'Oh, the weather!'

By Kim Ae-ran

“Oh, my sister! Living here in Singapore is like doing a penance. It’s so hot! Isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. It really is! It’s so hot.”

One day, a Singaporean woman I met during a book outreach complained about the extremely humid and hot weather in Singapore.

In spite of being a clean, safe and green country, Singapore isn’t perfect. Sometimes, the local people themselves comment that living in Singapore is too stressful because the cost of living is so high and people are selfish.

Well, I think it’s not a matter of Singapore alone. Our human circumstances are limited and dualistic in some way. Not only human beings but also societies have two sides; some are more selfish and, at the same time, some are more sacrificing and altruistic than others. Even though we try to be positive, we can’t avoid facing negative aspects.

Surely, surviving the challenges of extreme weather, whether cold or hot, demands tolerance, sacrifice, composure and self-control.

One day, I perspired a great deal and almost felt suffocated suddenly after carrying boxes full of books and arranging them on a table for the book display. For almost three hours or so, I had to calm myself down while feeling my pulse beat quickly.

Within offices and on transportation, there is no problem at all from sweating because these areas are either fully air-conditioned or are equipped with fans. Nevertheless, we can’t avoid going on the street.

Getting used to sweating, I sometimes think I’m making reparation for a trial in purgatory in advance. As I sweat a lot, I notice a lot of dirt on my body. When I scrub my arms, black dirt dances off my skin.

Nevertheless, I appreciate much of my life in Singapore because of my spiritual sense of vision and mission. While meeting diverse people during the book outreach, I find pastoral purpose, cause and meaning for living as a missionary in Singapore, especially when Singaporeans themselves confess that there is not much spirituality and soul in people. They admit that they are mostly concerned with pursuing money, efficiency, welfare and development.

“Who am I? Where will this humanity go?”

I ask the same question as Fr. James Alberione did long ago before founding our Congregation in 1915 in Italy.

Each of us needs some kind of conversion and turning point like Alberione and Nick Vujicic. Nick originally majored in Accounting and Finance at the university as his father recommended to him, but he ultimately chose a God-given mission as an evangelist and a motivational speaker.

Nick’s only goal in life is to inspire as many people as possible so that they can live their lives to the fullest while witnessing faith in action. His second book, “Unstoppable,” still maintains the top ranking in non-fiction in Popular bookshop. I’m one of his fans who have been inspired deeply by his faith in action along the journey of life.

Living in a small community challenges me more because we can be more sensitive and react to situations directly.

One day, I was so angry about asudden change of schedule overnight without notice in advance. Then, I lost my temper and spoke about it to a sister, who apologized openly with a loud voice. I was so sad that I couldn’t hold back my tears.

Too many complicated things happen in the community. Sometimes, there is not enough time to inform or explain a situation in detail. That’s life, but we demand of ourselves and others to be kind, generous, gentle, attentive, understanding and available.

Being aware of a situation and accepting reality as it is, I do my best to live an unstoppable life beyond limits. What I need more of is contemplation, wisdom and freedom from ego.

The writer belongs to the Daughters of St. Paul, an international religious congregation. Her e-mail address is mtorchid88@gmail.com.