We make a life by what we give

“Heroes don't just leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they don't just wear boots and capes. They bleed, and they bruise, and their superpowers are as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes are ordinary people who know that even if their own lives are impossibly knotted, they can untangle someone else's. And maybe that one act can lead someone to rescue them right back.” ― Jodi Picoult

If we choose to pause, reflect and take a look around us, there's really so much more that we can do to make the world a better place.

Is your life just about yourself - your needs and wants, ambitions, goals, pursuit?. There's really no end to this -vanity of vanities

What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?

One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.

The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit.

All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again.

All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing.

Even if your heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge, and to know madness and folly. you are just grasping for the wind. For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

You can be really smart and wealthy now, but you would one day grow old and need help from others. But being humble and staying in a community brings out the good in you, and makes life more meaningful - for others.

You can have a PhD or have graduated from the top schools, comes with a high net worth, excellent social standing - But so what? Does it make you high and almighty as compared to the rest? Education and wealth are not meant to just increase the size of your hat and become cocky.

"Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it." - Marian Wright Edelman

We cannot only seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.

It's life. As you mature, your circle of friends might grow smaller. They might have other commitments, and passed on. What happens when you reach 80?

Yes, we all have our ideals, but what if the reality sets in and you are thrown into a sinking sand? Who knows when you will be retrenched, be afflicted with dementia, depression, loneliness? You just never know.

But we need to look out for one another. What if your neighbour is struggling all alone? You just never know unless you choose to reach out and bridge the gap. After all, we all stay so near to each other. What is just 1 block away? At most must 3 minutes.

Heroes are not just seen on movies like the Avengers, or Star Wars, etc. They are ordinary people

Occasionally, we would visit and befriend the elderly and marginalised groups. It can be as simple as unpacking their stuff, throwing away thrash, cleaning homes, talking and understanding them.

And so in this trip, we visited hoarders.

Hoarding: The Basics

People hoard because they believe that an item will be useful or valuable in the future. Or they feel it has sentimental value, is unique and irreplaceable, or too big a bargain to throw away. They may also consider an item a reminder that will jog their memory, thinking that without it they won’t remember an important person or event. Or because they can’t decide where something belongs, it’s better just to keep it.

We just want to help them live comfortably and improve their living conditions, as such.

“Beauty is not who you are on the outside, it is the wisdom and time you give away to save another struggling soul like you.”

― Shannon L. Alder

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ― Mother Teresa