The world of Tzu Chi July 2020 (Vol.124)

discarded clothes she retrieved from the landfill. She washed the family’s clothes with buckets of rainwater and was grateful for managing to raise her children through honest labour. This mother was a resilient maternal figure, as unyielding as a sunflower. The benevolence of her love for her family shone through. Come rain or shine, she was determined to provide for her family through diligent labour. She lives a modest life in a simple hut covered with a discarded canvas sheet, but she is content so long as her children grow up healthily. Whenever I engaged with the villagers, I would feel a deep remorse for my susceptibility to desire and pursuit of indulgence at the expense of disadvantaged communities. I learnt from my recycling duties that the production of a one-litre PET bottle uses approximately 17.5 litres of water; when I saw the sheer number of bottles gathered by the scrap collectors, I shuddered to think of the amount of water used in producing such a large volume of bottles! If only we could reduce our usage of single-use bottles, the water saved from the production process would be channelled to the villagers instead! Desire entraps us in a bottomless pit. The consumption habits and greed of mankind are often major contributors to environmental degradation, causing the decline of the quality of life for marginalized communities and disadvantaged groups. The Buddhist teachings I have acquired alert me to my privilege as I relieve the suffering of the downtrodden and remind myself to value nature’s resources and cultivate blessings. I am grateful to Master Cheng Yen, Tzu Chi and my family for enabling me to commit to selfless service while learning life lessons along the way, encouraging me to better appreciate the simple wonders in life. TZU CHI 124 39 Rural Communities Never Forsaken