Compassionate acts of humanity can change world for the better

I was once a patient at the National Spinal Injury Hospital 10 years ago when a group of young people — four men and three women — offered to spend an entire day with us. They brought us food, drinks and gifts.

They helped us in bathing and dressings. They spread our beds and washed our wards. Then they wheeled us out for sun bathing and entertained us. They brought out their sound systems and played us wonderful music.

I asked one of them what organisation they were from. Interestingly, he said they were not affiliated to any organisation. He told me they were just friends, colleagues and neighbours. He told me they just felt obligated to donate a portion of their time to patients instead of spending the weekend just partying.

By doing so, he said, they might just make a difference in someone’s life, contribute to make the world a better place and leave a lasting impression.

He told me that, in his case, his parents — a nurse and a retired teacher — inculcated in their children, at an early age the virtue of supporting others, the power of giving back and the greatness of thinking of others before oneself. He told me this as he knelt down, fastening my shoe laces.

That was one of my most memorable moments at the hospital. I spent seven months there after a road accident in which I suffered spinal cord injury, permanently becoming wheelchair-bound. I never got an opportunity of meeting those young people again.

Many years later, I found myself being influenced by this compassionate act of generosity to humanity. I have learnt that you make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.

The spirit of giving back and voluntarily contributing is a great virtue that is grounded in the teachings of major world religions and most cultures around the world.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me water, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” These are the true teachings of Christianity. And Islam encourages us to work towards improving the communities we live in. Allah says in the Quran: “Help each other in righteousness and piety, and do not help each other in sin and aggression” .

Whatever your age or life situation, this kind of engagement can help take your mind off your own worries, keep you mentally stimulated and add more zest to your life. Let us make it a culture, let us do our selfless bit.

Let us celebrate and emulate such efforts.