“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:13-16

The Problem Which Should Never Be

I read with interest today that Tuberculosis (TB) is a dangerous virus that is mutating into a stronger form. Even the modern cities of the world, with all the advanced medical arsenal, are struggling to cope with it’s spread.

It is said that 9 million people are infected with TB every year, of which 500,000 of them are infected with the multi-drug resistant form. I guess we can say that the world is living in a dangerous times. TB is everywhere and it spreads easily! In Singapore, TB cases surged by 15.5% in 2008! That’s revival according to church standards!

The greatest challenge, it seems, is not a lack of vaccines or study, but a lack of financial resources. People in the poorer countries, or in countries with a unfunded inadequate healthcare system will not be able to afford the treatment, especially if the strain is the mutated form. This provides a thriving environment for TB to spread and mutate into the resistant strain.

Interesting to know as well, it only takes 6 months and cost US$20 cocktail of antibiotics today to treat TB, but the multi-resistant strain takes 2 years and as much as 200 times the cost to treat normal TB (i.e. $4,000)

In Singapore alone, even as we go through a global economic crisis, people still line up to eat at $50 per pax buffet in 5-star hotels, people queuing to buy LV, buy the latest IT gizmo, the “where got recession??” anthem seems to be so rampant. Students buy the latest digital camera, PSP and Ipod in cold hard cash.

Can we afford to make a difference? Will it cost us an arm and leg? Can we do out part to help the world fight TB to contribute just a mere US$20 per person?

Reaching Out With A Helping Hand

Today, thousands of homes are lost due to forest fires, landslides, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic activity and tsunami. Many people lost their homes and became orphans. Here in Singapore we lose a parking lot sometimes and all hell break lose and someone have to get their joints reattached!

Can we afford to make a difference? To feed the hungry and needy? Will it cost us an arm and leg? Can we do out part to feed the hungry? Are we already doing enough? How about donating $20SGD a month to feed the hungry? What’s that gonna cost? A mere 1 meal at sakae sushi can feed the hungry in a disaster area for 1 week!

For needy families who lost a single breadwinner parent, the children are as good as orphaned because the other parent have to find jobs and work all day long to support the kids through school and put bread on the table. In 2004 with the collapse of Nicol Highway, I remember a news article feature 2 families who lost the breadwinner. One mother tell their kids “whatever they wish to have, they can only think about”. Another mother was said to have to work in 3 jobs, and not have time to take care of the kids anymore.

Can we afford to make a difference? How about buying a $30,000 term insurance policy for the breadwinner in needy families, so that in the event the breadwinner should pass on due to unfortunate circumstances, the fammily will not be left in a lurch?

It might not be alot, but it could mean a child’s education and a lighter burden. How much is a term policy? It can be as little as $20 a month. I do think that proper education is vital to a child in having a better future, and I a just guessing, that there might be another GREAT man who might emerge because of an act of kindness that sent him to school for a proper education.

Is it really that hard to make a difference?

How are we to fulfil our responsibility in the society in which we live? Jesus said: You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

I don’t know, but after reading the article about TB, my spirit is provoked into doing something because it’s SO EASY. I know that I being one person with my current financial situation, cannot make a significant difference, and I will anyway. But I hope that you will play a part because it is when we band together that we can change the world.

I’m trying to think of something to raise funds, maybe record some guitar lessons, give some talks, and write some articles and books, and maybe through a charitable organisation, we can provide funding to provide TB antibiotics to the badly infected countries, feed the orphans and help the needy. Will you join me?

We Can All Make A Difference – Will You Join Me?

It may not be a significant amount (Bill Gates – in one “ah choo” donated $33million!) but the idea is… we can all make a difference. Stop depending on people like Sun, Bill Gates or some Ah Gong while we take a step back. There’s power in majority. Let’s do something and not just “enjoy the breeze”…

For now, I’m prepared to donate all the proceeds of my WGS Online Guitar Course for this cause. I’m also planning (not sure how it can work out) to donate part of my professional fees/commissions on a regular basis for this cause.

And I will continue to do something to raise money within my means. I hope you can join me. How do Siafu ants kill an elephant? By having many Siafus do it together! I believe we can…

Time to walk the talk. Easter is coming. We reach out to our friends, colleagues and family. Yet there are people out there right now who are wondering why, if there ever was a God, will allow such great pain to befall them. Let’s look outside our world and see how much help is needed, and stretch out our hands to do something for them.

Hope you will join me. Here’s a song I wrote today for this cause.

Making A Difference written by Ronald Wong @ 2009

Keep Walking

***

Trackback URI | Comments RSS