"Poor that child" - is sympathy.
"Come on, let's go and get some ice cream, then we'll figure out what to do with you" - is empathy.
Sympathy is easy to give. Everytime it feels so sad we pity them, but is that sympathy enough to live up to be a good society. We write in those essays of ours to be a contributor to society but what we actually give in returns? ask yourself, are we ever giving our empathy to people?
Empathy is something that you need to wake within yourself. The presence of you in someone's else life and play your role is not easy things to do but possible. Putting yourself in one's shoes and feels exactly how it is like.
Remember when I told you that my car was breakdown. It's actually out of battery. My sister come all the way from Shah Alam to help me with my problems. I asked my housemate to let my sister stay for one night, because we got no place to go. We need to fix my car and I don't know how much it will cost, hence the best way is to save my money as much as I can, so no check in the hotels. Plus, this is Mont Kiara residency, where do I find hotels rooms with cheap price??
My roommates are both okay, but my owner give me condition. She wanted my sister to sleep in living room. She is 49 and have two daughters. Above all that, she is a mother. She is being unreasonable and inconsiderate. I told her, I will be the one who sleep in living room. Thus, our conversations are over.
My roommates cooked bee hoon for dinner and I cooked bubur for my sisters. The next morning after both of my roommates go to work, I started make toast for breakfast. Around 9.00am, my sister and I settle things for my cars and after that I followed her back to her place at Shah Alam.
In our group, I received whatsapp from her saying this "sila jaga ketenteraman penyewa lain, jangan buat bising. Restore the dishes, pots and pans after use for others. Strictly only simple cooking are allowed, take note, next time no vistors are allowed, the premise is privacy"
When you have decided to rent the premise, it means, you must also willing to share your space with someone else. I didn't bring in visitor for unnecessary purpose and how you can cook without making a sound? Think! When we first see the ads, it's clearly stating "cooking are allowed" regardless heavy or light. That's the use of the stove right? again think!
I just hope people can be reasonable, not only when they are sane. The owner drink alcoholic beverage and despite different belief that we have, I choose to respect her, can't she just do the same? there are more people out there struggling with their life, and what if, with our littlest helps, could bright up their day, we never know. Kindness never hurt, that's for sure. So please.
Be like a coconut tree. Mula kau koyakkan sabutnya. Kemudian kau pecahkan tempurungnya. Kau minum airnya dan kau carik isinya. Kau ambil daunnya. Kau ambil batang daunnya dijadikan lidi. Kau tumbangkan batangnya dijadikan titi. Almost everything on a coconut tree are benefiting people. Jadi seperti coconut tree, which giving tanpa henti.