“I used to just ignore others’ advice, and persists despite
what others say, but now I think about others first, and consider if my actions
or opinions have a positive effect on others.” Sister Cecelia, Tzu Chi
Volunteer for 21 years, shared her path in Tzu Chi.
- Interview with Sister Cecelia -
- Compiled by Tzu Chi Volunteer -
(For complete story, please click HERE)
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| “I used to just ignore others’ advice, and persists despite what others say, but now I think about others first, and consider if my actions or opinions have a positive effect on others.” |
1975 is the year that
Cecelia traveled to Lesotho with her newly wed husband for business reasons.
16 years later (1991),
Xenophobic Violence broke out in the country, all foreign nationals were affected.
It started when an old lady carrying a baby on her back got caught shoplifting
at an Indian-owned store. When the owner found the stolen goods on her, he left
the baby outside the store; the local resident found out about the story and
started the violence in anger.
Cecelia was running a quarry business at the time when the attack broke out; she lost all her trucks used for the business; and she is not the only one who was so badly affected. With support from friends and relatives, she turned around and headed to South Africa for other business opportunities.
Supermarket,
clothing factory, brick factory, jewellry stores...etc she has tried
everything, and eventually started at running a Golf Course.
1994,
Cecelia was the chairperson of a Woman’s Association; she was paging through
the newspaper randomly and read that Tzu Chi in Taiwan is raising 20 containers
of clothing for the poors in Africa. Cecelia was very touched by such an act,
hence phoned the Tzu Chi Liaison Office in Johannesburg (now Tzu Chi
Foundation, South Africa Branch), and asked if she could participate in the
volunteer action, and joined Tzu Chi. 2 years later, she was registered as a
Tzu Chi Commissioner.
South Africa is commonly known for its bad crime; some
days, you can even be robbed by the police officer on duty. Once a Tzu Chi
volunteer shared a story with everyone: they were on route to a disaster
relief, and were stopped at a police road block for a routine check; after the
check the volunteer discovers that the Donations collected were missing. The volunteer
didn't say anything at that instance, but instead, she shared a Jing-Si
Aphorism card (Master’s teaching) with the police officers.
“Man’s greediness is the root to all disasters.” was on one of the aphorisms being shared, when the officer saw
the card, he didn't say anything, nor does the volunteer who then turned her
head and walked away. The officer caught up to her, and says that he’d like to
do the check again. However, after the second check, the Donations bag was
found at its original place. Everybody walked away happily. Cecelia feels that
Jing Si Aphorisms are very wisely put together, and it will be helpful to
everyone in their own interpretations.
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| Cecelia at UCPA, a regular institutional visit by Tzu Chi Johannesburg (Photo By: Ken Tsai) |
South Africa is a poor country, there are street
children and homeless elders at nearly all intersections begging for donation. “We
appreciate what we have when we see the suffering of others.” Cecelia once
walked into a township shack on a cold winter day, she saw a child barefoot on
the ground with clothes that were old and frayed, the worst part was that
instead of a mattress as bed, there were only a few cardboard, and that was
where the child slept at night. Cecelia was deeply hurt by the situation; as a
successful business woman, she felt that she must do something for them.
“Eyes
grown on the top of one’s head”, is a Chinese proverb, meaning that the person
is full of pride in herself, and that is exactly how Cecelia describes herself.
You cannot reach or speak with her, unless you have made a prior appointment. Some
of her employees had financial planning problems, and they often spent their entire
pay cheque immediately after pay day, she would lecture the employee and shout “where
is your financial plan? How can you start borrowing money the very next day
after payday”.
About
10 years ago, after many years of involvement in Tzu Chi, Cecelia’s husband
said to her that she is the center of the family, if she comes home with a
smile and happy vibe, he and his son would expect a good day; however, if she
comes home with a stinky face, they don’t know what to do. Such a statement
from her deeply loved husband is a heavy word for her to receive.
“I used to just ignore others’ advice, and persists despite
what others say, but now I think about others first, and consider if my actions
or opinions have a positive effect on others.” Sister Cecelia is grateful that
she had met Tzu Chi all those years ago, and now she is the sunshine in her
group.
After closing the Golf Course business in recent years,
Cecelia is fully retired from her business career, and is now a full time
volunteer in Tzu Chi; she feels that she had learnt a lot from Master Cheng
Yen. Cecelia had never felt that she had enough material fortune, thus she
tried to chase has career parallel with Tzu Chi Volunteer work; it was very
tough for her to balance the two passions. But thanks to Master Cheng Yen, she
turned from a egotistic stubborn individual, into a happy woman.
For complete story, please click HERE
