113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore
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0:03 - 0:07Teresa Hsu has spent much of a life
dedicated to helping the poor. -
0:07 - 0:09More than 100 years old,
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0:09 - 0:13Teresa still spends her time reading,
learning, meeting people, -
0:13 - 0:17gathering and distributing food
and money to help the needy. -
0:17 - 0:19Her organization, "Heart to Heart,"
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0:19 - 0:23began in 1929 under the name
"Friends of the Needy." -
0:23 - 0:25Here's Teresa:
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0:25 - 0:28[Lessons my mother taught me]
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0:29 - 0:30Teresa: We were very poor,
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0:30 - 0:33and we took food from the earth:
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0:33 - 0:36sweet potato and bamboo shoots.
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0:36 - 0:39Then one day, we were sitting down
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0:40 - 0:41to a meal.
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0:41 - 0:44One woman came with her child
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0:45 - 0:46and said,
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0:46 - 0:48"We haven't eaten for two days,
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0:48 - 0:50please help us."
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0:50 - 0:54So my mother took things on the table,
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0:54 - 0:56things that we were sitting down to eat,
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0:56 - 0:57gave it all to them.
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0:57 - 0:59And she said,
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0:59 - 1:00"We ate yesterday.
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1:00 - 1:03They haven't eaten for two days.
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1:03 - 1:06They have more right to the food than we."
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1:06 - 1:08And it was a very good lesson to me.
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1:08 - 1:14All my life I think of people
who have less than we. -
1:14 - 1:18That has been guiding light all my life.
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1:18 - 1:21[Heart to Heart - How it All Started]
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1:22 - 1:25Oh, I started "Heart to Heart"
under a different name: -
1:25 - 1:28"Friends of the Needy" in 1923.
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1:28 - 1:31Wherever I go, I do the same thing:
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1:31 - 1:32put my bags down.
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1:32 - 1:38First thing I look for is people
who don't have enough to eat. -
1:38 - 1:41Then when I came to Singapore,
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1:41 - 1:44I called myself "Heart to Heart."
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1:44 - 1:48Heart to Heart is we give whatever we can:
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1:48 - 1:52food and money for their rental,
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1:52 - 1:57and help them see the doctor, whatever.
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1:57 - 1:59We -
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1:59 - 2:02Sometimes people hear my talk,
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2:02 - 2:04and they donate money.
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2:04 - 2:07We pass it on to those who need.
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2:07 - 2:08At the moment,
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2:08 - 2:11we have 15 old people in Singapore,
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2:11 - 2:13five families,
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2:13 - 2:17and 34 blind people in Ho Chi Minh City.
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2:17 - 2:20[Poverty, Hunger, and a Promise]
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2:20 - 2:22There was a time
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2:23 - 2:26when we were very, very poor.
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2:27 - 2:31I went to the river
to wash the family clothes. -
2:31 - 2:37And while the clothes
were drying on the low bush, -
2:38 - 2:44we went to look
for whatever food we can get. -
2:44 - 2:46I was so hungry,
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2:46 - 2:49I looked around, nobody was watching,
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2:49 - 2:51so I stooped down,
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2:51 - 2:53got a handful of grass
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2:53 - 2:55and shoved it in my mouth.
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2:55 - 2:58It didn't satisfy my hunger.
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2:58 - 3:03At least it satisfied
my thought of hunger. -
3:03 - 3:06So it did taste nice,
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3:06 - 3:08and didn't stop my hunger,
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3:08 - 3:10so I said to myself,
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3:10 - 3:16"As long as I am able to,
let nobody need to eat grass." -
3:17 - 3:20So this is my guideline now.
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3:20 - 3:26Whoever is hungry, I do my best
to see what I can get for them. -
3:26 - 3:28Till now I still do it.
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3:28 - 3:31I still go around
and see who is hungry ... -
3:32 - 3:34I will share my rice bowl,
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3:34 - 3:38my bowl of rice with you.
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3:38 - 3:41This is now my life -
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3:41 - 3:46is to share what I have
with those who are hungrier then I. -
3:46 - 3:48Even equally hungry,
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3:48 - 3:50we share half a bowl.
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3:50 - 3:52["HaHa" and Multiplying Joy]
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3:52 - 3:55One man asked me why.
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3:55 - 3:58"Why don't you stay at home enjoy yourself
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3:58 - 4:01instead of going around to 20 people?"
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4:01 - 4:02I said,
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4:02 - 4:05If I eat food by myself,
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4:05 - 4:08I alone (Chinese) laugh with mirth.
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4:08 - 4:10I will share with 20 people,
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4:10 - 4:1221 people (Chinese) laugh with mirth.
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4:12 - 4:17You see, my joy is multiplied 21 times.
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4:17 - 4:21So six months later,
we attended a meeting. -
4:21 - 4:25In the recess, tea time, tea break,
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4:25 - 4:28he came up to me, and he said to me,
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4:28 - 4:33"Thank you for teach me
how to smile 21 times." -
4:34 - 4:38I said, "Next time we meet,
we will smile 42 times." -
4:38 - 4:41But the 42 times hasn't come yet.
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4:41 - 4:45Still waiting for the time
to smile 42 times. -
4:46 - 4:49[In life there are always problems.]
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4:49 - 4:52In life there are always problems.
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4:52 - 4:56You solve your problems
to the best you can, -
4:56 - 4:58accept the rest.
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4:58 - 5:00Don't think of the problems all the time.
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5:00 - 5:02It's (Chinese) boo hoo.
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5:02 - 5:04Because when you (Chinese) boo hoo,
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5:04 - 5:07you need to pay money
to buy handkerchiefs. -
5:08 - 5:10(Male voice off-screen):
And then you "hahaha." -
5:10 - 5:11TH: Then we "haha."
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5:11 - 5:14No need to spend money,
no handkerchiefs. -
5:14 - 5:17"Haha" is better than (Chinese) boo hoo.
- Title:
- 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore
- Description:
-
Teresa Hsu was born second of four children to a poor family in Guangdon Province, China, in 1898. At 16, she left for Hong Kong where she studied to be a stenographer, a bookkeeper and later, a nurse in the UK. As a nurse, she joined the International Voluntary Service for Peace (IVSP) and traveled around Europe to help the needy. She has also worked in Paraguay. When she moved to Singapore, she set up the Home for the Aged Sick in 1930, where she was Matron up to the age of 85. Now over 100 years old, she continues to help the needy via her organization, Heart to Heart.
She joined with many women in Singapore who delivered TEDx Talks to share their stories and ideas joining with the voices of hundreds of others during Global TED Women over two days in December 2010.
http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/1191
http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/1287
http://www.hearttoheartservice.org/AboutFounder.htm
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1590_2009-10-27.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Hsu_ChihTEDxSingapore is an ideas community in Singapore passionate about ideas and TED, founded in April 2009 and numbering many thousands people today. 100% Community created +free to join, visit us and get inspired at www.TEDxSingapore.sg
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 05:29
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Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore | |
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Rhonda Jacobs approved English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore | |
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Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore | |
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Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore | |
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David DeRuwe accepted English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore | |
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David DeRuwe edited English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore | |
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David DeRuwe edited English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore | |
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David DeRuwe edited English subtitles for 113-year-old Teresa Hsu - wisdom for all ages | TEDxSingapore |