In the heart of Padungan, Kuching, amid the usual bustle of traffic, an unexpected and deeply moving scene stopped people in their tracks an elderly man was seen crouched by a traffic light, eating grass.
The moment was first noticed by influencer Joy Lim Hui Ying, who was passing by in a car. "There he was, sitting at the traffic light, actually putting grass into his mouth. You could see he was struggling to swallow it," she shared in an emotional post.
Caught off guard and overwhelmed, Lim's immediate reaction was to help. "My heart just dropped. I immediately wanted to help, but the traffic light was about to change," she said, recalling the internal panic she felt in that moment. Without hesitation, she asked the driver to quickly pass the man some money before they had to move on.
But after the encounter, Lim found herself flooded with doubt. "I started wondering what if he's just pretending? What if he's tricking people?" she admitted.
It's a dilemma that many face when confronted with street-side pleas for help. With scams on the rise, skepticism has become a natural defense. Still, Lim's conclusion was simple yet profound: "Even if he was trying to trick me, Id rather be kind than ignore someone who might really need help.'
The emotional weight of the moment lingered. Lim confessed that she cried after driving away. "Whose father is he? Whose grandfather? How hungry must someone be to eat grass? she asked." It was a haunting question that stayed with her long after the car had moved on.
Although part of her continued to wonder if she had been deceived "Fortunately, we didn't give him RM100. If we had, I worried he might rely on this method to exploit people's sympathy" she still didn't regret the decision to help in a small way.
When Lim later returned to the same spot to check on the elderly man, he was no longer there. She could only hope that he had used the money to get a proper meal or moved elsewhere in search of shelter.
Her parting message was a heartfelt appeal to the public:
"If you're around Padungan and you see this uncle, please help if you can. Even if its just some food or water. You don't have to give money if you're not comfortable but please, do something."
This story is a powerful reminder that in a world full of uncertainty and doubt, kindness should still lead the way. Whether or not the man was being truthful, the sight of someone resorting to eating grass is not something to ignore.
Sometimes, what matters most isn't whether someone is scamming us, it's whether we choose compassion over judgment. Because at the end of the day, there are still people in our communities who desperately need help, and even the smallest act of kindness can go a long way.
