Curiosity, Adventure, & Love

December 13th, 2017
Singapore premiere of the award-winning film by Sunshine De Leon

“Why did you give me a smile?”

“Well, you looked like you needed one.”

That was how 105-year-old Jessie Lichauco and a stranger on the street started chatting. Charmingly poetic, and with a beautiful outlook on life, “Nana” Jessie is the main reason behind this compelling film.

Her innate joy and natural ability to relate reminds us of the importance of conversation and connection. An ongoing Harvard Study of Adult Development shows that having quality social connection is key to healthier and happier lives. Much of today’s isolation and gaps are a result of urbanisation where we live in the silo of our social media feed or our own newsfeed. Good relationships don’t have to be smooth, but having the confidence that the other person can be counted on when the going gets tough is imperative.

Nana Jessie in all her wisdom reminds us that, “when you hold on to grudges, you really are holding on to stupidities. The more you hold on to it the more it spreads like cancer.”

Even when Manila was invaded in 1941 — she saw the animosity as an opportunity to build a bridge and even made tea for the sentries. She refused to be part of the chaos. She prepared gruel for her people. She saw that it was within her capacity to provide for others. “Our duty is to help our fellow men. There’s always something that you can do that has nothing to do with yourself.” She knows no boundaries, without regard to societal conditions or norms.

She lives life to the fullest, and explores where few have treaded. She likens her life to a coconut that gets swept up by the ocean’s waves to different places, and takes root if it goes far enough. “Don’t count age by years,” she advises, “but by living.” We are reminded, through Nana Jessie, of the capabilities of human kindness that lives on over the ebb and flow of a century.