Passionately M

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is -- ' What are you doing for others?'" Have we stopped for a while, even for some minutes, to ask ourselves? What are we doing for others? Are we helping others, despite our own storms, or are we hurting them because we are wounded inside? Are we peacemakers uniting people, or are we causing troubles, dividing them? Our biggest family, humanity, must have evolved as a result of many, many years of studies on human behavior. Recently with the new technology that introduced connectivity and big data, we must have been more humanitarian than ever before. But like a funnel, as we go down and deeper, the narrower it is, the more individualism there is. I am greatly touched by featured stories in the leading newspapers of the UAE (online version) showing unnamed philanthropists helping those in trouble particularly in the month of Ramadan. For one, the humanitarian care section ...

Debt stress is a silent killer. When we allow negative circumstances to enter our system, we feel like we were drowning to death. My friend, 40 years old, is single, but she was like a single mom providing support to her sister, her sick husband, and their precious baby. It took many years before the couple had a baby so she's a gem, and my friend had spent a fortune from the moment she was in sister's womb. Recently her brother-in-law was brought to the hospital and after few days in intensive care unit, he died and they were left with a huge debt. She wanted to be with her sister, or at least send her money -- but what could she do? They were not paid salaries for three (3) months. She was behind her rent for three (3) months also. Banks were calling and threatening her. She already emailed them informing about her situation and requesting not to call her during office hours as stress almost paralyzed her system. Another friend who also helped her family during thei...