The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.107)

2019 • 02 18 eature wheelchair-bound, 26-year-old Lim Yoke Sim. As far as she could recall, fairy tales were largely absent from her childhood. Her most prominent memories were of being confined to a wheelchair and enduring a host of illnesses and pain, after coming down with a high fever at the age of seven which resulted in nerve damage that left her paralysed from the waist down. Children’s fables and fairy tales only existed in a distant universe beyond her reach. Yoke Sim attended the Year-end Blessing Ceremony on December 23, 2018 with her mother at the invitation of volunteers. They chanced upon the storytelling space, and participated in the storytelling session, which not only brought back recollections of childhood innocence, but also enabled her to experience the joy, vibrancy and warmth of the storybook animal world. The storyof the little piglet resonateddeeply with Yoke Sim, as she could empathize with the power of love in cultivating kindness, courage and wisdom within the little piglet. Courtesy of her own mother’s love, companionship and care, she became more proactive and optimistic; her mother’s love bestowed her with the strength to overcome all hurdles. Through the little piglet’s shrewdness in defending itself against the villain of the story, Yoke Sim learnt to always keep her guard up, and not shy away from adversity but tackle it with wisdom instead. She noted that children’s stories are not merely fictional creations, but also enable one to derive many life lessons. She believes that scenes from fairy tales will indeed come true in real life, when life is not dictated by limited mobility on a wheelchair and various ailments, but is livened up by happiness and exuberance all around. Besides expressing her hope to partake in more similar storytelling events, she also intends to share her thoughts on the event on Facebook. Sparking inspiration for stories As soon as Kong Kok Chuen set foot into the classroom with his two young sons, the boys were intrigued by the creative storytelling props on display, and promptly proceeded to explore them. In the story “The LakeMonster”, volunteers brought the lake monster’s world to life through a drama presentation. The fable tells of a lake monster’s persistence in the face of loneliness, and remains undaunted even as it witnesses its fellow creatures succumbing to drought and isolation. By the end of the story, the lake monster manages to overcome all obstacles, but at the cost of transforming into a small water droplet itself. The moving sentiments of the story reverberated in Kok Chuen’s heart even after the story had ended. He was in awe of the multi- dimensional capacity of children’s storybooks which not only contain mythological elements, but also embody a source of motivation and inspiration. Kok Chuen has been bonding with his sons over bedtime stories for years. This bedtime ritual is also time spent with his sons that he treasures the most. Yet, he admitted that his knowledge of children’s storybooks is limited to the likes of “Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf” and superhero stories that he has made up himself. However, one’s imagination will eventually be exhausted, likely leading to a dearth of tales to tell. Kok Chuen was surprised to discover that children’s literature can be suitable and memorable for grown-ups and children alike, particularly stories that highly reflect real-life scenarios and impart positive values, such as, courage in the face of adversity and integrity.