What 25 Years of Being a Journalist Taught Me About Pain, Hope, and Humanity

Your own suffering and experiences can be a powerful motivator to help others, and the purpose that emerges from that pain can be inspiring.

- Theresa Tan

Don't call us poor, Ms Lydia Susiyanti Sukarbi, a mother of six who earns about $3,000 a month, told me recently.

Ms Lydia, who started an initiative to provide free breakfast to underprivileged children in her Ang Mo Kio neighbourhood, felt that people should not be defined or labelled by what they lack.

This is because everyone is "under-resourced" in some way, such as in terms of time, money, or love, the 36-year-old sole breadwinner in her family said.

Her words gave me pause.

How often do we zoom in on what a person lacks (such as their faults and failings), rather than what they have (their strengths and virtues)?

I was also touched by her compassion, generosity, and initiative.

Ms Lydia is giving so much of her time, money, and other resources—despite her humble means.

A former school canteen stall vendor, she started the Breakfast Buddy initiative in February as she had seen firsthand how some students went without food themselves so that their younger siblings had money to buy it.

Some 25 years after I started work as a journalist, people like Ms Lydia renew my hope in humankind.

She reminded me of the importance of looking beyond labels, and that there is a person—and a life—behind every statistic, every story.

FOR REAL, THERE ARE REALLY GOOD PEOPLE AROUND

I used to wonder: Why do some people do the good that they do, and what is in it for them? Are they for real?

In a world where many relationships seem transactional and self-serving, it is easy to become jaded and skeptical.

In the course of covering the social affairs beat over many years, where I report on issues affecting families, youth, elderly, and vulnerable groups, I have met many sincere, kind, and generous people who have shown me the best of what people can be.