The First Day Afterword
Afterword
In just one short day, a lot of things happen. We had seen a lot of things happen and a lot of different kind of people. Nevertheless, it is a very meaningful day.
Since young, I believe that it is bad to wasting food. No food deserve to be in rubbish bin. Every food that serve on our place are hardwork from all the farmer that working hard in their farm to earn a living. While there are people wasting food, there are people who are also starving at the same time. Despite the fact that we can only help those people who we can see, I believe that what we can do best is to not waste any food. One might argue that you spend your money buying the food so one can do anything with it, and even if they do not waste it, those who are starving do not benefit from it anyway. They might be true, but I believe that it is one of our duty as a human fellow to not waste food, and these food, if are not purchased, might go to those who are starving in the very first place due to the demand of the food might not be as high in the very first place.
It is good for Kechara Food Kitchen to have this client database system, because the more they know about their client, the more they can help them. However, there are much to be able to improve in their system, which to my suggestion, include shift of Kechara card collection venue, flexibility of collecting food in other places than the one they register, etc.
There are client who do not understand the reason of having this system and get upset when their name are not registered in the system despite register 3 time prior, but no system is perfect, especially manual system like what Kechara is doing right now. For the case of getting offended due to being told getting rejected as a Kechara Client, there might be better way of solving the problem rather than getting offended, such as asking for appeal of the cases or seek for a discussion perhaps?
All of these happen because often time, we fail to look at different perspective. We assume thing and hold on to what we assume even despite the contradicting fact. The client get angry for not getting name registered, and fail to understand numbers of people register everyday at different places. From what the senior volunteer who told another client for being reject had said, probably had met the client last week, but fail to try to understand the circumstances of the client might really need help. The client too, on the other hand fail the try to understand why he is being rejected. It is my first day there, nevertheless I do not know their circumstances, however I think if everyone are being more considerate, empathetic, and look at different perspective, they might had been able to avoid the conflict happen above.
Although we had no control of what other think, what most important is we at least should look at things from different perspective. By doing this, it will not only reduce conflict, often time these conflict do us no good but harm too. By avoiding the conflict, not only we will avoid the harm it can do to us, physically, emotionally or psychologically, it might also do us good such as establishing good relationship.
Before I first went to volunteer with Kechara Food Kitchen, I always thought that most of the homeless people are lazy. Although I do recognize that there are homeless people who become homeless because of reason that out of their control, but I though the ratio would be something like 2:8. Today had change my perspective on looking at homeless. In actual world, the ratio of homeless due to uncontroable circumstances versus homeless due to lazy are not 2:8 but rather 8:2.
Like the old man who work as a construction worker (hard labour), underpaid and finish all the retirement fund after retirement are out of his control. All he can do is hard labour, and certainly with his age, it is very hard to get a hard labour job.
The wife who husband are alcoholic leave her house for being tired of that kind of lifestyle, ended up homeless for lack of employability, alone, and no help are given to her. Certainly it is not under her control over her husband to be alcoholic nor hardworking to go to work.
The client who take drug, might be his false in the first place to take drug, but just one mistake that ruin his life with no forgiving at all is just cruel isn’t it? One thing for sure, I do not know his past, but he is feeling regret for what he had done in the past, to start taking drug and addicted to it. We all make mistake, it just happen that the mistake he make in the past are happen to be unforgiveable by police given his situation.
The client who work as a nuclear worker, being betrayed by his own good will. Refusing to make bomb that used to kill people result him to be here, living in poverty, homeless, starving everyday, sleep in the street, hot or cold weather, to the extend that hoping to be able to go North Korea which all of us here would never even consider that possibilities. A man with good intention, who just wish not to harm other people, in the end getting nothing and ended up with these tragedies.
These are not some lazy people, but people who had no choice, being homeless due to the environment. These are also some very honest people, who work honestly, not doing unethical or unmoral job, do not rob, theft, kill, etc. This makes people think that why not we just be an objective person? Why not just do whatever it take to earn more wealth and fame? The client who work as a nuclear worker could have just make the bomb and secure his job, live a good life in his own country. The client who take drug, have contact with drug dealer, could have work as a drug dealer. Good intention does not necessary result in happiness, but we should still have faith, believing that good intention are more likely to result happiness than result in grieveness.
Lastly, it also make us realize that how fortunate are all of us. Not only we are born in family that provide us more than enough to survive, we also get to receive education, and even buy things that we like, such as smartphone, laptop, etc. Some of us are able to look at different perspective because we had the chance to receive education and have chance to come across philosophy in the very first place. We also make mistake that eventually forgive by our family, friends, or teacher.
We are looking forward to volunteer and helping out Kechara Food Kitchen again in the future.
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