The Best Things in Life by Suraya Syazwani Bt Mohamad Yusof

What are the best things in life? Well, for one, simply getting a smile from a loved one could mean the world to him while to others, attaining an insurmountable amount of wealth or surviving a near-death situation does tantamount to life’s best things. Too often a time when something regarded as ordinary to many is taken as a God-sent to some. I have seen how a meager pack of rice could light up one’s world when life was unbearably hard and going through the day without a decent meal was nothing new. For a person living the life of a destitute where his days reek of uncertainties, that scanty pack of sustenance was probably his life’s best thing. But for many, being loved, cared for and protected plus being able to lead a life full of happiness, joy and contentment certainly account for life’s best offers. In a nutshell, they come in a multitude of forms of varying nature and intensity.

Nevertheless, on many occasions, what we regard as life’s best things greatly depends on how we perceive them. For instance, a blind man receiving a gift of roses will appreciate the pleasant smell they emit and perhaps feel enlightened by his wondrous journey of imagining the possible riot of colours while another blind man might treat the gift as meaningless and disparaging. Time and again, we have seen that wealth does not always bring happiness and joy. It might even spell doom if it brings more harm than good. A mere peasant with little to spare might lead a much happier life than a man of greater wealth and standing as monetary prosperity does not always guarantee perpetual happiness while inner contentment does. So, one’s perception of life’s best things really depends on the individual’s unique interpretation and reception.

For me, life’s best things pertain to almost every facet of my life for which I am truly grateful. For a start, I am blessed with a loving and supportive family and relatives; neighbours that I care about and friends with whom we pledge our eternal friendship. These, I consider as my life’s best happenings and never in a million years would I trade them with anything else for I value this gift of love and devotion that surrounds me. Although my parents especially my doting father sometimes does get carried away by pampering us with worldly things we fancy, we never let our guard down especially when it comes to being conceited or condescending. But sadly, not every child in this world is fortunate enough to get his or her much deserving affection, what more care and protection from their supposedly loved ones?

I practically watch myself grow from year to year; leaving one phase and moving on to another, at least where values, hopes and aspirations are concerned. To me, life should not be looked at as a destiny beyond change. It does not have to be mundane, empty and worthless, as some might feel. In fact, it could as well be the opposite. We could gear to make things happen and God willing they will. The bottomline is how much goodness you want to reap from them. Some time back I saw an old lady about to cross a street. Doddering through the busy area, she looked a little helpless due to her frailness and old age. Normally I would just sit back and watch but this time I was somewhat compelled to get up and offer a helping hand. I finally helped her cross the street and in return she thanked me profusely. What I didn’t expect was the feeling of sheer contentment that overwhelmed me for the next few weeks! I never knew that one simple action could bring such an enormous impact on me. Perhaps it was because I have never done anything like this for a total stranger before and I was grateful that I did. I was literally bidding adieu to my former self and forging ahead with earnestness. Undoubtedly, it was one of my best days.

Like everyone else, I have an aspiration of my own and after some soul-searching I realize that my interest lies greatly in the field of medicine. From young I have always been fascinated with the medical fraternity and how they toil and strive to serve the community. I often read and see documentaries about their enormous contribution to societies so much so that I want to emulate them. I realize this would not be a walk in the park, and I need to commit my heart and soul to my studies and everything else that matters. Otherwise my life-long dream would just dissipate into thin air.

I was leaping with joy the other day when I had had the rare opportunity of meeting 2007 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Professor Sir Martin Evans who was in Malaysia recently on a special invitation by the country’s renowned think-tanks and academicians. I felt so lucky having been selected to represent my college, along with thirteen others. I managed to get his autograph which made me beaming with joy the whole day. The whole experience of meeting him in person and hearing him talk on the selected subjects were awe-inspiring and I felt all the more intrigued by the profession and its noble cause. God willing, when the day comes when I finally attain my scroll, it will be my all-time life’s best thing. I fervently hope that I will be able to serve the community well afterwards while upholding the principles and values that I have been taught to live by.

Seeing the atrocities afflicted to people everywhere, my ardent hope is also to see that world peace prevails so that there will be no more gory pictures about horrid war aftermaths that usually involve scores of innocent children and senior citizens as casualties. Sadly, in the midst of these warring factions, our one and only Earth becomes a victim too as if pollution of various kinds alone is not enough to ravage this planet we so-called love. I am sure that peace, harmony and unity will account for everyone’s best thing in life as it would benefit the whole of mankind and Mother Nature too. After all, ours is probably the only breed that is in existence in this universe. Once peace is attained, subsequently everything else like economic stability, well-being and integration, to name just a few, will follow suit. Every citizen shall have access to proper upbringing and education, healthcare and livelihood regardless of race, religion and colour of the skin. However should this mission fail and we continue to fight among ourselves and while doing so imparting substantial injustice to Mother Earth, mankind shall risk facing oblivion one day. This will in turn be the worst thing of our lives, ever.