20200427善德家風續志行Helping People Most in Need Amidst a Pandemic
Since the spread of COVID-19, it has been for several months now. Every day, people’s attention is on the virus. We often see that the medical professionals are in layers of protective clothing from head to toe and their faces are covered with the mask for the whole day; they dare not remove the protective clothing, nor do they drink or eat. Every day, despite being exhausted, they still have to keep on working, and isolate themselves from healthy people to be with confirmed patients. They are truly admirable.
About the pandemic situation, the number of confirmed cases has eased off a little, but is not falling yet. In a circumstance like this, when talking about the number of cases, people become anxious and worried; telling people not to be afraid is a way of giving comfort, but if people are unable to calm down, how are they supposed to keep their lives going?
Many countries are in lockdown. Some groups of people are starting to protest. Because a lot of activities have been prohibited, people start taking to the streets. Some are thinking about doing this. What should people do to this pandemic and eradicate the virus completely? To eradicate the virus completely seems like a fairly hard thing to do.
However, I still hope that everyone can follow regulations. Take Tzu Chi volunteers in the Philippines and Thailand for example, they held aid distributions. Some people are in dire poverty. After losing their work, they have no money to support themselves. People are not working and have lost their livelihood, so Tzu Chi volunteers quickly sprang into action and procured relief supplies. Make a purchase was difficult, so was gathering them.
There are rice, oil, noodles, sugar, salt, all kinds of things, as well as beverages. We are grateful to these factories, and to Taiwanese businessmen in Thailand for the help they have given us.
I am without job and my house is damaged. It’s really tough, but volunteers have been showing their support, and giving me supplies as well as encouragements. I am moved and very grateful.
We have known Tzu Chi for a long time. During such difficult times, we are grateful that Tzu Chi hasn’t forgotten about us and help us.
Our volunteers promptly gathered relief supplies and distributed them to families in hardships so while they are without jobs, they will not be without food. We hope they can safely get through this jobless period. Holding distribution is truly not easy. How did they comply with social distancing?
We see in the Philippines, recipients kept their distances and were orderly. The distributions were organized with wisdom so recipients came and got their supplies as usual; both volunteers and recipients were at the venue in an orderly fashion. They used to hold one distribution, now they split it up to several distributions; people used to gather at one place, now, they stayed at their front doors.
Look at the chair, which has a big sheet of paper on it, that displays their distribution number. This way, it was very clear, and those giving out aid did not need to get close to the recipients. This way, they kept up with the regulation while distributed goods as usual.
On footage, we see an abundance of supplies. Hence, I am very grateful to Tzu Chi volunteers. I don’t know what words I can use to describe their great aspiration and great vows. When their family disagreed with them going out to serve, volunteers would convince their family; some inspired their children to serve with them.
That way, the manpower doubled. A volunteer’s son participated in the relief and while serving, he witnessed people in suffering. He then realized the blessings he had. Furthermore, he was able to offer a sense of comfort to others; what a great feeling it was!
Seeing other’s suffering, he learned to count his blessings. Volunteers reached out their hands and gave the abundant goods to the poor. They held the heavy goods with both hands and gave them to recipients with a respectful bow. The recipients were grateful. They received the goods with both hands and kept saying thank you. Receiving aid at this time is like receiving blessings from heaven. There are so many touching stories.
People in faraway African countries are also worried and afraid of the pandemic. Many governments there also issued the order of locking down areas or cities and told people to stay at home. Yet, Tzu Chi volunteers need to care for people in the community. They have to go out. They thought of ways to overcome this. They told the authority their purpose of visiting the care recipients and convinced the authority to give them the permission to go out.
They obtained a permission to travel within a certain boundary. Volunteers had to use their wisdom to figure out how to gather the relief supplies and have the recipients come and get it. Such is their great loving-kindness, great compassion, great wisdom, and great equanimity. They are able to complete the mission of distributing aid to the poor while following the government’s regulations, this is truly not easy.
Such are Tzu Chi volunteers, living bodhisattvas. They are able to accomplish the task of providing aid to those in most need from people of various ethnicities. Because of Tzu Chi volunteers, people in need can receive aid and won’t go hungry. This is truly touching.
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