Be the miracle

From The Straits Times, 10 September 2011

Read the above this morning while I was having buffet brunch at Ku De Ta, MBS SkyPark. Love the fact that I can just print screen ST articles via iPad, but don't think I can do this any longer unless I start paying for the app - convenience comes at a price.

Anyway, one of them was making a point along the lines that bosses should give time off to staff who does voluntary work, so that they can feel less stressed about the work load. In reality, I am sure no one will feel less stressed after taking time off; on the contrary, you feel more stressed cos the work will just pile up while you are gone and when you come back in the office, you face a mountain of items to follow up. That's how the working life is.

But should this deter people from volunteering? Apparently not. From what I see in the new office, there seems to be no lack of volunteers for the whole range of CSR activities. In fact, I have just taken part in my first volunteer activity today to celebrate mid-autumn festival with old folks, and from my observation, most of the volunteers are quite seasoned and they maintain a strong passion to serve.

Personally, I think being involved in voluntary work, or any other meaningful activity for that matter, helps to put things in perspective. For one, it's good to have a sense of purpose outside work. You feel accomplished when you see that you have made a difference in someone's life, no matter how small. Two, when you are around the underprivileged and see the circumstances they are going through, you feel all of a sudden that your problems are actually quite... insignificant.

The folks whom I met today... well, some looked really old and might not be around next year. But I sense their gratitude for the event which we organised for them. I sense their joy when a couple of them started dancing at the side during the KTV session. And I want to thank them, for making me feel that I have helped make them happy, even if it's only for half a day.

In Bruce Almighty, God challenged Bruce: "Be the miracle." I realised that miracles are not BIG things that happen everyday; it's the small things that people overlook. And you will never know what big things a small smile can do. And hence, no matter how miniscule a role my voluntary work is, I am challenging myself today - to be a miracle in someone's life.