Six p.m. on the subway can be tough, especially if you have had a rough day. Yesterday was different. Let me paint you a picture: A man in his 30s stood up and said, “Hi folks, I know you have to get home, but it would really help if you could spare some change; it is for my sister and she is in the hospital. I need to buy her some food.” For a second, there was silence, and then people started digging through their pockets for change.
As the haggard looking man walked around with a hat in his hand, something incredible happened; a woman offered him a slice of pizza which she was taking home.
The man politely declined, “Thank you for your generosity, but my sister has digestive issues. So, I can’t take this, but I really appreciate it,”
Now, it is no surprise that Canadians have a reputation of being polite, but this incident answered a question ringing in my head; how kind are we as a society? Despite all the noise around us, we are truly kind and generous.
Incidentally, our well-being hasn’t improved much since the recession in 2008. A recent report titled Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) published by the University of Waterloo says, “When we compare trends in the wellbeing of Canadians to economic growth in the period from 1994 to 2014, the gap between GDP and our wellbeing is massive and it’s growing. When Canadians go to bed at night, they are not worried about GDP. They are worried about stringing together enough hours of part-time jobs, rising tuition fees, and affordable housing. They are thinking about the last time they got together with friends or the next time they can take a vacation,”
However, this does not deter us from doing the right thing and our open immigration policy and acceptance of newcomers and refugees are proof of this.
The MCIS family believes in helping people including newcomers, immigrants, and vulnerable populations. We encourage a diverse and inclusive workforce through training subsidies offered to aspiring interpreters and translators. In addition, we also invest our net income into initiatives that provide free services for vulnerable populations. We also frequently organize self-help workshops and well-being programs for our language professionals to keep them motivated
An example of this is our Anti-oppression Training Program which aims to raise awareness among language professionals about various forms of oppression, in an engaging and self-reflective way.
So, if you want to spread kindness, join MCIS today and make a difference. Who knows, you might find your calling.
Vivek Vijayapalan, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Toronto, Ontario, June 07, 2017
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