Help

"To be helpless is to be hopeful."

Have you ever felt helpless? Have you ever felt so powerless that you want to do something but you just can't because you either don't know what to do, how to do it, when and where?

I have felt that way many times. One of the strongest would be when I see stray animals that are undernourished, weak and diseased walking along the roads. I just wish that I could do something to help these poor animals. There have been people who have set up shelters on their own for the sake of helping these unfortunate animals. Yet, how can I do it without money? To help these animals, I need money. Even when you bring in an animal to the SPCA, you are required to pay for them to take the animal in, even though it is a stray.

Another would be when I walk around the streets or sidewalks, I see people begging. Some of them look quite well off. But some of the just look really in need. I feel compassionate for them. When I can, I give them something, either a few ringgit or maybe some food. When I do that and they smile at me gratefully and saying "thank you", I feel that I have done something that seems insignificant to me but it's a great deal to them. I feel that I could help with so much more.

I admit that I'm no angel. Many times I see some of them who are amputees but they have a prosthetic beside them. And I think to myself, "If they can afford a prosthetic, why must they beg?". I have taken into option that the medical bills might have wiped out all of their savings. However, if they have the resource of a prosthetic, they can work. True that many employers do not want to take people who are less able but that does not mean that there is no work for them. Yet, they choose to take the easy way by making themselves look pitiful.

Another strong feeling I get is when I hear or see about orphans and disabled children in care homes all around the world. These children have a bright future ahead of them yet all we can do is give pity to them. A lot of patience is needed in caring for this energetic group, and also for the not so energetic. Education is an important part of these kids lives yet most of them can't go to school because the homes that they live in do not have enough funds to support them.

Last but not least, the old folks home. Old folks. That is how it is officially labeled? Not parents? Mothers? Fathers? Guardians? They are easily forgotten. The race for financial strength is so strong that we forget the contributions that have been given while growing up. When I step into the old folks homes, all the aunties and uncles there have a hopeful look on their faces, wondering if it is one of their relatives who have come to visit.

Their children so easily forgot what they did to raise them. Financial? You gotta work? Take care of your kids? These people have risked work AND money just to get you where you are today. And you put them in a home, you rarely visit. Sometimes, they cry themselves to sleep because they think that their children or grandchildren have forgotten about them.

I have many dreams that have yet to be fulfilled. Many times I have and will feel helpless. But I will not give up.