A youth magazine has run the ‘Dare to Try’ programme recently. You have joined it and been invited to write an article to share your experience. Write the entry.
Dare to Try?
I believe everyone has braveness, much or just a bit, we all have that. Who can express it is called ‘the brave’ while who cannot, maybe due to trauma, lack of encouragement or too much hesitation, is called ‘the timid’. I was the latter until I joined the ‘Dare to Try’ programme recently. It’s not that horrible to do extreme sports or give a speech in front of hundreds of people. It is just a simple challenge—request for a talk and give a hug on the street.
OK, it’s not that difficult. I brought a huge cardboard with a pen, and was going to ask for a thing from the pedestrians on Nathan Road. Collecting and listening to the negative views of them was my first mission. Giving them a warm hug after that was the next. For a person who seldom talks with strangers like me, I was just like a robot standing straight on the street, or maybe an obstacle to busy people walking in a fast pace. They stared at my cardboard and I looked at how they passed by me, daring not say a word.
‘Hello, I’m…’ ‘Would you mind spending a few minutes…?’ Looking calm might I be, there was a war inside my brain, figuring out the best way to start a conversation. I finally decided to find some teenagers, who might seem to be more comfortable to talk with due to a narrower age gap to me. ‘Excuse me, may I…?’ Those headphone users mercilessly passed by me, making my one and only hope gone. How come it was that hard to overcome fear to try?
No. This was no difference to selling a flag. ‘Hello, may I ask you a short question?’ I tried again, with begging eyes saying ‘don’t reject me’ to that person. The time he hesitated to reply to me was the longest ever I waited in my lifetime. I succeeded, and so as for the second and the third times. They shared different worries or sadness with me, like feeling lonely because of not having time to eat with family, being stressed after long working hours and feeling sad due to having misunderstanding with friends. Of course, I could not solve their problems. What I could do was that I gave them a simple hug, telling them ‘everything will be good soon’, and they left me with a thankful smile, getting a little strength for the day.
Everything went well after my first failure and another new attempt. Fear was gone after I persisted to try again and did not focus only on how I was rejected. Fruitful ending came when I could step out of my comfort zone. This is what’s called to give a try—pulling down all the good or bad imaginations, giving yourself another chance to explore and having the determination to overcome the fear. Lesson learnt!
Hong Kong people are all living like an island, without the bridge of love and care connecting one another. In just a short period of time, I felt that people were searching for a listener and a person that could offer a bit encouragement. They were waiting for someone or themselves to be active to break the ice. That’s one of the principles of ‘trying’, which is to take the initiative. A little try could already give a great support to others or a solace to yourself. Will you be the one to give some love in society? Dare to try?
We often question why we have to try, but why don’t we? Then we always give ourselves hundreds of reasons and explanations to dissuade ourselves, but who knows what will happen next? Take the initiative and be the brave one, who will get more chances to explore everything. So, will you dare to try?
Chan Hoi Ching Erica
6C 2017-18