Name: Sherman Ng
Millennia Institute
Pre-University, Year One (Bunsiness)
Arthur Ashe once said, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost.”
Such heroism is rare, especially in this time and age, but I am proud to say I have known such a person and that is none other than my own mother.
My mother was from a poor family and she was one of three siblings. She sacrificed her pre-university education so that my aunt could carry on with her studies. Although times have been tough, she has pulled through the heaviest of storms in life and now is the IT administrator of a bank, a valued member of her company.
Being poor once has taught her to be tough and she almost never complains about anything in her life. That kind of courage, to be able to stand strong after a fall, is something she has taught the people around her, even if she did not know it. She hardly complained about being deprived of a complete education or of bearing the weight of our entire family only on her shoulders. She would make hard decisions that could affect our lives when we could not. One such decision was to bear all the hospital fees for my grandmother and to stand firm when accused of ill-treatment. Although my mother did not express any unhappiness, I knew she was deeply hurt by the false accusation. The decision of transferring the bed-ridden grandmother from the hospital to a medical care center was left to my mother too.
She would often sacrifice time from other activities so as to protect her loved ones. When my grandmother was still in hospital, regardless of work, she would definitely set aside some time to visit her. Whenever I fall sick, she would surely find time to care for me, to make sure I am fine. I still remember the time I was down with fever, she would wake up at night to make sure I took my medicine and if my condition was not improving fast enough, she would take time off work and to bring me to see specialists.
An individual that has understood independence at a young age, she hardly scolded my sister and I when our academic results were poor, instead she would tell us to try our best next time round and even gave us some study tips. She constantly would give us good advice when we need it most, like on my first day of secondary school.
She is more like a friend with a listening ear for me and she is always available, anytime or any day, no matter how busy she might be she is always ready to give a helping hand to anyone, even if her own problems aren’t solved yet.
Many people question the purpose of a hero or whether someone needs to possess “special qualities” or “we could all be heroes, in our virtues, in our homes, in our lives” because heroes are not people that have to sacrifice themselves to save others, they can just be someone that cares for you in times of need and lends you a listening ear when you are feeling unhappy or happy, a person that helps you control to take your anger.
One day, I hope to look at my mother and see a mirror of her values reflected in me, as I believe if a person can become a mirror which reflects upon the judge’s actions, you have already found a hero to look up to.