Another Week Beyond – 2411

An elderly person contacted us and told us that he would avoid engaging with a colleague I shall call Jane. He told us that Jane had a demon within her. The message via WhatsApp to a few of us left us perplexed. We thought that keeping the conversation going on the phone would only lead to more confusion and so we told him that we will chat over coffee.

As I sat with him together with another colleague, this elderly person spoke in an agitated fashion, and we sensed his fear. He related his experiences of how friends have been harmed by evil spirits and attributed his current challenges to the presence of such. I listened respectfully and asked him how he concluded that Jane was in cahoots with the devil. His answer that it was a picture of Jane where a demon was emerging from her baffled me. That was until my colleague, who was with me, recognised what this man was referring to.

This was the picture Jane had used for her WhatsApp profile. It was her son’s drawing of mom and dad. Dad had a fearsome beard, and he was peering over mom’s shoulder. Dad had also cheekily put 2 fingers behind mom’s head. For this elderly man, it looked like mom had 2 heads, one with horns and the other belonging to the devil and he interpreted the picture to be diabolical.

After I explained the picture, he calmed down but now that I am reflecting further, he really was just protecting himself by drawing on the resources of his lived experiences. The fear he experienced was genuine and he began to view that through lenses from his past. This coloured everything he saw and the agitation we observed was just his body’s way of shoring up to protect him.

We need to be gentle and appreciative of our body’s protective instincts and this elderly person seems to have understood this. He agreed that the next time he becomes aware that his body is shoring up to defend himself, he will move away from the “threat” and contact us for a chat before he becomes fully consumed by his fears.

For peace, community, and gentleness,

Gerard

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones. – Thich Nhat Hanh

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PAST AWB POSTS

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Written by Shariffah, Community Worker What is community? This is a question that shapes much of what we do at Beyond. Building a thriving community isn’t just about solving problems or organizing activities — it’s about creating spaces where people can connect meaningfully, share ideas, and take ownership of their collective future. Community development often begins with small, intentional steps. Our “Community Day” is one such step. This isn’t just a celebration, but part of a process — a chance for residents to collaborate, discover their strengths, and build something meaningful together. Our last Community Day of 2024 was held

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When a fire broke out in a Jalan Bukit Merah flat last year, the damage wasn’t confined to just the one unit. Smoke engulfed neighbouring homes, leaving behind physical damage and disruption. One of the worst affected residents was Madam Tan*, an elderly woman whose flat directly above the burning apartment. While her story didn’t make the headlines, her struggles were very real. She clearly needed help. This is where H comes in. The 28-year-old coach and former educator was no stranger to helping others, but this experience would touch him on a personal level. “I didn’t initially think about

Read more >

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I joined Beyond in 2005 as a community worker reaching out to children under 6 years old to get them registered for early childhood education and after a couple of years, I was seconded to support our main grant maker. After which, I left social services but rejoined Beyond in 2016.  I came back and rejoined the sector to meet my needs for meaning, connection and well-being. Last Friday, I was supporting a corporate volunteer group to distribute care packs comprising necessities for the new school year to children in a neighbourhood where we work. This group engaged youth from

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