Image Credit: Copilot
By Zakiah Senin
When Yayasan Salam Malaysia organised a Basic Volunteer Course in the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia, I met a participant named Umar (not his real name), whose right hand had been missing since birth. He is an accountant.
During a sharing session, Umar related his story with a smile: “When I was a child, no one wanted to be friends with me. Maybe they felt embarrassed, because I was disabled.”
He recalled that one of the favourite pastimes of children in his village was breaking chicken eggs they found in the swamp behind his house. “Once, I followed them, and they asked me to break an egg as a sign of friendship. But I refused, even though I really wanted to be their friend,” Umar revealed.
“At that time, I thought it was wrong, and I believed the eggs belonged to my neighbour, since she was the only one who raised chickens.”
Umar explained that he began to think about saving the other eggs from being destroyed. The next day, after school, Umar rushed straight into the swamp without even changing his uniform. He searched for the eggs before the other children could find them. He managed to collect three eggs and brought them to his neighbour’s house.
Aunt Senah smiled when she heard Umar’s story and accepted the eggs.
“I only wanted to return the eggs,” Umar said, “but Aunt Senah gave me 30 cents. She told me, ‘Because you are a good boy, I’ll give you a reward. The rest, God will give you in blessings.’”
Umar shared that this moment became the turning point that strengthened his resolve to always do good. It didn’t matter if he had no friends his age — there were still people who appreciated him. It didn’t matter if he was often alone — what mattered was that God knew and valued every act of kindness.
Looking back at Umar’s childhood, it was far from easy. Yet those hardships taught him to believe that wherever we are, whatever challenges we face, goodness must come first.
If people fail to recognise it, that’s all right — because God is always there. A steadfast heart that chooses goodness will never compromise with actions that oppose it.
This package of goodness within oneself is what we call integrity. Integrity is expressed through positive actions. It is tested when one faces challenges that demand a choice between right and wrong.
The greater the challenge, the greater the test of integrity. But for someone who truly lives with integrity, choosing the good path is never a problem. For them, the deepest satisfaction lies in choosing goodness itself.
(My thoughts on volunteerism — values and principles close to my heart — are also shared in my book “Suka Rela Sukar Lawan”, published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in 2024.)
Zakiah Senin is a steadfast volunteer of Yayasan SALAM Malaysia, an NGO that has dedicated to volunteerism in Malaysia for the last 30 years.