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Most of us aren’t strangers to being kind to others — whether it is helping a fellow commuter, other road users or even a simple act of kindness.
However, not all of us would think of going the extra mile, unlike one young TikTok user.
@fyxxn94Today I helped him, he helped me instead.♬ Kamado Tanjirou no Uta (From “Kimetsu no Yaiba”) – ShiroNeko
Recently, user @fyxxn94, Muhammad Alfian Abdul Ramlan Alfian, posted a video of himself helping a disabled uncle on a wheelchair near Admiralty MRT station.
From the videos, we watched from the 27-year-old’s POV (point-of-view) as he documented how he met a mute senior with disabilities and how they interacted with each other over a few days.
The videos documented his experiences — from how Alfian met the uncle, whose name is Kassim Ramli, by chance to helping him home and then later making a surprise visit to check in on the elderly man.
Afian’s first video showed how Kassim, who was in a wheelchair, was having difficulties getting home as his hands were filled with some groceries that he bought. On seeing how he was struggling, Alfian quickly went over to help him back home.
After arriving at Kassim’s flat, Alfian realised that the uncle was living alone and that the house was not in the best state.
At the uncle’s flat, Alfian stayed a while as Kassim was reluctant to let him leave. Communicating through writing on a piece of paper, the old man peppered Alfian with questions like how to send a text message in case he needed help.
Going the extra mile
However, what captured my interest more is the subsequent videos that were posted by Alfian. He made an extra surprise visit to see the uncle and also started a fundraising campaign solely for him.
In the campaign details, he elaborated on Kassim’s past, including how he suffered a stroke as a result of a robbery in 1999 that left him mute and in a wheelchair.
He had managed to get by in previous years because he had some Bangladeshi worker tenants who stayed with him and helped to take care of him and the flat. But all three had left subsequently as they went back to their home country to get married. Ever since then, Kassim had been struggling to get by himself.
As a result of Alfian’s admirable actions, the Singapore Association of the Deaf also donated a care package to the uncle after it found out about the case.
I was determined to find out why Alfian went to such an extent to be kind to someone he barely knew and only met by chance.
When I spoke with him, he told me that when he met the uncle for the first time, something instinctively made him pay more attention.
He said: “Something kept telling me to check up on him and I just had the feeling that he was alone without anyone to help. I was already on my way back from work at that time so I had a lot of time to help the uncle get back home.”
It was then that he found out that his suspicions were true: The uncle did live alone.
“After helping him to get home and spending time with him, he was really happy and gave me a heavenly smile along with a few pieces of bread and a cup of bandung as thank you,” said Alfian.
After spending some time getting to know each other better, Alfian felt that he wanted to do something more for the uncle, which was why he decided to go the extra mile.
“It might be the friendship we made and the bond we had for that short period of time that made me more motivated to help him further by raising some money to help him in his situation,” said Alfian.
So far, his fundraising effort has managed to garner more than $5,000 over 21 days.
Through his experience in helping the uncle, Alfian told me that he realised as a society, we need to help others in need as we do not know when a time would come when we need this kind of help ourselves.
Helping others
Helping others is not only a noble act, but it also makes us happier and healthier.
Giving helps to bring us closer to others and creates a stronger society for everybody.
It doesn’t matter whether it is for friends or family, or even strangers. Doing things for others, whether in little, unexpected acts or on a regular basis, is a powerful way to increase our happiness as well as improve the lives of people around us.
Giving isn’t simply about money — you don’t have to be rich to help others. A single word, smile, or thoughtful gesture can go a long way toward helping others.
Giving our time, talents, thoughts or attention are all examples of how to make an impact on other people’s lives. These can be just as important as, if not more important than, monetary gifts.
As Alfian told me as we ended our chat: “Even if the world is against you or even if your day turns grey, the smallest acts of kindness can help someone a lot more than we think. It could brighten your day and give them something to smile about!”
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