The persons i met up with today were the ex-colleagues from the very first company that i worked for in SG. That was also the place where YY and i met and fell in love.
In fact, one of them was actually our ex-boss, whom YY and i had always regarded as our match-maker. Both he and the other ex-colleague had attended our ROM ceremony, and they were actually the only two persons whom we invited from that ex-company.
My ex-boss has a son who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy since the child was eight. Now his son is in JC, and even though wheelchair-bound, the kid has never given up on life. He told his parents that he knew there was no cure to his illness but he would not give up hope so long as he's still alive.
My ex-boss also told me about how his son thanked the parents for bringing him to this world on his birthday, even though this illness was genetically inherited. He also told me about an incident in school whereby during the assembly when all the students were reciting the national pledge, he was trying hard to move his hand (he could hardly move his hands up without assistance from others). Then the teacher noticed it and asked him later what he was doing, and he said that he was trying to put his hand on his chest just like the other students did when they recited the pledge. The teachers were all so touched.
I know my ex-boss shared these stories with me as an encouragement to me. To many people, the condition that his son is having is basically hopeless. Imagine you have a child with such illness, and you have to bring him up with the knowledge that he will leave this world before you. Or imagine you are the kid, who grow up knowing that you can never be like other normal kids, and the older you get, your body function will deteriorate and the nearer you are to leaving this world.
Yet, both the parents and the kid have never given up hope. They cherish all the times they have together, and the kid is a positive cheerful child who lives his life to the fullest every single day. He believes that if he were to leave this world one day, it will be to a better place where God is, where he will be able to walk, move and dance just like anyone else.
I'm not gonna say that there are people who are more unfortunate than me and i should not be so pre-occupied with my own sad story. I'm not gonna look at other people who are in worse state than me and then be relieved that i wasn't so bad. You see, we do not compare sufferings; every life is precious, and everyone should live a happy life.
What i did get from all the messages is hence not about how i'm more fortunate than many people (even though i know i am and i'm grateful for that). What i really thought of is the power of human minds even though human beings are generally weak. How we overcome the adversities in life depend on ourselves and the choices we make.
There are always choices for us in life, and Satan will always tempt us to choose the one that is destructive. At times, obstacles are put before us, and we also get to choose how we want to go forward. Those with weak mind may choose to follow Satan and go the easy way, but those who are willing to endure the hardships and strive on will be the ones who achieve true eternal happiness, whether in the mortal or spiritual world.
So when everything appears to be negative around us, it is even more important that we gotta keep a positive mind. As long as we never give up hope, have faith and hold on to the belief that things will always get better eventually, all the agony will definitely come to pass one day.
Of course i won't suddenly get all healed just after this meet-up, but i do think that i have gotten a lot of positivity out of it. Hopefully this will sustain me for the next three weeks.
I'm on my own now. I need all the positive energy that i can get.
Labels: friendship, introspection
