thank you, stars
i am reminded today of how the japanese people treat their fellow countrymen and foreigners as well. in fukui, where i stay, i see on a daily basis how friendly and helpful many people are. the elderly, handicapable and the young are all supported and helped constantly.
every day on my way to school i am greeted by normal people who have taken it upon themselves to chaperone the elementary school children to and from school. it is quite a thing to see, when the community takes responsibility in bringing up the children and not only the parents. at the tram station i see the same blind man who is assisted to the platform but is able to catch the same tram every day unaided but supported by the people around him. in the buses, trains and trams the elderly are offered seats so that they don’t have to remain standing for their journey. it is touching.
what touches me more though, is the current rallying of support from all the citizens in japan to help those who have been affected by the current tragedy following the earthquake on march 11. school students gladly give up their afternoon to help collect and sort supplies that will be sent to those in need in the affected areas. i have never been involved in anything of this magnitude and i must shamefully admit, that before it ever happened to me, i never really got involved in helping others when the help was needed. i guess in south africa not many people jump to the challenge to help others in need and those that do are not lauded for their efforts. the situation in south africa is a tough one to describe but the gist of it as that people have stopped believing in their own kindness and the kindness of others. i am not there right now and i don’t know if the situation has changed in the last 6 months, but being in another country has made me think about me as i was when i lived in south africa.
i am changing my stance and helping where i can, and hopefully this will begin a chain reaction in me to become more humanitarian in my efforts and not be selfish.
to all the unsung heroes, to all the people who help and care daily, i say thank you for always being there.
light and love to you all.
(‘thank you, stars’ is performed by katie melua and is taken from the album ‘the katie melua collection’)
