robotic
08-20-2006, 09:24 AM
^_~ although none of these people claim to perform miracles, their dedication to humanity can't be described as anything but.
one of the ones i know about are india's gandhi & mother teresa + pakistan's abdul sattar edhi.
here's some info about edhi:
Edhi is to Karachi what Mother Teresa was to the poor of Calcutta. Edhi and wife Bilquees have spent a lifetime working for people and their welfare work to date remains unparalleled in Pakistan. They are both very private people who shun publicity. They have had little formal education, and are totally committed to the cause of helping the poor and needy.
What started as a one-man show operating from a single room in Karachi is now the Edhi Foundation, the largest welfare organisation in Pakistan. The foundation has over 300 centres across the country, in big cities, small towns and remote rural areas, providing medical aid, family planning and emergency assistance.
read more here (http://www.the-south-asian.com/February2002/AbdulSattarEdhi-social_worker.htm)
quoted from his autobiography, "each morning at rush hour i stood on the main road with my sack cloth bag, appealing for money in exchange of the trademark reciepts that assured the public of a lifelong refund facility. my action created curiosity amongst my colleagues who wondered why i needed to beg personally. those who held me in respect looked puzzled, if not embarrassed. i explained my position, "everything bad has a deterrent. this action is a deterrent against arrogance. when we are not conscious we fall prey to its seduction and terrible consequences follow. as no amount of achievement is enough, no amount justifies arrogance. begging on the road creates humility and fights the false exaggerations of success." when they continued to look intrigued and embarrassed i elaborated, "when people praise me, like all human beings i too feel elated and need to remind us both of my basic value. i am a beggar. i beg for alms from other people's labour, i am not a leader or a saint, no one should forget that, least of all myself."
i really feel social/welfare workers are a big part of the collective unity and progression of asia, and to know more about them might compensate for a fraction of their selflessness and altruism. please feel free to post stories, biographies, etc.
one of the ones i know about are india's gandhi & mother teresa + pakistan's abdul sattar edhi.
here's some info about edhi:
Edhi is to Karachi what Mother Teresa was to the poor of Calcutta. Edhi and wife Bilquees have spent a lifetime working for people and their welfare work to date remains unparalleled in Pakistan. They are both very private people who shun publicity. They have had little formal education, and are totally committed to the cause of helping the poor and needy.
What started as a one-man show operating from a single room in Karachi is now the Edhi Foundation, the largest welfare organisation in Pakistan. The foundation has over 300 centres across the country, in big cities, small towns and remote rural areas, providing medical aid, family planning and emergency assistance.
read more here (http://www.the-south-asian.com/February2002/AbdulSattarEdhi-social_worker.htm)
quoted from his autobiography, "each morning at rush hour i stood on the main road with my sack cloth bag, appealing for money in exchange of the trademark reciepts that assured the public of a lifelong refund facility. my action created curiosity amongst my colleagues who wondered why i needed to beg personally. those who held me in respect looked puzzled, if not embarrassed. i explained my position, "everything bad has a deterrent. this action is a deterrent against arrogance. when we are not conscious we fall prey to its seduction and terrible consequences follow. as no amount of achievement is enough, no amount justifies arrogance. begging on the road creates humility and fights the false exaggerations of success." when they continued to look intrigued and embarrassed i elaborated, "when people praise me, like all human beings i too feel elated and need to remind us both of my basic value. i am a beggar. i beg for alms from other people's labour, i am not a leader or a saint, no one should forget that, least of all myself."
i really feel social/welfare workers are a big part of the collective unity and progression of asia, and to know more about them might compensate for a fraction of their selflessness and altruism. please feel free to post stories, biographies, etc.