COMMENT Reading is supposed to be one of the best forms of relaxation, but this year, scanning the news hasn’t always been a delightful experience.

As I flipped through the morning papers and scrolled down the online portals, I often found myself in a state of rage as I was served with one bad (click-baiting of course) headline after the other, courtesy of the usual suspects: bigoted demagogues, corrupt politicians with mammoth egos and the inconsistent form of Arsenal Football Club.

Yet, in what has often been a harsh, dark year, there have been instances of hope that have lifted the heart, most notably, from these good Samaritans who rolled up their sleeves, got off their armchairs and went about making this country that we love a better place.

There was the determined school principal, one Mrs Ruth Cheah, who did the impossible by turning a once failing school in SMK Tropicana into an award-winning success while we moaned and groaned about the state of public education.

On the sporting front, our under-13 boys of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP), pioneered by Khairy Jamaluddin’s Youth and Sports Ministry, have us dreaming about the possibility of Malaysia one day qualifying for the World Cup.

Led by coach Lim Teong Kim who once coached future World Cup winners at footballing giants Bayern Munich, our NFDP boys set Europe ablaze this year, beating illustrious teams such as Manchester United and Liverpool. There is no “tak apa” mentality here, only the desire of the winners to strive for bigger and better things that Lim has worked to imprint.

In the face of the largest haemorrhage of humanity in recent times, Rayyan Haries ( photo ) of Subang Jaya chose to get stuck into running a kitchen that provided free food to up to 2,000 Syrian refugees on a daily basis in Greece. There’s also Syed Azmi, whose super-human enthusiasm to help others is remarkable, as if his daily batteries run on the number of good deeds he does in a day.

Much has been said about the state of inter-ethnic relations, but the story of taxi driver Jong Ah Sui, who ferried a cancer-stricken Malay lady to a dialysis centre for months without any charge goes to show that not all Malaysians view each other through a racial prism.

It is impossible not to admire these individuals. The best part is that these portraits represent a mere drop in the ocean. There are many more who deserve a mention, those whose good deeds give us reason to believe that our country is not broken.

Emulate these good men and women

Thus, amid the drumbeat of bad news, there is plenty of reasons to remain hopeful and we should not let our year be defined by our politics. With that, my optimism is placed in these good men and women, ordinary Malaysians like you and I, who represent the very best of us.

Given that it is that time of the year that we look to shape our New Year resolutions, perhaps we could take a leaf from the Syed Azmis and Jong Ah Suis.

I’m not suggesting that you solve the refugee crisis or come up with a cure for dengue.

What I am suggesting is far simpler: that we seek to emulate the very principle that anchors the deeds of the individuals mentioned above - the desire to live not only for ourselves but for those around us as well.

Hence, on top of the frequently recycled and unfulfilled resolutions, such as making full use of that gym membership or quitting smoking - my yearly struggle – we should ask ourselves these questions:

  • When was the last time you knocked on your neighbour’s door and offered them a home-cooked meal? (not leftovers)

  • When was the last time you offered your seat on the bus to an old lady?

  • When was the last time you volunteered in your local community, church or mosque?

    • These may seem unremarkable, but sometimes it is in the smallest acts of kindness of generosity that we can make someone’s day.

    So as we bid goodbye to 2015, it’s time to do away with the notion that we are but mere toenails in the body politic, incapable of doing anything meaningful.

    Let us not let the negatives define Malaysia. Instead, let’s get out there and shape change to the best of our abilities.

    ADAM REZA is a committee member of Umno Youth’s Biro Profesional Muda.