Hand in hand through thick and thin
When I feel sad and lonely, I feel that no one cares about me. During such times I feel like a burden to my friends and family. I feel like I am drowning, with no one around to help me. We expect people to see our pain, but that is not the right attitude. We must understand that if we want someone to help us, we have to learn to ask for help.
When you can't walk, you crawl. When you can't crawl, you find someone to carry you. We must not let our pride get in the way of seeking help from loved ones.
Yet just as we need our friends and family to be there for us in troubled times, we also need to be there for them. We have to reach out to them. If we fail to stand by each other, things can only get worse.
We should not be selfish and assume that our problems always outweigh the problems of other people. We all experience feelings of loss and sadness. We should all remember the saying: 'Shared happiness is double happiness, and shared sorrow is half a sorrow.'
Gurprit Kaur, Delia Memorial School (Hip Wo)
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Gurprit. Quite often people who are in pain are unable to reach out for help. Usually they are overcome with feelings of worthlessness and that translates into the idea that they are not worthy of help. But nothing could be further from the truth - every person, every life, every student matters. It takes a good friend to realise that something is wrong and then to stand by someone and help them.
Reaching out to others who are in need is something many Hong Kong students do without a second thought. Their generosity is ingrained and seemingly inexhaustible. Yet very often when it comes to their own well-being, they feel that it is too much to ask for help. But they should never feel like that. Many people, including family, friends, teachers and social workers, are around to help.
Susan, Editor
