SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) wrote about how something as ordinary as litter picking can be made meaningful in a Tuesday morning (May 16) post, saying that a recent #SGClean event caused him to remember a lesson he learned some time ago.
“Litter picking is large a monotonous a solitary activity, but I was reminded, while doing so, about a lesson I learned from my American father (who is Buddhist): that if we can impart mindfulness in the mundane tasks of life—whether it be doing the dishes or ironing our shirts (or, indeed, picking litter)—we can also use these as occasions for spiritual renewal,” wrote Assoc Prof Lim.
He wrote that the activity last weekend was joined by more families than before. And the fact that many Sengkang GRC residents brought their children “speaks volumes about the sort of values” parents from the area want to impart to their children, added the MP, who has a young daughter.
What appeared to spark off Assoc Prof Lim’s thoughtfulness was the litter pickers “spent a part of the morning combing the 301-4 cluster of #Anchorvale for little bits of trash”.
“Life in Singapore is often hectic. But it makes sense to seize little moments: take a slow, deep breath, pause and reflect, and find inner peace; and in so doing, obtain a glimpse of the eternity,” he added.
Assoc Prof Lim ended his post with a “Gatha” or verse, from Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, poet, and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh.
“Washing the dishes
is like bathing a baby Buddha
The profane is the sacred
Everyday mind is Buddha’s mind”.
SG Clean is a campaign launched by the National Environment Agency (NEA) in February 2020. It seeks to encourage everyone to do their part in “adopting good personal habits and social responsibility, to raise standards of cleanliness and public hygiene in Singapore and safeguard public health.”
/TISG
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