Letter of the week: Strive to be the best version of ourselves today

The crowd at Clementi Town Centre, on Aug 8, 2021. PHOTO: ST FILE

Ms Wong Sher Maine's story, "Helping my kids cope with the loss of their papa" (Jan 3), was at once poignant and uplifting.

Her description of how "two policemen came knocking on our door with his identity card in hand" after her husband's death is a nightmarish experience I would not wish on an enemy.

In this time of constant negativity with stories abounding on the spread of Covid-19, scams galore and bullying even in the nascent metaverse, we need to take stock of what really matters to us and what it means to be human.

Ms Wong's children, despite their profound loss, had the grace to dial back on their expenses to ease the financial burden on their mother and also had the maturity to check on her well-being. This speaks volumes of the upbringing they have received.

The story of Davyon Johnson, a boy who saved two lives on Dec 9 last year and who had lost his father to Covid-19 in August (11-year-old boy saves two people's lives on same day, Dec 28), is also admirable.

These two stories have made me reflect on the loss of my beloved nephew Thaddeus Cheong, a national triathlete who collapsed and died in 2007. In his short 17 years, Thaddeus had touched many lives, as the family discovered during his wake.

While we cannot tell what the future holds, whether we will be alive tomorrow to do that good deed we always meant to do, we can strive to be the best version of ourselves today.

Being kind, holding our tongue against an insult, paying it forward and living a full life - these are possibly what the world needs more of today.

Belinda Wee (Dr)

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