Rather recently, I was in Perth, the place where much of my happy memories belong. I took a walk towards the Swan Bells with the company of some colleagues. I pretended to be happy and enjoying their company but I could not help but to feel sad at the same time. Swan Bells was where I last saw my Dad and where I could not fulfil my promise of seeing him in KL.
I told my sobbing story to my colleagues and one of them actually took it with a sly smile on her face. I was disgusted and offended at the same time and my mind went on wondering what kind of person she is. Isn’t it rude to laugh at others’ misfortune? Well, then again, it’s no surprise to me. In this world, there are many kinds of people. She just happened to be not one of my kinds.
Then again, I realised that, it takes another person to understand another person’s feeling if they have both gone through similar experiences. Being empathy is not a gift but a cultivated feeling drawn from enriching experiences. I must say, I am lucky enough and thankful to all my experiences in life that have made me to have this advantage. I continue to wish for people to be kinder. It is really sickening to see that a pure kind act today can be misinterpreted and out of the norm.
