Dubai
I saw an interesting social media video the other day. Agreed, it involved some very bad acting but the underlying message was quite powerful.
A man leaves a small amount of money beneath the backpack of a homeless man sleeping on a public bench. And walks away, but a hidden camera is focused on the man. Eventually he wakes up, discovers the money and is thrilled. He walks into a department store to buy a few things and comes back to the bench. The man who left the money is also there. He is talking on his phone and pleading someone for money to buy his ill daughter medicines.
The homeless man hears him out for a bit and when the conversation ends asks after the man’s daughter. He then requests him to watch his backpack and goes back to the department store, where he returns the sleeping bag and pillow he had bought, so that he could give the man money for his daughter’s medicines. And he does this despite not having eaten for roughly 24 hours. Eventually the truth comes out, and the homeless man is rewarded for his humanity.
Someone once wrote that those who have less tend to share more. Not sure how true that is, but in life we often learn some of the most important lessons of human decency through the smallest of acts.
And this comes through, especially in the daily Ramadan Diary that we are running. People share their experiences and what they discover about themselves and those around them. Do check it out and send us your feedback by emailing us on readers@gulfnews.com or posting on our Facebook page.
Also, our first place community report winner Olga Zolotova epitomises it - she runs hundreds of kilometres to help child refugees and is now planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to spread the word about UAE’s ideas of tolerance and acceptance, specifically the new Anti Discrimination Law. She is being awarded for her spirit of service to humanity and for trying to bring positivity in every small measure possible. The community report by her, “Climbing Kilimanjaro to spread the word on tolerance”, was published on May 26.
Second place goes to the report, “Seats are for sitting, not resting your feet”, by Nitin Kumar. It was published on May 9. It was extremely upsetting to read the report and see the accompanying picture of a person misusing public transport - thoughtless behaviour that makes you wonder at the lack of civic sense being demonstrated. We hope that the community report will get people to pay heed and escalate such behaviour if they come across it. All of us have a collective responsibility to take care of our civic amenities.
Third place goes to Annet Cecil Thomas for the report, “Why is the younger generation so careless?”, published on May 5. The reader reported on vandalism by some young boys in the Al Majaz area of Sharjah. They were destroying recycling boxes and signs. The young will inherit the Earth, so it is important for them to learn to respect it.
PROFILES:
First: Olga Zolotova
Published on May 26, 2016
Olga Zolotova, a Russian national based in Dubai, is a sport enthusiast and does challenges for charity or to raise awareness for a cause.
She said: “From my personal experience, community reports is one of the most efficient ways to reach people. They are published in print and available online, which makes it even easier to spread the message. Most of the replies to my charities were coming from people who saw the article in Gulf News, which is a good sign.
“It is always amazing to see how many people react and offer their support, donations to the charity or any other help related to my sport challenges. It tells me that, first of all, people read community news and they actually care about what’s happening around them. It makes me realise that there are many kind people living in this country.”
Second: Nitin Kumar
Published on May 9, 2016
Nitin Kumar, an Indian national based in Dubai, wants to do his bit to “make the society a safer and cheerful place”.
He said: “The community reports are a great platform to raise your concerns and views as I am sure that it is read by a variety of people. It gives readers like myself that confidence that the authorities are eager to rectify small issues in the community as soon as possible.”
Kumar raised the issue of people resting their feet on bus seats in his report.
He said: “Whenever I come across such behaviour, I try to speak to the person. Most of the time, people agree with me and apologise for their actions. But, there are times when people are rude.
Such acts need to stop.”
Third: Annet Cecil Thomas
Published on May 5, 2016
Annet Cecil Thomas, a pupil based in Sharjah, reported on the issue of young boys seen vandalising a recycling box in Sharjah. Her aim was to raise awareness about the younger generation and its callous behaviour towards the environment.
She said: “I was filled with shock and was completely stunned by their behaviour. I couldn’t believe the boys had the nerve to climb the boxes and jump out again. It all happened in the middle of a road, where many cars and people were passing by, but no one stopped them. We should all care for the country we live in and help beautify it, not destroy it. Why is the younger generation so careless, lazy and least bothered?”
