The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.106)

nspiration By Yaw Ah Moi Translated by Jacynth Chin H aving lived half of my life, I always feel that it takes great determination and perseverance to eradicate one’s deep- rooted bad habits. In 2013, I went with a few volunteers to a primary school which I had served prior to my retirement, to give a talk on environmental topic for the teachers. My former colleague, Zhang, came to me and said, “I envy you very much for doing something meaningful post retirement. I shall wait for a few more years. After I retire, I want to join you to become a volunteer.” Hearing that, I immediately invited her to join Tzu Chi. I told her not to wait until retirement but do it now because we don’t know whether we would live to see tomorrow. I mentioned to her that I joined Tzu Chi even before I retired. At that time, I worked concurrently as a teacher and an administration personnel. So I believed my workload was heavier than being a teacher alone. I told her that nothing is difficult to a willing heart and used the analogy of a sponge to explain that it is possible to squeeze out a few drops of water from a seemingly dry sponge. I advised her to still contribute with whatever limited time she had. Sadly, despite all the persuading words, she did not accept the invitation. Then on December 26, 2017, I was informed of Zhang’s demise. The news took me by surprise. That was less than Do Not Wait four years after her retirement. After paying my last respect to her, I could not help but recall what she had promised, the promise of joining Tzu Chi after her retirement. I later gathered from her family members that her physical condition declined gradually shortly after her retirement. At certain instance, she told her husband of her intention to donate her body for medical study after death. Unfortunately, no action was taken. It was regrettable to see that both her wishes were unfulfilled in her life. I recently read a thought-provoking text: “Don’t waste your life through waiting; wait for the future, wait until you are free, wait for the next time, wait for the children to grow up, wait for retirement, and so on. Things will not be realized if we keep waiting because affinity, opportunity, health and others will be gone. No one can ever predict what the future is. Many times, it is either do it now or never. Never let life to be filled with regrets.” The ancient Chinese General Yue Fei wrote in his poem, “Man Jiang Hong” that “Do not idle away time, for otherwise, young men will grow old in regret!” The wisdom of the ancients still applies in the advanced era of today because no matter how times evolved, God is fair to everyone by giving each one 24 hours a day. It is the choice of each individual on how to bring meanings and values, with the limited time we have.