show respect and understanding for other religions. Mutual respect and understanding towards differences in each other religious beliefs are important steps in maintaining religious and social harmony. This is especially critical in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation like Singapore.
Over the past few days, the religious harmony which religious leaders and the general public has been working hard to achieve was disturbed by one senior pastor’s insensitive and inappropriate presentation and comments about Buddhists and Taoists in front of his congregation. The pastor’s comments had been video-recorded and made available on the church’s website and subsequently became available on Youtube and other websites. His comments also gave rise to tension and conflict between the Buddhist/Taoist and Christian communities.
Fortunately, the incident was quickly contained and resolved even before it got any worse. The pastor has since made public apology to the Buddhists and Taoists for being insensitive and offensive in his presentation and comments. He also solemnly promised that it would never happen again. I certainly hope he meant what he said. I can’t imagine what the dire consequences would have been if this matter was not taken care of.
This brings me to the important role a religious leader plays in leading and setting the right example. I believe that religions are good in general as they promote good-will, peace, and the acceptance of others. Religion, in fact is neutral; it is the misinterpretation of the teachings in religion by individual that will either do good or do bad. While we must have faith in our religions, we must understand that the religious leaders who preach the teachings are human too. Thus, each of us can play a policing role to contribute to religious harmony too.
When I was reading on the basic of Buddhism during my younger days, I came across something written in the book which left a deep impression in me. In his teaching, Buddha advised his disciples not to accept his words on blind faith, but to decide for themselves whether his teachings are right or wrong, then follow them. He encouraged everyone to have compassion for each other and develop their own virtue, “You should do your own work, for I can teach only the way.”
I am not religious in person but like Abraham Lincoln, I believe in doing good; That is my religion too. I believe in supporting the highest good of ourselves and others.
Do you have any personal experience where religious caused a conflict or tension between you and others?
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