A New Purpose in Life

By Xu Feng-qin (徐鳳琴)
Abridged and translated by Shawn Chang (張牧軒)
                                                Syharn Shen (沈思含)

A New Purpose in Life

By Xu Feng-qin (徐鳳琴)
Abridged and translated by
Shawn Chang (張牧軒)
Syharn Shen (沈思含)

In his youth, Zhao Zheng-xiong (趙政雄) didn't like to study, so after graduating from middle school, he went to work at a metal company. While he enjoyed doing things with his own hands, he disliked the repetitive work at the factory. After working there for six years, he decided to quit and pursue the life he wanted.

Soon realizing that he needed to acquire many more skills, Zhao worked during the day and started going to school at night. After he got married at the age of 26, he also started his own business. "Those were the toughest days in my life," recalled Zhao. To run his business, he not only had to keep learning new skills and accumulate experience, but also had to often socialize with his clients until late into the night. For about eight years, he never took a day off to rest, and he'd often wake up in the middle of the night, thinking about how he could operate machinery.

After many years of hard work, his business thrived and he became successful. However, after reaching the success he'd spent so much time and energy seeking after, he no longer felt the sense of accomplishment and the enthusiasm he once had when he just started his business. He suddenly felt aimless in life, and was even a little depressed. So, he began to search for a new purpose in life.

Despite reading books on psychology and religious texts and visiting Daoist shrines and Buddhist temples, Zhao still felt confused and couldn't find the answer he was looking for.

One day, he chanced upon a Da Ai drama series on the television about the real life story of a Tzu Chi volunteer. Seeing the selfless giving of Tzu Chi volunteers to help people in need, Zhao was moved to tears. He realized that this was what he was looking for and decided to contact Tzu Chi.

Zhao started serving with Tzu Chi as a recycling volunteer before taking part in other kinds of work, such as making home visits to those in need. Seeing the suffering and struggles of the unfortunate, he realized how very lucky he was as he was able to help others and has always tried his best to offer care and support to those he served.

Over time, Zhao realized that happiness in life was to be found in giving of oneself with love to benefit others. With the firm belief that one should keep learning and improving throughout life, Zhao has found new purpose and meaning in life after encountering Tzu Chi and Dharma Master Cheng Yen's (證嚴法師) teachings. "In Tzu Chi, I've found what I've been looking for!" he said, with sheer joy in his voice.