The world of needs

In this world, we all have our needs. But some people are more needy than others .

For a few years after graduation, I was caught up with my own needs - to have a good career, to live a comfortable life with shopping, eating out and having fun. Whenever I met people who lack the basic needs in life such as food and accommodation, I felt sympathy and pity but my actions never went beyond the form of occasional donations; and after some time, those people started to fade from my mind as I again got caught up in pursuing my own needs.

It wasn't until late 2007 that I became more sensitive towards those less fortunate - kids whose parents can't afford to send them to school, children who ought to be in school but instead have to work to earn money, families who struggle to make ends meet, refugees whose futures seem uncertain and hopeless. Their sufferings in life stunned me; their strength to get through life astonished me; empathy for their lives stung my heart.

For most of us, we try to provide regular donations. Whenever a disaster strikes, we send donations for the victims. Whenever we read heart-wrenching stories about people's sufferings, the first thing that comes to our mind is to give donations. Whenever we meet kids, as young as 10 years old, working in tea-shops, most of us can't resist from giving them some pocket money. The need for donations seems never-ending.

I was once hit by "donation fatigue". At that moment, I thought to myself: what will happen if I buy one less pair of shoes, forgo one less gadget, eat one less extravagant meal, skip one shopping trip? For me, nothing. But for those people in need, those acts can lead to a significant help.

So I keep going as the number of people in need seems to keep growing.