Give them roots and wings

Some of you might have seen the video, produced by a young man, about giving out masks and “liang teh” to people, during the haze.

Well, his name is Josiah. He is a youth leader in my church, but I did not know him. I only really got to know him less than 2 months ago, when we met at the Singapore Kindness Day 2013. His effort “While you were sleeping” was recognised by Singapore Kindness Movement too, and I was excited to see a familiar face there, and we started chatting.

In the video which he produced and acted in, he said “While you are out getting a mask or a bottle of “liang teh”…why not just grab another extra…to give it to some one else”. That was such a “Going the extra mile” statement, that I decided to interview him, and so here’s Josiah from “While you were sleeping”, and now, “While it was hazy”!

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1) What prompted you to produce the video “When it was hazy”?

I was very grumpy initially about the Hazy situation but I saw that there were workers out there and also old folks who were still walking the streets below my block. This prompted me to stop thinking about myself and to also start deciding that I should actually do something for these people who did not have any masks / who may be suffering because of the Haze. At that time, I also saw many negative posts on social media and wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help encourage others to be less complaining and more caring.

2) What were some things you learnt from doing the project?

I learnt that there are many like-minded people out there and it was a very encouraging experience to be able to work with these peers. I also learnt that a little effort goes a long way, especially in this day and age of social media, and that all you need to have is a little willingness to put in that little effort.

3) What were your parents’ reactions to your video?

They didn’t really say much to be honest, but I guess they were silently very proud? My parents never really tend to ‘over-praise’ us or ‘over-criticise’ us and have at most times caused us to reflect on our own actions, whether good or bad. This has actually taught me that we should do things not because we want praise but because we just want to love others. Similarly, there are a few things that we shouldn’t do in life not becuase we don’t want to get scolded but because we want to do our best as children.

4) What has been your parents’ greatest influence on your life?

I remember always observing my parents going the extra mile for others. Whether is it collecting more newspapers for an old man, cooking for a fellow neighbour, organising a gathering for others or looking out for another’s welfare, I’ve been blessed to be at a position where I could observe them as a young boy. This has also shown me that we teach our younger ones the most by our actions and not so much with our words sometimes.

5) Do you see any differences between your life a child, growing up, and the lives of the children whom you see today?

We had more face to face interaction with others I guess, and there were many physical games that we could ‘rough it out’ with other friends. Those experiences actually taught us that our actions have consquences on others. Children these days tend to be more private and closed up because of technology and I sometimes worry if that would discourage them from feeling for others. Of course, I think the kids now are more precocious as well and more street savvy.

6) From what you remember from your own life as a child, and also as a youth leader, what advice would you give to parents about bringing up their children?

Give them a chance to fail, but also show them that you are there with them when they fall. Being in my position now and having achieved a few things, people tend to look at my success and the ‘good things’ that I’ve done. However, I think it’s important to also appreciate that I’ve fallen many times in my life and that my parents were always there with me during those times. Those ‘fallen’ experiences have actually taught me to be more tenacious and courageous but more importantly, showed me to embrace my failure as a teacher.

7) What message do you have for people in general, about “Going the extra mile”?

If I can do it, so can you 🙂

Thank you Josiah! For inspiring us with what you did, and giving us good insights about what our children need.

Indeed, we can all go the extra mile for someone. Here’s the video of what he did, in going the extra mile:

“I’m 25 this year and I’m currently a student studying at Chapman University Singapore, doing a undergrad programme in Creative Producing. I love chocolates, and I think we should always remain child-like in the things that we do.”