Springtime is nearly over in China.
The cool breeze of air can now only be felt during the early morning.
And it’s the perfect time to do my morning jogs.
A few days ago, I came across an old man who was staring straight at something on a stone wall fencing with metal grills. He was alone and with a rather untidy clothes though I doubt it if he is a street beggar looking for scraps on the other side of the fence. Curious at what he would do next, I walked slowly as I came near him. And there he was, with his frail hands he reached out for a dangling vine whose tiny green rootlets has lost their grasp of the wall. The old man simply wanted to help the poor vine get back on its comfort zone to continue its growth. A very simple gesture that spoke a volume of kindness.
With this I remember some of my shameful and unkind acts that I committed as a young boy. I know I like hitting tree branches with a sturdy stick until all their leaves have fallen. I would kick our banana trees on our backyard just to mimic fighting scenes I have watched in cartoon shows. Oh and about those dragonflies that we caught, we would remove one of its wing and tie a string on its tail so we can still easily catch it back after it desperately tries to fly away. Well, in my lame defense, I would say those actions of mine were ignorant acts borne from curiosity and an equally ignorant peer crowd (we were all neighborhood kids then free to play in vast fishpond grounds without adult supervision). My bad.
But now that I am a grown-up, I have no more excuse to be unkind. Well, that seems to be the norm but the reality is I actually noticed myself finding more lame excuses for my bouts of unkindness. Safe to say, that a lot of us are guilty as we have the following often-used excuses as well.
“I have no time.”
I got deadlines and meetings to attend to. I got products to check and projects to manage. I must bring my son to the barbershop. I got to buy groceries. I must repair some broken house fixture. I need to read my emails. I am so busy that I simply have no time to pause and think of anyone who might need my attention in a particular moment.
“I don’t have enough.”
I once heard somebody said that if he wins the lottery he will give half of his winnings to charity. And so everyday, he places his bet in the hope that he finally gets his wish as a pre-condition for his kindness. Surely, all of us got bills to pay, mouths to feed, children to send to school, families to support and some vices (e.g. chain-smoking etc) and fads (e.g. IPhone4 upgrades etc) to indulge to and that leaves us with a few clanking coins to put into our piggy bank for the next IPhone release.
“It’s not worth it.”
To re-phrase that – “they are not worth my effort.”. Beggars will continue to beg even if they have chance to improve themselves. Worst, some begging are already a part of a syndicate that actually victimizes human kindness. Almsgiving nowadays is just the lazy way to earn money to support their own vices as well. Mendicancy is a lazy man’s career.
Which brings us back to the old man helping the vine get back to its clinging position. Time for him is important as he too old to walk fast enough to get back to his home. And yet he stopped. He didn’t have any special tool to fix the vine. He used his only available tool – his frail hand. The vine, for what its worth, is just an ordinary looking vine which would be easily cut and discarded by the gardener at his next cleaning round. And yet he did not mind at all.
More than two thousand years ago, God showed and fulfilled His ultimate selfless kindness we will ever see. God made the time to plan and perpetuate our salvation by sending His only begotten Son. He gave his all for the ransom of all. And he did this despite our perceived unworthiness of His mercy and love.
The greatest act of kindness to each and every one of us was consummated on Easter Day.
Hopefully, we all learn to show some semblance of this kindness to those around us.
Happy Easter to all.
(originally posted on April 22, 2011)
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