Time to be kind

Remember him?

For us who live in this little island and have been educated here will know him very well.

He is Singa, the mascot for Singapore Kindness Movement.

Singapore Kindness Movement was launched aiming to encourage Singaporeans to make a positive commitment to gracious living through simple acts of kindness in their daily activities.

For me, I find that it is sad that we need a movement to remind us to be kind and gracious.

I don't know but isn't being kind to one another and being gracious be part of everyone's life without a movement to remind us?

Let's take a look around us...

How many times we get fed up with people jumping our queue?

How many times we get upset that no one bothers to hold the lift for you?

How many times we enter a crowded bus, MRT or LRT and shake our heads that no one is bothered to give up their seats to the elderly, pregnant or young?

How many times we have our hands full and would just need someone to hold the door to the mall so that you can go in?

How many times we get irritated when our neighbours start making a hell lot of noise near midnight?

How many times we look at the dustbins right beside the letterboxes empty but the floor is littered with leaftlets and brochures and wonder why it is there in the first palce.

How many times we enter the lift and are greeted with that horrible stale smell of someone who just smoked in the short journey in the lift?

How many times we get rude answers from customer service personnels?

Oh... the list goes on and on and on.

Think about it... what is kindness? What is graciousness?

I may not be the best person in this world but I dare say that I am one who do bother to be kind.

I hold the door at the lift, I give up seats for the elderly, pregnant or young, I queue and don't jump queue no matter how much I need to be faster, I always say thank you and smile at the cashiers even if they don't, I hold the door open at the mall for the person who seems to have his/her hands full.... and the list goes on and on and on.

Why do I bother to show such act of kindness? I don't know but it comes naturally.

I only know that I do not like those umpleasant situations I mentioned earlier.

I tell myself and my princesses...

Do not do unto others what you do not like others to do unto you.

I still believe in that and I still try my very best to live up to that.

If only the neighbour will just show a little graciousness...

I am totally living in a prison cell now as I refuse to open my door and hear her screaming at her children, blasting her hi-fi on religious chants (no, I am not racist or what... but I believe it can be done at a lower volume?), them coming home like near midnight and announcing their arrival, them trying to grow a forest out there, them deciding that their laundry deserve to take up all the space outside (which we value a lot because that was where Ash goes out and have bubble time and me not having to worry about her, which I hope Aver will get to enjoy with her sis too...) and many many more.

Oh... I endure and be nice... you know... smile and wish that someday they will just stop being so selfish.

Why do I even bother to be kind?