tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9254608830822406602024-02-26T15:03:49.271+08:00spittle splat : the fuss of usmichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.comBlogger1126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-62316652232349582812022-09-07T09:45:00.003+08:002022-09-07T09:57:41.448+08:00Paid for Doing Nothing<p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhw0NjA4dY22OEzU-cb4-EFe1Iqf5xCyjv2NtHbGKxHhRHu6BsbvRwPT4RMleigw1ftuQjdxe1htZ_cOqhmPq1K9gdmOhaswvaD1OJBO8q4hadunn-FWLY4_NOyibi7str0Q6eFkXG0mHmWifBMHpWrs_VHW_rxmCWPWN2FdII6RtCpjLRQ3e9iOpxS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhw0NjA4dY22OEzU-cb4-EFe1Iqf5xCyjv2NtHbGKxHhRHu6BsbvRwPT4RMleigw1ftuQjdxe1htZ_cOqhmPq1K9gdmOhaswvaD1OJBO8q4hadunn-FWLY4_NOyibi7str0Q6eFkXG0mHmWifBMHpWrs_VHW_rxmCWPWN2FdII6RtCpjLRQ3e9iOpxS=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></p><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Has Shoji Moromoto (“Shoji”) found the ideal job? His dream job? Maybe. He gets pay for doing nothing. Yes, nothing. And it pays rather well, $99 per hour (10,000 yen). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Talk about working smart, or not working, but still earning. His parents must be beaming with pride. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In any event, the lanky and nothing-much-to-look-at Shoji is in the rental business. He said: “Basically, I rent myself out. My job is to be wherever my clients want me to be and to do nothing in particular” (maybe I can consider renting myself out for a chat?)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In the last four years, he had handled 400 sessions, and mind you, Shoji has a quarter of a million followers on Twitter. He is basically a celebrity doing practically nothing. Where did he get his inspiration then?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">““Before (Shoji) found his true calling, he worked at a publishing firm and was often chided for “doing nothing”.” That was his eureka moment. So he effortlessly mused: “I started wondering what would happen if I provided my ability to “do nothing” as a service to clients.” </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">That was the birth of the idea of doing nothing. And will Shoji patent the idea, hire and train staff, and build an empire on just doing nothing? Stay tune...</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Anyway, there is a catch, because “doing nothing does not mean that (Shoji) will do anything. He has turned down offers to move a fridge and go to Cambodia, and does not take any requests of a sexual nature.” He has about one or two clients a day, until the pandemic struck. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It is reported that “last week, (Shoji) sat opposite 27-year-old sari-clad Aruna Chida, having a sparse conversation. The data analyst wanted to wear the Indian garment in public but was worried it might embarrass her fiends. So she turned to (Shoji) for companionship.”</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">“With my friends, I feel I have to enter them, but with the rental guy (Shoji), I don’t feel the need to be chatty,” Aruna said. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In another rental, Shoji accompanied another to the park as the person wanted to play on a see-saw. “He has also beamed and waved through a train window at a complete stranger who wanted a send-off.” </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Well, there are friends with benefits, and here we have strangers with benefits, but for a small hiring charge. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Shoji’s philosophy (for now) can be summed up in these words spoken by him: “People tend to think that my “doing nothing” is valuable because it is useful (for others). But it’s fine to really not do anything. People don’t have to be useful in any specific way.” </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Lesson? Just one. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I am reminded of Adam asking God for a helper. He had everything, yes everything, even God. But he wanted something different than the everything he really had (or God had given him). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What Adam was really asking for was company which became his companion for life, his wife. Eve was not Adam’s do-nothing companion. Her presence filled a void in Adam’s heart. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">They connected and both of them completed each other. The two became one in their life’s journey, notwithstanding that one memorable couple’s tiff concerning a fruit biting session.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In any event, it was the first romance on earth, though by default, but was consciously made. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">From Adam and Eve to Shoji and his many strangers-who-turned-friends, with one “stranger” hiring him about 270 times, the void we struggle with is universal and timeless. And the novel and sensational headlines of “getting paid doing nothing” is nothing new, actually. It is just a marketing tactic, and Shoji has a temporary first mover advantage on it. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">From courtships to marriages, from friendships, social escorts, sugar daddies to Shoji’s rental business, they only vary in degree. Other than that, it’s all about the age-old Adam-and-Eve issue. And in a crude way, they also vary in the value one party offers to the other. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">If you put a price on everything, marriage is not exactly free. It comes with a price. The price tag is supposedly ”paid” over a lifetime, and a divorce can wipe out half of your fortune. But the material cost is one thing, the emotional and mental cost can be far more damaging. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">So, look at it that way, it is indeed a costly companionship. Walking down the aisle and unveiling your bride is like entering into a joint venture that is definitely not costless. But if it works out, the so-called investment is worth every “cent” put in, and so much more. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We thus return to Shoji. As far as his rental business is concerned, he is imparting value. In the market economy, value is whatever you are prepared and willing to pay. And Shoji is paid $99 per hour for his company, whether it is a silent or less-than-silent one. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span>Some may even unabashedly see tying the nuptial knot as a lifetime hire. But the rental is paid by both, with varying rates, however, </span><span>not in coins, notes or currencies, but in time, devotion and sacrifices. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">So, who says you have to do something in order for the payer to consider that something as one of value? Value can come from doing nothing, and in that case, I won’t consider what Shoji does as doing nothing, because it pays to do something that is, well, nothing. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Shoji is specifically useful to his hirers for just being there as and when he is needed. His calling is therefore the ministry of presence, but with an hourly charge. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And that nothing is not nothing since the sari-clad Aruna hinted to that trading value by saying: “With friends, I feel I have to entertain them, but with the rental guy, I don’t feel the need to be chatty.” </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Or maybe, it is the idea of a “Twitter celebrity” that Shoji is renting out. It is not for nothing though, because it takes lot of work over time to get there, from conception to implementation. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And that is the price of novelty, innovation, fame and companionship.</span></span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-88174117286801980172021-12-29T22:56:00.001+08:002021-12-29T22:56:30.582+08:00A letter to myself - Be life's steward.<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7M88gwVrPUkoTiZ9DVqQ9KWRMLjVG0B_xxSb-LWzIzm3LmZsUrq_x-oGXlfUtQdnY2TmZMcpOO_FheJlf-mNx1jMdgaXHXufdNVXvnEQDexTEsDk_QBIbz7nZx9WM3FVgODQ4cIuhsyo/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7M88gwVrPUkoTiZ9DVqQ9KWRMLjVG0B_xxSb-LWzIzm3LmZsUrq_x-oGXlfUtQdnY2TmZMcpOO_FheJlf-mNx1jMdgaXHXufdNVXvnEQDexTEsDk_QBIbz7nZx9WM3FVgODQ4cIuhsyo/w400-h300/224028124_2095587537246995_1110782193244888500_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">A letter to myself,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mike, what if you are just a steward? I am sure you have heard of that concept. You are not the owner of what you own. It’s not yours to claim or keep. You are just its steward. You are a trustee, safeguarding what is entrusted to you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As a father, you are a steward of your children’s well being. As a husband, you are a steward of your marriage. As a worker, you are a steward of what you receive at the end of the month. In legal-speak, what is legal title is not beneficial interest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And as who you are, you are a steward of what happens to you. Your experiences, good or bad, they are not to be taken personally. For stewardship is not ownership, and you deal with what happens with a calm, third-person perspective, instead of allowing it to swallow you whole, part by part. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yes, when failure happens, I know it’s hard to accept. It can be scary too. The future can be uncertain. The pain unbearable. And the grief takes a tight hold. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But if you are a steward, you are therefore managing the experiences. For they did not happen to you as much as they happened for you to deal with, like a lesson to be studied and learned from. That is what a steward does. He handles them. He manages the crisis, however long it takes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He is there from the start to the end. In good times, a steward joins in the celebration. In bad times, in tough times, a steward tarries with faith and hope. He stays put. He never leaves the life behind. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For this reason, he does not take the pain personally. Yet, this does not mean he denies the pain, the hurts, the emotions. No, there are as real as the blood that bleeds when you cut the flesh. A steward knows that intimately. He is soul deep with the life, but still keeps an arm’s length from it. In other words, he identifies with it, even affected by it for a season, but will not allow himself to be paralysed by it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For he knows better than to be in the eye of the storm. Instead, he is the eye looking at the storm, never losing sight until its energy is spent; and it will, eventually. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He is there when the tears flow. He is there when the nights linger. He is also there when darkness looms. A steward takes responsibility for the experiences he manages. He is accountable to the life. That is his calling, a ministry of presence; most times, a quiet one, unseen. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, he also knows the many seasons that a life has to go through. A season to cry. A season to rejoice. A season to be born and a season to bury. Even a season to wait patiently for one season to pass while another lies in wait. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That overarching season is for a lifetime and the steward readily adopts that perspective because that is the full range of a life’s experience under his oversight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And because he sees further, a steward never let the experience of one season overwhelm him. He does not take the hurts and pain to heart. He will not let them distract him. He keeps a distance. He stands firm on what he is called to do. And he strives to fulfill that calling to shepherd the life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Even for the experience of success, the steward does not take it personally. He does not let his guard down. He does not let it go to his head. He manages, remember? He does not allow complacency or pride to mar his judgement. He knows a neglect in one season will affect the other. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Like domino effect, a season in the valley not managed well will spill over to the next. And a season at the summit if allowed to self-indulge in excess will also spill over. A steward will thus fight to keep the balance at both experiential peaks, that is, in the valleys and at the summits. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is what the steward is called to do. He plays his role as a third person, taking a long lens’ perspective, and is faithful to see the life through, come what may. He is a shepherd for all seasons, a steward for life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, be life’s steward, Mike. This is the letter’s message. Be one for your own life. And don’t take things so personally. For this too shall pass. Life ought to advance, not shrink. From one season to another. Learn from it, and grow. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Expand your land, not be trapped in it. Release your grip and don’t hoard it jealously, thinking that it’s yours to keep and rule. Mind you, one day you will be buried in it. And it is an errand for fools.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And let me end by saying that the fruit a steward reaps is maturity and resilience from a lifetime of overcoming, whether in the valley below or at the mountain-top.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Signing off,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Life’s Master-steward. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">(Image by Simon Berger).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-17032109487572218332021-12-29T22:56:00.000+08:002021-12-29T22:56:15.565+08:00Procrastination - the sojourners of life.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KFUzzmwCeAS-hJyWhlf1NcZsme2Co_praraUajFmObuEK2rpNm4ER1pUjM4FoXtni8q5kSsfczC9zesCo-zDEN0mPjHnychl8MmnU1SGRWueXJJSJZTzoy0axDHbLlCMe-j3oCAos2E/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8KFUzzmwCeAS-hJyWhlf1NcZsme2Co_praraUajFmObuEK2rpNm4ER1pUjM4FoXtni8q5kSsfczC9zesCo-zDEN0mPjHnychl8MmnU1SGRWueXJJSJZTzoy0axDHbLlCMe-j3oCAos2E/w300-h400/234811385_2099538710185211_3656838256496670512_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I think when it comes to procrastination, we have to be kind to ourselves. Don’t beat ourselves up over it. Take stock and try again. Keep on keeping on right? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The article this morning maps out why we procrastinate and how we can beat it. Written by Dr Andree Hartanto (SMU) and Tina Ng Li Yi, a 3rd year student majoring in psychology, it gives us some good tips on how to overcome this sometimes dreaded (stationary) monolith in our life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But first, the authors differentiate laziness and procrastination. “Laziness simply means being comfortable and satisfied with not achieving anything, whereas procrastination is more complex. Procrastinators want to accomplish something, but their actions prevent them from doing so.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And there are a few reasons for procrastination. It may be a “lack of clarity on your goal.” Or you “set goals that are too vague and abstract.” In other words, you have no concrete plans to get there, except for a few platitudes about being the best you can be.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It may also be our endless struggles with the initial inertia. As first cut is the deepest, the first step is the heaviest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The authors wrote: “Finally, we sometimes procrastinate simply because we can't get the ball rolling. The resistance we have to a task is usually highest before we begin, but once you start acting on it, it's a lot easier to keep going.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Other factors may be that “at other times, fear, self-doubt and anxiety are the obstacles aligning our present and future selves.” That present and future selves part is explained as follows: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Procrastination is fundamentally the result of a disconnect between our present and future selves. When we procrastinate, we are indulging the present self in immediate, short-term pleasures while leaving the future self to suffer the consequences.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“We do this because humans have a present bias that makes us shortsighted in our goals, wiring us to value instant gratification such as from funny TikTok videos over far-off rewards like the satisfaction of productivity. Thus, procrastination comes from prioritising the present self.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">You will have to read the article about the steps to take to overcome procrastination. As a summary, they suggest setting concrete and achievable goals, be time-specific, and visualise what you want to achieve. That is, to see yourself removing the obstacles, one boulder at a time. Such mental exercise is a form of self-persuasion and self-encouragement. A self-pick-me-up. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As for the laden first step to a rewarding journey of change, the authors advise: “To overcome the inertia of getting started, identify the very smallest action. Something that's so easy you can't not do it.” And then, do it. If it’s running, well, wear the running shoes first. That’s achievable right? If it is going for a study course, sign up. Press that button or key. Enter. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But of course, things get more complicated when we are embarking on something that takes a longer time, requires our diligence and commitment, and there are distractions and temptations along the way. Yet, at every intersection of our endeavours, midstream or otherwise, we have to ask ourselves: how much do we want it, and how much we are prepare to change ourselves to get it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Bearing in mind that the road to a rewarding journey is not just about taking that heavy first step, it is about a change of heart. That is the first step of the soul of the journey, and it is usually the longest - that is, from the head to the heart. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And when we embark on the journey with the first step, that changed heart has to keep being emboldened in that same direction from strength to strength to drown out the siren calls to quit, give up and run from it all. This goes beyond not procrastinating. It requires a steely will and a sense of meaning and purpose for the journey ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, let me end with what time as a whole should mean to us. I recently read a book entitled “When - the scientific secrets of perfect timing” by Daniel H. Pink, and he ended the book with this observation: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">““Taken together, all of these studies suggest that the path to a life of meaning and significance isn’t to “live in the present” as so many spiritual gurus have advised. It is to integrate our perspectives on time into a coherent whole, one that helps us comprehend who we are and why we’re here.””<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Make sense? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess it is ultimately about the stories we tell ourselves when we are stuck at a crossroad. Is it a story of awe or dread? Is it a story of hope or despair? Is it a story of faith or fear? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">We all need to be awed by life, once in a while, like a pit stop a car takes to recharge; that is, awed by the birth of life, by the steps a life has taken to come this far, by the love a life has received and the love the life is able to give, by the hope of a meaning beyond a life’s daily grind, and by the joy of the most ordinary a life can savour. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In other words, do we storify our life, collaborating with it to write our own script, or are we terrified by it, groping in the blank, unwritten pages? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The reality is, we do not just live in the present, but driven by awe, even in the simplest pleasures of everyday living, we draw upon our past the story of nostalgia, of how we have come so far, against all odds, and we imagine our future, of the hope we can draw from it, of a journey we will eventually complete to enjoy the fruits of our labour, and our perspective of time in the present is therefore widened and deepened by all that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">By doing so, we see the clarity of our purpose, and why we are here on earth. That is the awe we need, the common thread that joins our past, present and future together. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is also what author Daniel Pink is talking about when he said: “...to integrate our perspectives on time into a coherent whole.” That coherent whole is our life’s story, different and unique from others, yet, it is scripted by us, on a blank canvass of endless possibilities. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><i>So, ready, fellow sojourner? </i>For life awaits, let’s go.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-4917416040453189562021-12-29T22:55:00.004+08:002021-12-29T22:55:55.762+08:00The Khaw Boon Wan Interview.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBjRgbe-CsEg0qOy3qoevTipjcvOC8vjBEQw_iW7NfwPgxtyhCAyGBl_QN-Jr9jSdo3DMqiEb97-wJhc7jatgq9GYuL4M9YOFLIu0Z0UFvdU7T2r_6DxpPoZGPuXYK1CshohsnsC8nhc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBjRgbe-CsEg0qOy3qoevTipjcvOC8vjBEQw_iW7NfwPgxtyhCAyGBl_QN-Jr9jSdo3DMqiEb97-wJhc7jatgq9GYuL4M9YOFLIu0Z0UFvdU7T2r_6DxpPoZGPuXYK1CshohsnsC8nhc/w400-h300/241359634_2125041907634891_6346244383883937719_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Men in white. The curse of incumbency. Status quo arrogance. Pretentious consultation when minds and decisions are already made up. Patronising to the masses. Paying lip service to open-mindedness. Poisonous groupthink. Elitism or meritocratic aristocrats, and this, ”is he illiterate?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess most of us in Singapore are familiar with the above description of our governing authority - PAP. People’s Action Party could even be seen as People Action-only (show off) Party. We often forget the results produced, because the fish will be the last to discover water - but yes, not always stellar, but at least, predictably stable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The water flow is however never smooth sailing. We all know that. Sometimes, it is stale (uncreative), still and dead calm. Sometimes it is rushing with pandemic urgency and even the leaders are stumped. Most times, we just go with the flow, too preoccupied with bread-and-butter issues to be bothered with what the big boys or bad boys are doing at the head of the tide.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Anyway, Sumiko @ LunchWithSumiko has managed to fish out a quiet and humble leader amongst the mainstream current, who once described himself as such: “I think I am boringly calm.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Khaw Boon Wan was a big fish enjoying retirement after 42 years of public service (22 as a civil servant and 20 as a politican). He spent his time sending his grandkids to school, devoting to Taiji and meditating on Buddhist sutras before he was persuaded to return back to public service. The last straw was a lunch appointment with PM Lee on May 10, and the rest is, well, newspaper history. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, after a heart bypass (2010), an arm operation due to a fracture (2019), and enduring dengue fever for two days last year, this vegan-diet retiree with almost zilch anger management issue may be taking up his swan song project before he goes quietly into the nocturnal starry skies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">You can read about the interview with Sumiko in today’s paper for the interesting bits about Khaw’s story, how he disliked long meeting, the 300 experts he met up to prep up for the job, and that quirky “twirls of his right foot”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In one part, you read about what he was reading before coming out of retirement. Anyway, maybe this trivia can be fleshed out here. “He spent several months engrossed in tomes about 500th anniversary of the Reformation, for example, and immersed himself in a book about Egyptian archaeology and European colonialism.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, for my post this Sabbath morning, I just want to focus on one small bit, that is, leadership and humility. I read somewhere that leadership is “the art of inspiring others in a team to contribute their best towards a goal.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And in 42 years of public service, I can’t say that Khaw had been lacking in that department. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In the interview, he however described his new role as “my toughest assignment” and said: "I spent many years in healthcare, so I was not daunted when then Minister Howe Yoon Chong asked me to lead on hospital restructuring.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Housing, I volunteered to do the job as I knew the problems on the ground and had clear ideas on how I could fix it. MRT was a bit scary but I understood the engineering problem. I was confident that given time, we could turn it around. With media, I am out of my depth."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As a grandfather, he is no less the grandfather type in leadership, that is, ponderous in thoughts, careful with words, and taking a long lens’ view in perspective. But, what drew me to this leader is his unspoken-for humility. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I felt that that was the freshwater spring point of inspiration a leader today urgently needs to move his team towards a common and mutually enriching goal. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Skills and competency are one thing, but leadership as an art, is a demanding discipline calling for a profound depth of interpersonal touch only those who have worked with people, all kinds of people, have the courage, wisdom and strength to muster up for the long haul. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And holding this bond together is humility, that is, not thinking less of yourself, but as CS Lewis puts it, thinking of yourself less. Because you still have to treasure yourself, before you share your treasure (gift) with others. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Khaw said: “Civil servants can remain faceless, even nameless. I like that more. I was happiest when I was just a senior civil servant, senior enough to make a difference, and did not need to tell the world how I had improved their lives.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, this Mr Fix-it has proven himself on that, and using a train analogy, he prefers to fix it at night, when it is all quiet, with zero traffic and crowd, so that when day breaks, you won’t even know it’s fixed when you travel on it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That’s humility in the way it is defined - “a humble person is marked by a willingness to hold power in service to others.” (Humilitas by John Dickson). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess the world needs more people of that caliber, who in the interview said this before taking up chairmanship of SPH, “my main consideration was whether I was up to the job”, and then took it up, and braving the storm ahead not with a I-know-better attitude, but one where he told Sumiko (technically, his subordinate) this: - <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“We are a team and if we can pull together in the same direction, there are no problem that we cannot collectively solve. My job is to support all of you and cheer you along.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, I have come to know this leadership process as “re-personalization”. That is, taking a person for whom you are leading out of the cogwheels of an impersonal organisation, and then giving him or her a good pat on the shoulder, with this assurance, “we are in this foxhole together, no bullet that comes your way would not also come my way first.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In the book, “The Power of Giving Away Power - How the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go”, by Matthew Barzun, he wrote about a legend of leadership, and no, it’s not a man, but a woman, whom even the father of modern management, Peter F Drucker, modeled after. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Her name is Mary Parker Follett. You can google about her amazing leadership style chariot-led by sheer humility, that is, giving power away and sharing it to empower others towards a common goal, whether corporate or for social justice. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">This is what was written by the author Matthew about her leadership as I end this post: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“...Follett called for re-personalization - to bring the right kind of struggle into each encounter. In what became her standard presentation, she encouraged leaders to allow all members of the team to share their view and study the problem at hand from many angles, with each person bringing their knowledge to the table.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">““If you did this with your teams, then you could avoid the traps of arbitrary personal power and the twin danger of depersonalized power - you would still have power, but it would be what she called “power-with,” not “power-over.””<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-8273245619488709422021-12-29T22:55:00.003+08:002021-12-29T22:55:44.025+08:00The name ungagged is Colin Chua Yi Jin.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTJuqLv6PykgEurDtejZ_YmkE-5UJnZYd4KZkUgIvGMgM61Vbv_vG9s8vx1sP-K51_VVva8s1zx_l-tG2M3eZawgTE8xit-63D3tsWPpmCTNq_6w4ZUdbUf7n8JHDk717x1ueZmDo3YI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTJuqLv6PykgEurDtejZ_YmkE-5UJnZYd4KZkUgIvGMgM61Vbv_vG9s8vx1sP-K51_VVva8s1zx_l-tG2M3eZawgTE8xit-63D3tsWPpmCTNq_6w4ZUdbUf7n8JHDk717x1ueZmDo3YI/w400-h300/242148362_2129769247162157_417576924519143177_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Colin Chua Yi Jin. That’s his name. He’s 23. He’s a student from a top British university. I trust he’s from an affluent family. He faced 11 charges of filming voyeuristic videos of several women. He had also pleaded guilty on July 29 to seven counts of insulting the women’s modesty and an offence under the Films Act. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Today’s news however is about a gag order being lifted. It was lifted by CJ Menon. More on that later.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Here is a sample of what he did. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">On Dec 2, 2015, in a hotel at Orchard Road, he “placed a recording device in the toilet and it recorded a video of her showering.” On Dec 23, 2016, he was hosting a celebration at his then residence, and he placed the device in the toilet and “filmed the second victim relieving herself.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When he was first charged, altogether close to 20 charges, a gag order was imposed to protect the victims’ identities. That gag order extended to hide his name and Colin had anonymity by his side. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Altogether, there were 12 victims. 10 of them supported lifting the gag order. They wanted Colin to be known. But, 2 of them did not support it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Subsequently, one of them changed her mind. And some of the charges were also withdrawn, which included the only victim remaining, objecting to lifting the gag order. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">With the revised number of 11 charges preferred against Colin, all 11 victims unanimously asked for anonymity to be removed. Now, Colin stands “naked” before his victims, the law and in the public eye. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Colin however was not happy. He instructed his lawyers to object to the disclosure of his name. With a bright future before him, he dreaded the exposure of his past with his name and face on it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">CJ Menon heard the objection and dismissed it. He said that gag orders are to protect the victims. “A gag order has nothing to do with the benefit of accused person...His interest counts for nothing.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Colin was then ordered to pay $2000 in cost for the objection. Quite a rare order for cost. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? Just one. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I have written much about redemption. I have written about inmates serving their time and promising to change, and they did change. They proved themselves admirably and were duly reintegrated back to society, contributing to it in exemplary ways. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, Colin is different, at least for now. If you read some of the victims’ statements, you get a sense of the person Colin was (or is?). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">One victim wrote: “I felt very worried and powerless when I saw the accused posting on social media with other female friends. I could not warn them because of the gag order on the accused’s identity.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Another victim wrote: “In the days after the news came out about the investigation, I distanced myself from him without knowing that he had filmed me too. He had the audacity to ask if we still wanted to be friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Here’s another. “Not being aware of his crimes, I even encouraged him to meet my friend (the 11th victim), which (resulted in her) becoming another victim. This made me feel very guilty.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Posting on social media? Still scouting for female friends online? Still wanting to meet victim’s friend, ending up with her being the 11th victim? This crab just wouldn’t walk straight, right? Even after being investigated or charged? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed, it is Colin’s objection to the lifting of the gag order that shows how he had sorely mistaken (or conflated) his interest for (or with) the interest of his victims. For the heart speaks when the hand performs the deeds. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As Asian culture would have it, he wanted “face” by hiding his face from the public glare and the victims’ ire. Yet, what good is a face if he just wants to satisfy his own carnal desires on unsuspecting victims, and not face up to what he has done? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, redemption does not come cheap. It comes with a price. And it is a price that is set beyond just restricting your freedom behind bars. For that’s your physical freedom of movement. And that is externally imposed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In fact, the price of true freedom (leading to redemption) may be one you are still paying even after you have served your time in prison.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For that freedom is the face of a repentant heart, and no prison bars can guarantee that depth of transformation in a person, save for that person himself resolving in his heart to turn his life around and make amends. It is also the freedom the scripture talks about - “for you will know the truth and the truth will set your free.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is the conscious freedom of change, or true redemption. And that is internally imposed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, I fully support the lifting of the gag order. Indeed, his interest counts for nothing. Because, for some people, as long as they can hide their actions from public attention, their interest to self-gratify with impunity will burn brightly in the darkness of their heart. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And the freedom people like Colin relishes is often realised at the expense of the lives of innocent victims, who may still think he is a gentleman, a faceless one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-82311195611585770972021-12-29T22:55:00.002+08:002021-12-29T22:55:33.462+08:00The heart of Grace - PSLE 276.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07xThtE3ATV2jhb0rB3lYeEXt3iCJo2cEHnRcAUkxV__2yAW0aYaxgoQwGCNamTXRb_f1W3Qu7TnBBU_9tNclu3PeFbLi4mh8O-SWKPzH-ZKTcmnKsCpnPUfxsiZfCE0W0mOnXG8Ays4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07xThtE3ATV2jhb0rB3lYeEXt3iCJo2cEHnRcAUkxV__2yAW0aYaxgoQwGCNamTXRb_f1W3Qu7TnBBU_9tNclu3PeFbLi4mh8O-SWKPzH-ZKTcmnKsCpnPUfxsiZfCE0W0mOnXG8Ays4/w300-h400/243080142_2130523850420030_8820513375803900935_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It’s an interesting read. Senior Political Correspondent Grace Ho was definitely at the top of her game when it comes to PSLE. She scored 276. Let that sink in first...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That number would be any parent’s dream here. Because that number will get you anywhere in the Singapore School System. And not just anywhere, you will be able to apply to the best schools (even if it may be a considered as a lousy school). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Imagine Simon Cowell slamming on the golden buzzer for your extraordinary performance on stage. And Simon knows talent when he sees one. An endorsement from him is as good as PSLE scores hitting above 270 in our local academic stage. Mind you, Grace got 276. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, there was no golden buzzer for Grace. Although she was overjoyed when she showed her form teacher her results, her teacher however said: “We think you could have done better.” Yes, 276 is just not good enough. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Grace’s reaction is best captured in her own words. ““This was because two years prior, the school had produced a national top pupil with a score of 288. I was too stunned by her remark to consider that by “we”, she might have meant only herself or the school principal.””<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Instead, I thought I had fallen 12 points short of society’s expectations of me. I felt like a failure.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Imagine that again, you have topped the school, with 276, but you feel like a failure. Well, maybe even in the best school, if you fall below their expectation, instead of feeling self-validated, you are made to feel lousy.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">While Grace wrote that “life is not defined by PSLE results”, the truth is that the Freudian slips are deafening if you do not make the mark. Parents may give your child a sympathetic ear for her or him not making the grade, but that same sympathy would turn to unreserved rage when their own child fails to make the mark. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I know this, because I was one of the parents I am talking about, when my son handed me his PSLE results many years ago (he is now taking his A levels). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Can we blame the teacher? Can we blame the parents? Can we blame the school system? Can we blame meritocracy? Can we blame me? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I think we are all running the same one-track race towards a unidimensional definition of success in a hyper-competitive society that is obsessed with economic growth measured by a myopic metric. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Simon Kuznet, the award winning economist who revolutionised econometrics, once asked: “What are we growing? And why?”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Most times, our governments get caught with the first question, and forget about the second, because growing for growing sake can be all-consuming and highly addictive. What’s more, when you are at the top, your resounding achievement blinds and deafens all. Who doesn’t savour that mountain-top high, right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, this race starts from the home. The child will compete for their parents’ attention. The parents will compete with other parents for their attention. The school will compete with other schools for attention. The government will compete with other governments for attention. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And this endless, hyper-competitive cycle goes back to the child. It starts all over again from there. As he or she grows up, and enters the workforce, this cycle gets even more demanding, at times, soul-sapping. But it never stops, because, like they say, you snooze, you lose. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The unspoken toxicity in our meritocratic society is not that our children don’t try hard enough. It is how their hard enough is just not enough by way of comparison no matter how hard they have given of their best. Such society defines them by one ruler, that is, their grades on paper, and not by how different they are from one another, and how such differences, if placed on a kinder clock of development, would blossom at their own time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">This is somewhat similar to what Grace wrote: “In school, as in life, and work, you will face pressure from people who say 276 isn’t enough even if they can’t hit the mark themselves.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">She added: “More than 20 years ago, my best wasn't good enough for my teacher. There are days when I still don't hit the mark, but I'm okay. No matter what your results are, no matter what anyone says to you, hang in there. You'll be okay, too.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, that’s good, timeless advice from the heart of grace. And it is an advice that will always hit the mark because it is based on building the relationship rather than keeping scores. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And as long as we as parents bear that in mind, and in our hearts, our children will flourish at his or her own time. This is because it is not run on society’s undifferentiated clock of development, one that is always in a hurry, but by one defined by unconditional love, where relationships are always placed above grades.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-75380530724570558992021-12-29T22:55:00.001+08:002021-12-29T22:55:24.850+08:00What if I could see a day through the eyes of God?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiES6RkfRr66UAVouyzhe1k18N4Omx1KoNqBd1bxNZn_JMT6CZP6JhTqF1liiM3_fPkUMwqKO-SGuqkp7FApsEjOc_b_mpF4-Dy_RYDZLwDxv9jJxqRTXV5wdoGiyQsYpHC51za5c16mio/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiES6RkfRr66UAVouyzhe1k18N4Omx1KoNqBd1bxNZn_JMT6CZP6JhTqF1liiM3_fPkUMwqKO-SGuqkp7FApsEjOc_b_mpF4-Dy_RYDZLwDxv9jJxqRTXV5wdoGiyQsYpHC51za5c16mio/w400-h300/240895540_2113963435409405_7376492425237807101_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; text-align: justify;">A Sabbath Morning Meditation.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">What if I could see a day through the eyes of God? I wonder, what would I see...?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess I would see the beginning of dawn, the first light of day. And I would see everything is uncovered by the light. From the darkest corner to the edge of the expanding universe, light chasing light, nothing escapes His sight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I would see the rich and the poor, and everyone in between. I would see them taking their first and last step, their first and last breath. I would also see their lives stripped bare, nothing is hidden, beyond humanity’s thoroughfare.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I would see the fig leaves they cover themselves with; some are made of royal cloth, others are worn and torn. But, whatever the coverage, they all return to the buried soil just the same. Naked they come, naked they go. God sees them all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I would also see their struggles, the rich and the poor, with success and failure. I would see them paying the same price for it, the price of a heart unsettled, unhinged. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Through God’s eyes, I would see the rich building their babelian towers. I would see the sweat of many offered up at the altar for those crowned at the top. I would see their ambitions, their hunger, their turmoil and pain. I would see their desires to race to the top, some striving to be god. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Maybe at this point, God’s sight would take a subtle turn and allow me to see their desires through their own eyes. And I would see what they see, and see that the more they possess, the more they see what they want to see rather than what they need to see. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, at the speed they are travelling, everything around them is a blur. I could see that too, though it’s a sight of limited clarity. And I could also see many being pulled by the undertow, driven and riven by a chaos from within they can’t fathom or control. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, at this time, I could see the poor too. I could see that their lives are largely defined by what others have and what they don’t have. It is an existential gap they are constantly struggling to bridge; most times, in vain. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But here’s where the sight of the rich and the poor converges. They are driven by what they want to see, not what they need to see. And their drive is fueled by the same heart, a heart that is never enough, unanchored too.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And yes, I would also see how they live. Between the rich and the poor, the contrast is heartbreaking. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I would see their worries, their anxieties. I would see their tears. I would see babies left to die. I would see the innocent groping for justice and the guilty escaping from it. I would see wars, in homes and in public. I would see daily abuses and grief unspeakable. I would also see those who take their own lives, by the reassuring nudge of death, and that moment they take their last breath. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Peering into what God sees, the light of dawn indeed unravels all. Nothing is hidden. Not the pain nor the sorrow, neither the grief nor the joyless tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But at every corner of despair, I would also catch a flickering light. Even in sheer darkness, the light still shines, refusing to give up. And I sense this is the part of the day where the tears of God turn into rivers of hope. This is the part where the light of righteousness uncovers what the heart longs to see, or needs to see.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">This longing opens my eyes to a world where the darkness is wavering because the light is unwavering. A world where the darkness is retreating because the light is advancing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">At this point, the first light of creation becomes clearer. I could see that it is doing His work, pressing on, never letting up. I also see hope rising and pain overcoming. Most of all, I would see lives restored and reconciled, over a lifetime. For even the shadow of death gives way to what is resurrected light. And as I behold it, I tell myself, “Oh, what wondrous sight!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As the world is unveiled, through His eyes, I see the struggle to finish the good race is unyielding. Light and darkness pitting against each other, but darkness eventually bowing to the light. Indeed, at this point, the horror of the fallen has given way to the awe of the risen. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess that is what I would see in a world fallen into darkness. It is a world illuminated by the light. A world struggling towards the light. A world redeemed by His love through the eyes of His son. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed, from the heights of Golgotha, I see the world through His eyes. I see what he meant when he said it is finished. His finished work is taking the world towards the clarity of a new morning. Through the lens of Calvary, I see enduring hope emerging.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And amidst the chaos and darkness, the first light of dawn has always been there. It has never left. We are not forgotten. We are all held together by it. That first light that unravels all. That first light that enables me to see what the eyes of God see, and so much more.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And that light is still doing the good work. It is still journeying with us. For no matter how dark the night, it still shines. For the darker the night, the brighter the light. And it pierces the darkness to light even the darkest night. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Like a lamp unto my feet, it is enough for me to take that first step of faith, followed by the next step, and the next, until I finally see the full light of Day. It’s hope undimmed. It’s truth unfolding. It’s love unyielding. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed, while my flesh and my heart may fail, but He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-76460753023047224132021-12-29T22:55:00.000+08:002021-12-29T22:55:10.594+08:00"Talk to rich people nicely, you are a poor girl."<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYfttMZDn81X_n7ZLx6PWwCIQcS7hg4_m2Krz0Th-UM-yrZlSDTLjo25OE-iDdsca_T-VtVmvnevJh_qo22FjKqwf1BZEoioj1LSYqCuHQAPy3-8-TnjhhSINO__yYqrY5dVbLiXg4II/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYfttMZDn81X_n7ZLx6PWwCIQcS7hg4_m2Krz0Th-UM-yrZlSDTLjo25OE-iDdsca_T-VtVmvnevJh_qo22FjKqwf1BZEoioj1LSYqCuHQAPy3-8-TnjhhSINO__yYqrY5dVbLiXg4II/w300-h400/240687686_2117155928423489_4880602735525058479_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Talk to rich people nicely, you are a poor girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That, and other insults, cost Koh Lee Yen, 50, and Chee Kam Fah, 49, $3000 a piece each. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">On 21 September last year, they were caught smoking outside Lucky Plaza shopping mall in Orchard Road. Ms Asyikah Suri Kamsari was on duty that day and authorised under National Environment Agency “to carry out enforcement action against public health offenders.” And Koh and Chee were then smoking outside designated places. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In court yesterday, they were fined for verbal abuses hurled at Ms Asyikah, which was prolonged and calculated to “insult and degrade.” </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">She was merely doing her job, said state prosecuting officer Nasri Haron. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It reports, ““Chee also used vulgar word, while Koh additionally scolded the officer in Mandarin and Cantonese. Chee then waved a S$1,000 note at the victim, as Koh said: “You should just shut up and take the money.”” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">All that was captured on Ms Asyikah’s body-worn camera. And I perceive it as something more than just a bribe of $1000. It was a grossly demeaning gesture, equivalent to telling the victim that in her poverty, she ought to be desperate for whatever crumbs that fall from the rich’s banquet table. She should just take the money and be grateful. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">To me, it went beyond a bribe, to a stinging stigma that those less well off have to bear often from those who are rich with an attitude. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And that’s not all...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">While Ms Asyikah was recording their details, they demeaned her with these words, “your salary how much, one thousand only one month I think” and “crazy girl, better go back and hug your pillow and cry, your salary not enough for me to buy a pillow...”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? Just one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess at times, we all need to hug our pillow and cry, for poverty can sadly push us into a corner of despair. And in a society of high inequality, where the cost of living is one of the highest, trying to make ends meet can be very difficult for a lot of people, especially during the pandemic. Like climate change, those living in the lower rung of society will be hit the hardest when the tide of poverty rushes in and flood those living in shallow lands. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, what makes living together unnecessarily unbearable is how some rich people ostentatiously rub that in their faces. Honestly, like it or not, we live in a society that Chee and Koh had described relatively accurately, “talk to rich people nicely, you are a poor girl.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Unfortunately, we are far from a classless society. And we often judge a book by its cover, especially when it is a glittering one. Preferential treatment is often subtle and unspoken, and willingly offered. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It also reports that Koh and Chee “are shareholders and directors of jewellery retailer Gold Star Resources. They also hold shares in other companies, and Chee is a director in various firms.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, yes, they are reportedly richer in material wealth than many people, and I would give them a gold star for entrepreneurship. Give credit where credit is due right? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And I suspect paying that $3000 each is like water off a duck’s back for them. It’s merely a slap on their wrists. Alas, at times, punishing the rich with monetary sanction is like throwing a fish you caught back into water. They just swimmingly return back to their natural hubristic habitat. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In their defence, Koh and Chee said that they were stressed at the time. And they “were (also) upset that Ms Asyikah let two men go despite catching them for a similar act of smoking outside a designated area.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">To that, the judge said, “it was a different matter from using insulting words on the officer.” And “being stressed was not an excuse for the women to verbally abuse the victim.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Be that as it may, the actions and words of Koh and Chee is a microcosm of how inequality can stir the hornet’s nest and brew a social storm in our society. Revolutions are fought on such matters of inequality brought to the extreme by want of thought and action. And the insensitivity adds up, resulting in a collective social reaction to denounce and overthrow. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Let me end on a quote by Adam Smith for your thought. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“The disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect persons of poor and mean condition is the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sometimes, we unwittingly conspire with the rich to oppress the poor because we sacrifice virtues of enduring character, courage and strength in blind servitude to fame, power and wealth. That is the beginning of our descent to moral corruption; most times, unknowingly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-88761738044801308062021-12-29T22:54:00.004+08:002021-12-29T22:54:59.074+08:00Sir James Dyson - Mr Invention.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O0AfsLa-FZ5A4K2yizkx94vE3OnIpYcvEKKwT-DkY1geRN4xarLK45Ol3gTg7JJ7fvPHVZjg6_lWgsZFOlECDJM70lb5OdwQF-gdPwaiG53NI-yX9d2cnYgdwYVfcDSKsW-P-nBEdZI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O0AfsLa-FZ5A4K2yizkx94vE3OnIpYcvEKKwT-DkY1geRN4xarLK45Ol3gTg7JJ7fvPHVZjg6_lWgsZFOlECDJM70lb5OdwQF-gdPwaiG53NI-yX9d2cnYgdwYVfcDSKsW-P-nBEdZI/w400-h300/240658842_2119563008182781_5112242957218347767_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">If you need a pick-me-up this morning, today’s Sunday book review may help. It is a book written by Sir James Dyson. It’s entitled, “James Dyson: Invention: A life.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And if you have not heard of him, well, you may have used one of his electrical appliances, in particular, his company’s bagless vacuum cleaner. In fact, ST’s Sumiko had recently written a Sunday feature on him, titled “Lunch with Sumiko: No such thing as a silly idea, says billionaire inventor James Dyson.” It’s an informative read. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sir Jame Dyson has indeed made his mark, an engineering dent, in the world we are living in. You can read about him in the book. I believe it’s all there, from his rise and fall, and rise and fall, and rise and fall again. This is a 74-year-old grandfather who doesn’t take “no” or “impossible” for an answer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Dyson is an industrial icon when it comes to marrying business organization and engineering design, and over the decades it was a good marriage; one as long as the marriage with his wife, Deirdre. That’s a marriage of 53 stellar years, with three kids and six grandkids. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I will leave the best bits for you to read in his book and Sumiko’s interview, but I just want to highlight two qualities here that have driven this man for decades. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">First, how naivety is critical to him. Yes, you heard it right. Dyson is one boss who is wary of anyone who comes to him and says he is an expert. That rings alarm bells for him. Here is why.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">"An experienced person will only put forward a sensible suggestion, which might work, whereas a naive person, or a young person who is unafraid to make mistakes, will ask the wrong question, will make an outrageous suggestion, which might actually be a very good idea."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He adds: “"Being very open to every suggestion and not ever saying 'that's a silly idea, don't be so stupid' - that's my style. I like the unobvious suggestion... I get very worried when someone says they're an expert."”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, I guess naivety is an attractive feature if you are always willing to learn from anyone, regardless of how many years of experience he or she has (or lack thereof). And if an expert is open minded enough, he too has a naive aspect within his vast knowledge. It is the area of his knowledge that is burning with childlike curiosity, and it is most fertile when he suspends judgment and pleads ignorance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sure, I am not so naive to think that Dyson will entertain every form of naivety. Some of them come with their own hidden agenda. Some are a direct result of sloth. And others are just plain attention seeking. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But I believe the kind of naivety Dyson and other admired leaders are looking for is one about attitude, before competency. You may be in the business for many years, but if you are self-conceited and arrogant, it becomes your blindside. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">You then narrow your perspective of things, or your options. You also cover less distance when it comes to solving problems creatively. There is also a tendency to take every idea that doesn’t gel with yours as a personal insult, rather as one about dealing with the issue at hand.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Dyson recounted that one of his most inventive engineers is 84 years old. ““He's not using his experience, he's using his creative brain. It's not '40 years ago I saw this and I know how to do that'. He's like a young student doing something for the first time."”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Let me clarify that ultimately, you can’t avoid becoming an expert over time, when you practise long enough your trade, profession, or craft. People will look to you for solutions in your area of specialty. That is unavoidable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But like Dyson said, from a veritable expert himself, it is about “being very open to every suggestion” and embracing the “unobvious suggestion” even from the most unlikely source, that is, from a young engineer fresh from grad school. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Here, the words of one professor would be instructive: “Becoming an expert of this kind involves a shift in who you are, not just in how much you know and what you can do.” (Prof Roger Kneebone). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">There you have it, your attitude counts the most, that is, the who-you-have-become precedes the what-you-know or what-you-can-do. An expert is thus a “becoming” journey, not an “arrival” destination, especially in the area of invention and innovation. So, yes, you know a lot, you are highly sought after, but at what price is such knowledge gained? Or, what have you become in your road to fame?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And the second quality that Sir James Dyson possesses is captured in his own words. It is a rather familiar quality we all know. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">““What produces success? “The answer lies in failure,” he declares.””<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">This is one man who knew failure intimately. He made 5,126 prototypes of the revolutionary bagless vacuum cleaner in his garden shed before version 5,127 was a success. He was booted out by shareholders for making the mistake of assigning the patent of his ballbarrow invention to the wrong company.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And these were his words spoken from the many scars of personal experience. “I've lived with huge personal debt until I was well into my forties. Not having a debt - if that's the measure of success - came to me very late in life."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In the book, Dyson wrote: “Investment in new technologies requires many leaps of faith and huge financial commitment over long period. Ours has been more of a pilgrim’s progress than a straight path to success.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He added that ““progress comes from a drive of “relentlessly dissatisfied engineers” who wish to improve their own product. There is no competition as acute as self-competition.””<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess that is what it takes for a breakthrough, or many breakthroughs, and it comes first from inside us, that is, a personal breakthrough wrought from the crucible of our personal trials. This first breakthrough is a confrontation of self, and it is a rigorous kind of self-competition that is determined to produce tangible results. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, those are the two qualities I wish to highlight from a man who knew failures, tasted its bittersweet, but instead of giving up, he befriended it, learned from it, and turned them around, while always keeping his eye and heart on the goal at hand. His life and the results speak for itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-20523953137164146942021-12-29T22:54:00.003+08:002021-12-29T22:54:46.069+08:00CJ John Roberts' address about life.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1CZ9RqJkRjCa7I6yXMiguF4jJwqKD4TdJWo9I16YyRNAwhrdl7gsb2-mSx1gL53d3uOjmSANxfl2ngQx4fYDqmg9m8B-bmfCV1GJJDf3KV5GN9tPXfblEDWfGnzRY2YShbPXlg1dv8g/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1CZ9RqJkRjCa7I6yXMiguF4jJwqKD4TdJWo9I16YyRNAwhrdl7gsb2-mSx1gL53d3uOjmSANxfl2ngQx4fYDqmg9m8B-bmfCV1GJJDf3KV5GN9tPXfblEDWfGnzRY2YShbPXlg1dv8g/w300-h400/241366870_2121118014693947_3658673180741868136_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I always wonder, what is the best advice you can give to someone? How do you get them all prep-up for life ahead? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mm...if you are rich, you can give them a great financial push ahead of many who have to start with little in the bank. But money can also push one to dig a trench so deep, he or she will have trouble getting out of.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And if you are not rich, how do you encourage your kid so that they are fired up enough when confronting the furnace of life? Well, there is some truth that if you are going through that furnace, the only way you can get out stronger is when the fire in you is hotter than the fire that seeks to consume you. How do you then fire up that spirit within for a lifetime of lighted and guided path for the journey ahead?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Some years back, CJ John Roberts gave a speech to ninth-grade graduates of Cardigan Mountain Boarding School. I think it sums up life rather well. It is a good advice to give to anyone looking for a good wake up call. Here is how he puts it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Now the commencement speakers will typically also wish you good luck and extend good wishes to you. I will not do that, and I’ll tell you why.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Truly, he’s right. You know he is. You too are familiar with what he is saying. Whether you wish the cohort well or otherwise, the randomness of life will have its way with you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">At some point in your life, you will be treated unfairly, suffer betrayal, be lonely, encounter bad luck, get your just or unjust deserts, lose, be looked down at, be ignored, or go through pain. Your kid will come to experience them too, no matter how much you try to insure their life against it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">You can’t ensure he will make it to the desired school or course. You can’t ensure she will marry right. You can’t ensure fortune will always smile on his business venture. You can’t ensure her body will live up to its bargain. And you can’t ensure he will always follow the straight and narrow path. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The last time I checked, life is still a box of chocolate. You never know what you’ll get. Some chocolate have already melted. Some are too hard. Some are too sweet. And some are too bitter. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Genes, luck and character, they all play their part to pave a unique (sometimes daunting) path for each and everyone of us. Not everyone has their future path on surefootedness. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I know some of you would rather just live and have less talk about it. What’s the point? How does CJ John Roberts’ speech change your life right? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Anyway, life is never meant to be smooth sailing. A dingy in a vast ocean of uncontrollable/unpredictable tides and weather just about sums it all up, right? A speck of dust can’t will a change in the wind’s direction, so what’s the point?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yet, the opportunity cost is even greater. Because, for every low, there is an even lower point we can go. For what are we if we lose faith in words? For what are we if we just live by autopilot? What are we if we can encourage a soul discouraged but keep mum because we just don’t think that it will make any difference? Yet, most times, it does make a difference. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Words may be a part of the narrative, and action is the rest of it. Yet, CJ John Roberts echoes the wisdom of the ages, and for many who listen, even at their lowest depth, they can’t deny the power of its suggestion, even if it is just a nudge to change their direction. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Let it echo in your spirit again, for what it’s worth, regardless of how deep you are in your situation. “Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortune.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yes, there is a message. There is a choice too. And you’ve heard about life throwing lemons at you, well, you can take CJ Roberts’ message as a shovel to dig yourself deeper in or dig yourself eventually out - one intentional shovel at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And it doesn’t take much from you, just that inborn ability to see hope as the message in your misfortune. And hope is always a good micro-start/step for a change in the needed direction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-57512189821059093152021-12-29T22:54:00.002+08:002021-12-29T22:54:32.302+08:00The Balakrishnan Covfefe Part 2.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFCKXCYNdNJQRzS21aoDpiNbqN-EeoyATHgRQtIz_211j2ZpD8aTG1VG05ud6TzoBytil1EIHGt4jKkHv_fnnhzPHZdj6D9z5tyCD79R_SOLwv03-jaVMFeBfG_OC4ABdsQwpz-FuFRU/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFCKXCYNdNJQRzS21aoDpiNbqN-EeoyATHgRQtIz_211j2ZpD8aTG1VG05ud6TzoBytil1EIHGt4jKkHv_fnnhzPHZdj6D9z5tyCD79R_SOLwv03-jaVMFeBfG_OC4ABdsQwpz-FuFRU/w400-h300/241095102_2123538581118557_1057068931193651407_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When I look at what I call “mic-gate” in parliament, between MPs Vivian and See Leng, I think about human foibles. Are we really all good or all bad, or a hybrid? Are we as Rousseauians would say, naturally peaceful, or as Hobbesians would say, naturally violent? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Professor Richard Wrangham would call this the Goodness Paradox, and he wrote a whole book about it. If you fast forward to the concluding chapter of the book, this is how he ends the debate: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“The paradox is resolved if we recognise that human nature is a chimera. The Chimera, in classical mythology, was a creature with a body of a goat and the head of a lion. It was neither one thing nor the other, it was both. The thesis of this book is that, with respect to our tendency for aggression, a human being is both a goat and a lion.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess, ministers or otherwise, we are chimerical by nature, part-goat, part-lion. And the human variety is more about the human range than human nature. Most leaders are more lion than goat, and their followers are, well, vice versa. That seems to be the order of things in a hierarchical society. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And we often look up to some leaders as heroes, drawimg inspiration from them, in words and actions. But, we often forget their human side, for the human foibles come in ranges too. Some are just more well domesticated by the pen of parliament, while others less so in the privacy of their own home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Should we see more clearly this domesticated and wild side of our leaders, we ought to be more slow to hero-worship them, because hero-worship is no more than the superficial understanding of the part-goat, part-lion nature in all of us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Some years back, there was an article by Michael Skapinker about heroes. It is entitled “We should not invest too much hope in our heroes”. The article spoke about three problems with regarding people as heroes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The first is what I have written above: We are humans beings. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Our weakness are not non-existent. They are just not picked up by the social mic, so to speak. And trust me, given the right combustible mix, namely, power, sex and/or money, a majority of us may come undone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Second, it is about lifting the carpet to reveal the cracks. Michael wrote that “(the heroes’) prominence invites greater scrutiny of their pasts”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed anonymity hides not just our identity, but our past. But once the hero steps into the limelight, his/her flaws and past are duly illuminated and unduly magnified. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The third problem about exalting heroes is that “behaviour is situational”. This is so true, as mic-gate shows. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Michael wrote: “We have no idea how new responsibilities and situations are going to change people. We have little idea how they would change us...Most people promoted to a management job discover that leadership turns out to be more tedious, complicated and difficult than they thought.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, how often is this narrative read out to us: a hero-leader starts a revolution to topple a corrupt dictator only to discover that when confronted with the same realities of power the previous dictator faced, the hero himself struggles to not end up becoming the tyrant he once overthrew. Many times, the struggle is lost.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, instead of putting our hope on the idea of a hero, Michael suggests that we ask a different question: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“What did I learn from some of the people I admire?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">This avoids the tendency to see those we admire as infallible, and put their humanity in the proper context. While they are not perfect, they however have their defining moments. These defining moments (arising out of their struggle) form the lessons we can learn from. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For Aung Sun Suu Kyi, it was decades of standing up against the military junta; her failure to stand up to the Rohingya crisis notwithstanding. For Churchill, when he confronted Hitler’s Germany in WWII; his white-people supremacist views notwithstanding. And even for Mother Teresa, its her lifetime mission of mercy in the streets of Calcutta; her struggles with searing doubts notwithstanding. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">They are not perfect but what they do, the passion and courage they put into it, comes closest to the perfection that we strive for in our own life. So, emulation, yes; but worship, well, take a few notches down please. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And talking about behaviour being situational, here is a young lady that turned her most dire situation around. She like many others are so-called the unsung heroes we often overlook. This is Ms Zulayqha Zulkifli’s story, and three years ago, she was featured in ST, reported by Cara Wong. She was then only 24. And I find this is the best way to end this post. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNUfcJa5za7eoWPiF5emSTaNA9P9nBWHGDqFpEvWHl57DV_o-MWbtmMtfOPJY_IpEor2Jmr1Kj6qFm8cE42UBYRB98l4OiBVOExa-sDgxRkRnPJugOAmxljpJS-_AKgAXK9VEC5K-MeE/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNUfcJa5za7eoWPiF5emSTaNA9P9nBWHGDqFpEvWHl57DV_o-MWbtmMtfOPJY_IpEor2Jmr1Kj6qFm8cE42UBYRB98l4OiBVOExa-sDgxRkRnPJugOAmxljpJS-_AKgAXK9VEC5K-MeE/w300-h400/241204522_2123538847785197_7872907886672211270_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In 2010, amidst a messy divorce, Ms Zulayqha’s father lost his job as a technician. She was only 16 then. He then sold their 4-room flat at Henderson Crescent a year later. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The whole family went to live with a relative after that. When tension rose between the two families, Ms Zulayqha and her three siblings were made to sleep “at stone tables in the void deck instead.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">She recalled: “We took turns to stay awake to keep each other safe. We didn’t have time to be sad or pity ourselves. Life went on. We were just trying to survive each day.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">They eventually found a temporary roof over their head while they waited for a rental unit. When Ms Zulayqha was 22, she faced another hardship. Her mother packed her belonging and left them. She left without any explanation. A week later, she found that her mother had suffered from a stroke and left to recuperate on her own. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Ms Zulayqha was clearly disappointed but she said: “We’d has been through so much together and we thought that we’d always have each other’s backs. But as much as I wanted to be angry, I kept thinking that I’d gone through so much hardship already, why should I give up now?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And she didn’t. She fought back. Her defining moments came when she scored As in her N-level exams, entered ITE and scored As again and was awarded the Howe Yoon Chong PSA scholarship. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">At Nanyang Poly, she was awarded the LKY scholarship to encourage upgrading while she studied for her diploma in social sciences.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Ms Zulayqha is now a social work associate with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore, and “is studying part-time for a bachelor’s degree in social work at SUSS.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">She said: “We like to think that we are very unfortunate to be in our situation, but it’s only through volunteering and helping others that I realise there are so many others out there who are in worse situations.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Her siblings are doing well too. Her younger brother is a chef’s associate at a restaurant, her younger sister works for security firm Certis Cisco and her older brother is in his final year at NTU. Ms Zulayqha puts it best in her own words: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Perseverance is a very important value that you have to acquire. Through perseverance, we are able to get through all the challenging obstacles ahead of us. It can be demoralising, having to wait for things to get better. But we should grit our teeth, move forward with a positive mindset, and just keep counting the blessings and achievements we have attained every day.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">A life like that is heroic in many ways. And whether we are up there as ministers or the hoi polloi below, her words and life inspire deeply. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The reality is, the hero in us does not come in brochured image of a knight in shining armor emerging out of the glorious horizon to save the day. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Most times, if not all the time, it comes from a heart that never stop hoping, never stop fighting and never stop believing. It is doing the most ordinary with perseverance, passion and hope that we make those moments extraordinary, and our life inspirational.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-790683503820577002021-12-29T22:54:00.001+08:002021-12-29T22:54:21.928+08:00The Balakrishnan Covfefe - Part 1<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdwRUGFko-xlANclMrza2rDwiT8oALrDrcZaIAjoE1iB_6fCNrAHHrMzL48kjSr4iaKXGLhXnaXz7zLemlecf4XEL2ItLm7M1DvfmAifvOQbBP8UKBbK9Izt84WUngU5k6eN8qqaSZ-w/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdwRUGFko-xlANclMrza2rDwiT8oALrDrcZaIAjoE1iB_6fCNrAHHrMzL48kjSr4iaKXGLhXnaXz7zLemlecf4XEL2ItLm7M1DvfmAifvOQbBP8UKBbK9Izt84WUngU5k6eN8qqaSZ-w/w400-h300/241983017_2122748957864186_6321366697835764925_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It was a good debate. Thrashing out issues about foreign talent, Ceca, PMEs & PMETs, and job competition and future. They are heartland issues and grounded in the livelihood of many Singaporeans. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, amidst the debate between MP Tan See Leng and PSP Leong Mun Wai, there was a minor distraction yesterday. You can call it the Trump’s equivalent of a Covfefe, when MP Tan did not just leave the parliamentary table, he also left the mic on. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Unfortunately for Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (“Vivian”), the mic captured this: “he’s illiterate...Seriously, how did he get into RI?...must have been a lousy school.” At this point, it seems like Minister Tan joined in too. He said: “I’m from Monk’s hill.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, what can be implied in that short exchange between the ministers is this: “How can someone from RI not get it? I’m from Monk’s hill, and I got it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Vivian immediately apologised for that remark. In his Facebook post, he said: “I called Mr Leong Mun Wai today to apologise for my private comments to a colleague in Parliament yesterday. I disagree with him on the issue but I should not have said what I said. Mr Leong has accepted my apology.” Integrity restored? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, modern technology had left hardly any room for privacy and the clatters of conscience. It goes further in fact. It has flushed out our most intimate thoughts, frustrations and prejudices, just as what the scripture had said: “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But before you take this as an indictment of Vivian (or Tan), let me confess too that I had on some occasions caught myself muttering under my breath similar sentiments as Vivian’s or Tan’s. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sometimes, a situation becomes so intolerable or ludicrous, from one’s point of view, that you catch yourself, quite unwittingly, making snide and demeaning remarks, which admittedly, are made out in jest, but leaves a bad taste behind. A regrettable utterance of instinctual unthinking?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">At other times, the emboldenment comes when you are in a group, and you want to fit in, or win some brownie points. This is the crowd effect, and if you are in a Man U game, and sitting by the side of the reds in old Trafford, you often catch yourself saying and agreeing with belittling and demeaning expressions you will never be caught for in a different context, like in a woman’s Bible study group or in a wake. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It is again quite similar to the demeaning things Trump said about women and he excused it as boys’ locker-room bantering. However, I caveat that Trump takes such unthinking chatters to a whole new level, and his actions speak for itself. That topic is for another day. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And this also reminds me of the many levels or sincerity of a Freudian slip. In the book, Everybody lies: What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are” by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, he noticed that in a large dataset of typos, many of us see a person walking down a street and describe him as a “penistrian”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yes, you heard it right - penis-trian. That was a typo...of course? Because, clearly, it is “pedestrian“ misspelt. But, for some of us, is it really about the misspelling? Is this then a case of “out of the abundance of the heart...”?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, all I can say is that the mic might catch your tongue hanging loose, but it is big data online that catches you with your pants down. In absolute anonymity, we are as transparent as a plain glass window just kleenex’d. Privacy flushes out all that system’s junk or filth. But sometimes, it is necessary for us to confront ourselves and then commit to a path of innermost spring cleaning. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In any event, this is what author Seth wrote: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“At Google, major decisions are based on only a tiny sampling of all their data. You don’t always need a ton of data to find important insights. You need the right data. A major reason that Google searches are so valuable is not that there are so many of them; it is that people are so honest in them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“People lie to friends, lovers, doctors, surveys, and themselves. But on Google they might share embarrassing information about, among other things, their sexless marriages, their mental health issues, their insecurities, and their animosity towards black people.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">(You shall know the truth, and it is found online? It is like a global Catholic Confession Booth, but the difference (or problem) is that it stops at confession). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, for the ministers in parliament yesterday, well, I believe that short exchange is similar to locker room bantering, but made in bad taste, and it shows the imperfection of humanity as a whole. We all have our biases, and elitist inclination, expressed in other ways. Some of us are just more discreet about it than others, because human relationships sometimes bring out the worst in us. Mind you, we are all arrogant in our own ways, some are just more self-righteous about it than others. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And Vivian will have to live with that, because the mic never forgets. It is also a good lesson in eating the humble pie, cold. I still can taste mine years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yet, most of us, if not all of us, can quietly identify with his Covfefe, and loosening that grip on the stone meant for casting is good for the soul, especially since the man has apologised and his apology generously accepted. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So this is a good lesson for all. A lesson in controlling the tongue. But I suspect, even a rudder sometimes turns the wrong way, because we are only human after all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And for many of us, especially me, we just have to make a long detour back on the straight and narrow, and bear the mistake, like a blistering ulcer in the mouth and a discipline whip to the heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-11568807474178359072021-12-29T22:54:00.000+08:002021-12-29T22:54:03.220+08:00Clowning around - unfunny business.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-hGC5fNrcKyq8wAfmIge7ViMEHd6A2rzckj-QRUsMV53_E6eGx8bPcv_asT5wKGu2Fmf3yOJCCwYCm9FT3XcQzbnIEmMVWv-EB3Jh0db4RtghKFGrJYOBqJOexomxcoHlftcGIVpxtE/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-hGC5fNrcKyq8wAfmIge7ViMEHd6A2rzckj-QRUsMV53_E6eGx8bPcv_asT5wKGu2Fmf3yOJCCwYCm9FT3XcQzbnIEmMVWv-EB3Jh0db4RtghKFGrJYOBqJOexomxcoHlftcGIVpxtE/w400-h300/241551531_2128200563985692_7435157229257553245_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The clown is back. He has a name - Mr Khairin Rasoh, 24. He said he has been dressing as a clown for the last three years doing roadshows at various locations to entertain kids and all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Anyway, you may have heard the news a few </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">days ago. Clowns were spotted outside Tao Nan School and Angsana Primary School. Complaints were also lodged to the police concerning clowns popping up at various primary schools.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Members of the public are advised to stay away from strangers and to report any suspicious persons or activities to the police.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In today’s news, Khairin spoke out. He was admittedly one of them clowns. Or, the only one going around to rally publicity. He works for Speech Academy Asia, which guides students in public-speaking skills. It was part of the company’s outreach program. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 21.33333396911621px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWs8xQicLSbTggww1bhOR0VRMUy5gIGl-5Mao8bJ0ooqoN1Os0KV9D1c4NjtzCcz3VVkr6iO9C0FA3cQqQ1GpxQ7KMD0v9D3JtNG5ma24WOKWp7d4yY2Xolq8KqdqCiuFyi5B9NfTN6gY/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWs8xQicLSbTggww1bhOR0VRMUy5gIGl-5Mao8bJ0ooqoN1Os0KV9D1c4NjtzCcz3VVkr6iO9C0FA3cQqQ1GpxQ7KMD0v9D3JtNG5ma24WOKWp7d4yY2Xolq8KqdqCiuFyi5B9NfTN6gY/w400-h300/242142716_2128200523985696_3150836870637102967_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The director Kelvin Tan said: “There was no evil intention behind the costumes, and we sincerely apologise for it. We will not do it again.” Tan also denied that his clown had asked the kids to follow them. “Our employees wouldn’t go around saying such things.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">This led to the ire of another Tan. This time, he is a member of parliament, and it was not funny business for him. Not by a long shot. Tan Chuan-Jin said: “Whoever is doing what I assume to be some viral marketing nonsense, stop it! I trust the police are investigating this. It is not amusing and just plain dangerous.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Kelvin Tan said that it was part of the company’s roadshow and the team members were asked to dress as “cute mascots”. He said he was not aware that they would go as clowns. “Maybe the clowns were too scary. It is wrong, and we won’t do it again.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Khairin was apologetic. He said: “All we do is to give our brochures, free mask and stickers and we never approach children alone. We usually approach the parents first, and only children if they are in a big group.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“I dress like this just to try and entertain kids. I was shocked and disappointed to learn that people were scared.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? I guess we have Stephen King to thank for putting the evil in clowns. His IT movies (1990, 2017), about a killer clown, has terrorised young and old movie goers all over the world. Not to mention the recent hit Joker, which won Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar for best actor last year. It is about a clown who had gone bat-crazy, on a self-gratuitous killing spree.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I know Speech Academy Asia does not have evil intention to scare school going kids, since they are their target market. But in their enthusiasm for business publicity, they may have overlooked how the idea of a party clown has culturally mutated from someone doing magic tricks, making balloon animals and miming to make kids laugh to someone who stalks, haunts and chases kids and adults in movies. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">My god, even Pixar movies have turned party clowns into daylight scarecrows or nightmarish bogeyman. Recall Inside out (2015)? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, there was Jangles the Clown, who was one of Riley's darkest fears. In Riley’s dreamscape, joy and sadness stumbled upon Jangles and woke him up. The next scene was a scary chase, out of Jangle’s dark cave that even sent chills down my spine. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Another cultural mutation was Toy Story 3. In that widely popular Pixar hit for kids, there was a clown named Chuckles, and he was clearly downcast and depressed. Not exactly the fun and hilarious clown we all grew up with. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, regardless of Kelvin’s and Khairin’s intention, they get no star-sticker for comic timing. And I would hazard a guess to say that even if Khairin were to dress up as Barney the Purple Dinosaur, Donald Duck or Peppa Pig, and go at it alone, without a carnival-like entourage, greeting unsuspecting kids outside their schools with brochures, sweets and masks, his employer, Speech Academy Asia, will still scarce kids (and especially their parents), well, speechless.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">If any lesson is to be learned here, it is captured in the word C-L-O-W-N.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">C - Context. Even Thor with a hammer and superman in his bright red underwear would be shocking and scary if they stand all alone at the bus stop, winking and smiling at you. To compound matters, the danger for kids, who are too young to understand, is stranger-danger. And dressing up as their superheroes make for perfect baits for child-abductors. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">L - Levity. To treat a serious matter with humour often backfire. Emotional and cultural sensitivity were clearly lacking here. And it reminds me of an advertisement of a product, Mr Clean, which blitzed on Mother’s Day, to imply that a woman’s duty is to clean the house. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And then, there is the Dove advertisement, which juxtapositioned an African-American lady in a bathrobe and a white American lady in the same bathrobe side by side, with the caption “Before-After”. You figure for yourself what’s wrong with that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">O - Overkill. Clearly, this clowning about near primary schools qualifies. It is over the top, and ideas like that either wins big or flops big. But, if it were free publicity that was the collateral intention, then it’s anyone’s guess the effect it has on the Academy’s bottomline. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">W - Warning. MP Tan Chuan-Jin had already issued it - “Whoever is doing what I assume to be some viral marketing nonsense, stop it!” But I am using it as an advance notice to schools. If early preparations were made, and a day was fixed for such carnival-like event for publicity, then in that disarming context, the clowns will not be a killjoy, but a harbinger of joy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And finally, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">N - Normal. It is anything but. Speech Academy Asia has apologised in good time, and promised to heed Chuan-Jin’s admonishment - “stop the nonsense”. That is returning things back to normal. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess it would take some time for parents to trust clowns who stand near school’s gate again. Theirs is not a shocker, reel time, but one that is in-your-face, real time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-41933530169324058292021-12-29T22:53:00.002+08:002021-12-29T22:53:52.672+08:00Calling the young to embrace the crucible of adversity.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYVlL7t5LehXieKBjn26o5Q2O82pCIsfSU0AvhpsEFMLEn5VHC0Z7KfFKoxYAmGOYP8DIm_7tB3VtVONV-CTEm1jJ4lx070huVLmC6DvyJAdhBvSTngQwqc24QU6mRSTvB5jtMBw7k34/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYVlL7t5LehXieKBjn26o5Q2O82pCIsfSU0AvhpsEFMLEn5VHC0Z7KfFKoxYAmGOYP8DIm_7tB3VtVONV-CTEm1jJ4lx070huVLmC6DvyJAdhBvSTngQwqc24QU6mRSTvB5jtMBw7k34/w300-h400/234628714_2105048106300938_263764361054787288_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Never say die. It’s not all gloom and doom. Group solidarity. Play our part. Don’t just rely on Government. And the best way to predict the future is to create it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">How about that? Minister Lawrence Wong has spoken. It was at the NTU’s student union forum. His theme? Embrace difficult times as crucibles that forge character. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He borrowed the adage of “how one could deal with adversity by letting it define, destroy or strengthen one.” How do you argue with that? You know the good minister is right, right? Inspired? Well, you have to be there to soak in the esprit de corps. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He also said: “The Goverment will do our part to support you, and partner you in this exciting journey ahead.” I think that has always been our nation’s philosophy, from independence to the 4G leadership. It’s about adversity, agency and autonomy. That is, you do your part, we do ours. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mind you, the gap is not bridged by one party at one extreme. It is bridged by two parties meeting somewhere in the middle, or center left/right. But still, you have to take that first step, and be consistent in spirit and mind about wanting to embrace adversity, making a positive change and making it count until you reach your goal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And talking about agency and autonomy, I am reminded about the resource curse. Over the decades, stats have shown that those “blessed” with natural resources like oil and minerals are always struggling to stand on their own two feet as a society or nation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Their society is so pampered, they suffer the consequences of fragility and inflexibility. More insidious is complacency and the prevalence of internal strife, where what comes too easy from mother nature tends to corrupt what is inherent in our human nature.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, adversity can define you. It can transform or destroy you. That is why it is only half truth when they say that you give a man a fish and you feed him a day. But you teach him how to fish, well, you feed him a lifetime. That much resonated with me, especially the second part. Yet, after you teach him (or her), the next step is to go out there to fish. Fish don’t come to you, or throw themselves onto dry ground for you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And when you do go out there, don’t expect calm waters all day long. At times, things are beyond your control; like storms, they can wreck your day or catch. What-chew gonna do then?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is the greatest struggle for anyone, at any age, right? And to be consistent about it, pushing through it with grit and determination, well, that can’t exactly be taught. That was what Lawrence meant when he said: “the bottom line is that all Singaporeans have to play their part and not just rely on the government measures and policies.” Each doing their part. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yet, between giving someone a fish, teaching to catch fish and rowing out there to haul in the catch (you can see how the transition subtly makes the giver or tutor unnecessary over time), there are many seasonal gaps that the young have to bridge. And it can be a real struggle too.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yes, those upper class families will have it easier, but not those languishing at the lower rungs of society. That is in fact the mother of all gaps, and for some societies, especially the developed ones, with very high wealth and social inequalities, it’s really never the twain shall meet. The struggle for them is even harder. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That alone is a major factor contributing to our age of disillusionment, especially for the young.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sometimes, when I do sit down at some of these conferences, when they do speak about positivity and encouraging pick-me-ups, I always feel something is missing. In other words, that gap between the speaker and the listeners is just visceral, raw and real. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, I am not giving excuses for procrastination or not breaking the inertia when self-mastery and self-responsibility are called for, but the young today are facing very different existential challenges from the young of past generations before them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In a timely article today, entitled “Young graduates: Could economic and political setbacks radicalise a generation?”, a group of writers came forward to spell out a very different zeitgeist our younger generation are living in (or confronting). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Apart from the wealth gap, they are struggling with their disillusionment with politics, as in the division and often juvenile antics of various political parties and leaders. They essentially felt “abandoned” by politicians. And the jobless rate has changed too, not on the rosy side though. For those under-25s, it rose from 11.5% to 12.95% (between Feb last year and this June, according to OECD countries). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“In Britain, people aged under 30 are now four times as likely to rent than they were two generations ago”. And a Cambridge University study in 2020 shows that “faith in the democratic system had already experienced its steepest fall even amongst those aged 18 to 34 in the eve of the pandemic”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In one of the litany of lamentations, a technical analyst Niharika Singh, who emigrated to the US from India at age two, said: “My parents have literally said that they don’t want me and my sister to settle down here with our families eventually. This country has not lived up to the expectations we had, which is so jarring.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I know Niharika is talking about America, that is, the nation’s social safety net is too narrow, but in Singapore, there is some parallel when it comes to the high cost of living, the income and social gaps, the struggles of the poor, and the hidden merit-fueled society, which outwardly embraces those less credentialed, yet inwardly conveniently shifts one’s prejudices, but not jettison it all out of his/her system. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, discrimination still exists, whether it is by merit, by age and/or by class. I won’t be surprised if some Singaporean parents offer the same advice Niharika’s parents gave to her - “don’t settle down here”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, our ministers can sit in an air-conditioned hall to encourage, and that is no doubt necessary and timely. But, the reality for many can be too discouraging for a seasonal pat-on-the-back speech. Good intention aside, it is the bleak ground condition that drowns out the positive, celebratory cheers by the side. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">What’s more, with the decline in religious faith amongst the young, and the climate emergency and random flooding, akan datang to a flat land near you, well, you sometimes have to squint real hard to find the silver lining in the gathering storm. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Let me nevertheless end with what one graduate of anthropology in London, Hannah Tasker, said. ““I’ve learnt that “political” doesn’t have to mean political parties”...It means whether there is justice, whether the country and economy and society are working for everyone.”” Hannah however said, “it is not.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That’s true. It still leaves much to be desired. Imperfect, screwed-up, world right? And Hannah and the many voices of disillusionment have all got a point. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, after all’s said, and when the rubber of self-mastery meets the plain hard road, I can’t say Lawrence is wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For who can argue with saying that “it’s not all gloom and doom”? Or, who can dispute the adage that “one could deal with adversity by letting it define, destroy or strengthen one”? Isn’t it true that we have come so far because we have not allowed adversity to destroy us, but strengthen us? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">They say people who are experiencing sadness, see the world more realistically and clearly. I guess that is why it is said, “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Truly, out of the ashes, one eventually rises. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, at every crossroad or intersection of one’s life, we have to challenge ourselves, and pick up the broken pieces to start all over. Every step counts, every step to our own recovery. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And yes, the best way to predict the future is to create it. But you have to want to see or imagine it first. More importantly, there must be a future in the first place where all people of all races, classes and cultures can have a fair stake in it. No one wants to labour in vain, without hope. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess, we will just have to work together, because what doesn’t kill us indeed makes us stronger. And we have to decide to persist to make it work for all, and for all our future generations, in one group solidarity, towards vision and hope.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-82357017469097502222021-12-29T22:53:00.001+08:002021-12-29T22:53:34.202+08:00Zuckerberg's Metaverse.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rOi7jgVk5DD8MNlSgnZMorjKIq4srpz8st3Q4eT_OoCqzM1skm3g8y6fbfTS5VimJxVZw6whlkhNBqsEPag-bv6WsqYCLwHA6x0f-LY1wzX66i1gDwXO1K7PJxzxmwuHybZwvKvdhcI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rOi7jgVk5DD8MNlSgnZMorjKIq4srpz8st3Q4eT_OoCqzM1skm3g8y6fbfTS5VimJxVZw6whlkhNBqsEPag-bv6WsqYCLwHA6x0f-LY1wzX66i1gDwXO1K7PJxzxmwuHybZwvKvdhcI/w300-h400/220931250_2087568228048926_1156396082971969667_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I recall the kick-off verse to Genesis, “Let there be light”. And God created a whole new world in 6 days. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, Mark Zuckerberg has plans to create another whole new world called “metaverse”. But, before I flesh out what the 35-year-old technology magnate meant, let’s flesh out what is ordinarily implied in that word - “metaverse”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Meta” is a Greek word for “after”, “beyond”, “comprehensive” or “transcending”. And “verse” in this case means the single or first word, which is akin to John 1:1, where it declared - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When you put them together, you get a world beyond this world, a world created by the first word, in this case, a binary-algorithmic language with some resemblance to the word that first became flesh and lived amongst us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And I am making this biblical reference because it felt like this is what Zuckerberg has in mind, for there is an uncanny parallel to it; if you allow your imagination boundless flight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Rightly so, Zuckerberg sees the metaverse as a virtual world, one that is so real, so tangible and so experiential, it is really no different from the one we are living in now. In fact, the closest thing imaginable is that of mega-hit trilogy, The Matrix, where we are reduced to bodies to be plugged in, for a new experience beyond the world we once knew. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, Facebook is heading in that direction, and like all out-of-this-world ideas, it started with a thought, a spark, or as some would say, “let there be light.” And it will be an incredible immersive experience way beyond what our current VR goggles are able to do. Are you then ready player one to player one billionth?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Director of the Centre for Financial Regulation and Innovation, Daniel Broby, wrote the below article and here is what he said: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“In his quest to turn Facebook into a metaverse company, Mr Zuckerberg is seeking to build a system where people move between virtual reality (VR), AR and even 2D devices, using realistic avatars of themselves where appropriate. Here they will work, socialise, share things and have other experiences, while still probably using the Internet for some tasks such as searches, which is similar to how we use it now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Owning not only the Facebook platform but also WhatsApp, Instagram and VR headset maker Oculus gives Mr Zuckerberg a big head start in making this a reality. Collectively, these brands give Facebook an unbeatable number of customer relationships, and all the important knowledge for creating a desirable virtual world: how people behave online, their personalities, likes and dislikes, gait, eye movement and even emotional states.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mind you, this is mind-blowing. Imagine a world so real you can easily escape to with a touch of a button, without ever leaving your living room. And you will not be alone, for loved ones are all reduced to life-like avatars in the metaverse, for both general and personal interactions and engagement. (And I don’t know whether we will need to rewrite the rules of morality since you can engage in experimental screw ups in metaverse without much or any accountability/responsibility for your avatar’s actions because it is not real, as far as virtual goes). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">You can also teleport to any place your mind wishes or fancies, and the environment and objects literally respond to you, that is, by sheer force of altered perception, you just can’t tell the difference between what you touch as real in this metaverse and the things/objects in the real world you have been living in for all your life up to the time you enter metaverse (and excitingly, your children’s children would have spent more time in their lifetime in the metaverse than in the real world, right?) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Daniel wrote: “To help build the metaverse, Facebook's engineers will have to make a success of immersive realism. Imagine a computer game with 2.9 billion avatars and the artificial intelligence that harvests all known information on them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, imagine your children and your children’s children and their children all sensorially teleport to such a world, such a transcendent world, fully malleable, where you can fulfill your wildest fantasy and hopes, all by a touch of a button, or a few of them. How’s that for heaven? Digital or virtual heaven? It’s Second Life 10.7 right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But Zuckerberg and FB is not going to do all that for free. You have to pay for it, unlike uploading your photos or videos in the current flat-dimensional FB. There is no free lunch in metaverse. You pay for the meta-experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In the current FB, he harvests your private data for more targeted advertising to secure astronomical profits. Now, with FB’s metaverse, he, with godlike powers, creates a world you can’t live without and therefore have to pay for it. It is a step up in the way your private data is being secretly collected and then applied to create a make-believe world that you can’t tell the difference from. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, just saying, he is already one of the richest men on earth. Yet, with metaverse, he may just cross a few trillion dollars threshold to be the first (multi-)trillionaire in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, Zuckerberg wants more, and metaverse is the way to go to reap in the boundless dough. Here is how he can reap it all in, as Daniel writes: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“But users might be willing to pay for the enhanced interactivity that will be available in the metaverse, perhaps to enter certain private areas or to do certain things, like teleporting for more than a few minutes at a time or whatever.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Mr Zuckerberg has said he believes Facebook will make money from the sale of certain virtual goods and experiences. Will we be paying for the most stylish avatar clothes in future, for example? Or to see the latest movie in a virtual cinema?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, I think I will end here. It is too much of an imagination probably coming true in the near future for one listless morning. You just have to think for yourself what an unregulated alternative world metaverse will be, and what does it mean for our future generation and the world at large. That is, a world controlled by men, if not one man. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It is truly a babelian achievement reaching beyond the skies, for a taste of omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. Zuckerberg truly deserves a standing ovation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And if you think handphone is addictive, imagine such a world, where virtual is real, and real is virtual. A world this attractive - because who wants to create a world of pain and suffering, sorrow and grief - you can expect billions to want to pay for everything they own just to get there, live there and die there (I guess the real world would be depopulated for the heavenly world that is metaverse). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It’s heaven, right? It’s the final redemptive destination we have been believing for. A Xanadu on earth, a Shangri-la forever. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And thanks to Zuckerberg, he has finally embodied the way, the truth and the life for all of us, common folks, in a coming virtual world we can savour, enjoy and find our own existential purpose in. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">...can’t wait?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-35806298227085528882021-12-29T22:53:00.000+08:002021-12-29T22:53:16.504+08:00The Sovereign Benjamin Glynn.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7MmyyOJn6Ioia4qbnDzZ34Vbt0E5qfQoeKJLc4pVhFI8KukAavtfg2QD0CM44h-wBKPoGcpMxkQ1sJzTc92nAgJZoHqzf3ibivvDLSbmxZYMGAyAyZEhtIQSfPnT5_WXoSAzymkrdfg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid7MmyyOJn6Ioia4qbnDzZ34Vbt0E5qfQoeKJLc4pVhFI8KukAavtfg2QD0CM44h-wBKPoGcpMxkQ1sJzTc92nAgJZoHqzf3ibivvDLSbmxZYMGAyAyZEhtIQSfPnT5_WXoSAzymkrdfg/w400-h300/231281175_2100377240101358_9074393441156907468_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I am sure the name Benjamin Glynn, 40, would be familiar to some of us by now. He is another sovereign individual who was sentenced to 6 weeks’ jail for not wearing a mask in the MRT. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He also caused a public nuisance saying, “I will never wear a mask”, and he issued threatening words against two police officers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When confronted, Ben said he was a boxer, and he adopted a boxing stance in front of the officers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When sentenced, Ben showed no remorse. He even said that “there is a total disregard for common law in Singapore” and “you are not my master and I am not your slave.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Ben had a female supporter in court that day, amongst others I guess. She was not wearing a mask (no surprise there) and said that the security officers have “no contract” with her - another sovereign claim. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">She even exclaimed that the entire trial was like a “kangaroo court”, and by this time, the judge had to order her to leave the courtroom. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? Mm...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">My point of this post is not so much about them, that is, in particular, Ben. I have lived long enough on earth to know that it takes all kinds to make the world. Money don’t just make the world go round, a variety of colourful personalities sometimes jerk it off its planned orbit for a moment and back. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In fact, if you ask a psychologist, he or she may tell you that it takes a mix of five personalities - neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeability, and openness, to explain people. Five main traits, and each of us, at some point, and for some season(s), comes under the continuum of each of them, to varying degree.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mind your, emotions are unique to us, and each of us expresses them in our own personality imprimatur (personal stamp). No two emotions expressed, like fingerprints, are alike. We carry with us our past baggage and unique gene pool, and are triggered by circumstances we face in different ways, for different lengths of exposure and expression. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Some of us carry emotions too far. And some manage to control it, channeling it towards personal growth and resilience. Others, towards a life of aggravation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The papers reports that Ben “has been deemed to have no diagnosable mental disorders and fit to plead following psychiatric observation at the Institute of Mental Health”. That may surprise some of us, but I just want to say that not everyone who acts in like manner are mentally unstable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And not every psychiatric evaluation can detect a behavioural aberration with 100% accuracy. At the risk of oversimplification, it is like trying to take a ruler to measure a brain, and hope that, by its length and volume, you are able to understand the person you are dealing with. It is at times more than meets the eye (or brain). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, Ben is deemed mentally sound, yet, why does he act that way? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, I have learned not to be too surprised with human behaviour as a whole. It is often more complex and complicated than the manifest act itself. Many are condemned by that one public snapshot or screenshot defining their life, which is often just a tip of the personality iceberg.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sometimes, we are emboldened by the limelight, an audience cheering us on, even an audience of one, and we do things we would never thought we are capable of. Sometimes, pride and self-love are powerful motivators and when you pair them up with ego and obstinancy, you get more than what you bargain for in a spouse, colleague, boss, and even yourself. And some of which are what earthly successes are made of, or they are its prerequisites.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yes, there is a dark side of you that you had always thought is an upside, because you pride yourself in being able to control it with personal flair. However, things on the surface is always not what it seems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">After all said, there are lessons to be learned from our dark side as well. We may rail against people we deem as narcissistic, machiavellian and/or psychopathic, especially when we are at its receiving end, but many successful CEOs showed many of the psychopathic or narcissistic traits like self-love, charm, manipulation, lack of empathy (when firing someone), impulsiveness (take seemingly irrational risks), fearlessness, and aggression, just to name a few. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">(Some vices are the flip side of virtues, so to speak). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Even presidents and leaders of the world exhibit those darker side of their personality. And those same traits are at times the shadowlands that we ourselves have to traverse, stumbles and falls, when we are dealing with our own loved ones.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So going back to Ben and his friend, I don’t think he is going to give a four- or five-star ratings for his short vacation in Singapore. And going by his mufasa-like shenanigans in court, I don’t think he is going to mask up his extreme displeasure towards a sovereign republic taking away his sovereign rights and freedom for about a few weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, anyway, I heard he’s a believer, who once “told officers that he was very religious and believed in the “one true Elohim (God)”. And what’s more, he is also a father with two young kids. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, maybe, along the way, in his journey of self-discovery, he may take the road less travelled, and venture a little into uncharted territory, that is, unfamiliar grounds where he is less cocksure about things and himself, and then find a road forked. And at that intersection, I can only hope he takes the road that will transform him, this time, for good.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-39196252868708948702021-12-29T22:52:00.003+08:002021-12-29T22:52:57.419+08:00Social Media and FOMO.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbR_GfOnTjMD7y6oWqNSGboKeNnKOr11M28cEwd0xDkPPjjzaQx0C6LxZOySGFqAUXUHFvs9Y4BpUd-9sjwPqOIVglYqOPf2s3hR3oZ5s4cvUR2GiZO9QNlB8lbapOYsw1CYDgHdaou8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbR_GfOnTjMD7y6oWqNSGboKeNnKOr11M28cEwd0xDkPPjjzaQx0C6LxZOySGFqAUXUHFvs9Y4BpUd-9sjwPqOIVglYqOPf2s3hR3oZ5s4cvUR2GiZO9QNlB8lbapOYsw1CYDgHdaou8/w400-h300/221204346_2085982151540867_3112233514968900615_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Three common causes of stress amongst S’pore students? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, they are (1) Social Media and The Fear of Missing Out, (2) Stellar Grades And Parental Pressures, and (3) Self-Imposed Pressure to Excel (as per ST report by Ang Qing @ A13). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">This morning, I will just share my thoughts about the first cause...the social media and FOMO. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It is relatively new. I suppose those born in the 1990s (or after) will bear the full brunt of it. They should be in their twenties by now, or younger. The affliction and addiction of technology especially social media catches on by lightning speed, and kids exposed to it will also be sucked into the FOMO vortex. I supposed some adults are not exempted from its vice-like grip too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Imagine with me a world without social media. It would be a world that is so much more smaller, right? It would also be a world that is less flat, where what we do is less visible to others. This includes our errors, mistakes and embarrassment. You can also forget about cancel culture? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">More importantly, our privacy would be protected, that is, the skeletons in our closets will be well kept and occasionally dusted (by us). Some will not see the light of day, for the entire lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, the drawback of such a world without social media would be the dissemination of knowledge and the empowerment and freedom that comes with it. They will be seriously undermined. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As a case in point, imagine again that Gutenberg did not invent the printing press in the 15th century. Or, for that matter, there was and will never be a Gutenberg-like Revolution worldwide. Arising from that, and as an example, you can be sure that there will not be any mass production of the Gutenberg Bible. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">All scripture would therefore be held in the ivory towers of the Catholic priesthood. Only they can read and interpret the word of God, and the people down below would just have to accept their words, or interpretation, as final, or as ex cathedra.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Without the mass dissemination in the printing word form, we will all be none the wiser. We will also suffer the bliss of ignorance, and with that, comes the disempowerment and the serious denial of personal and communal freedom to effect positive and sustainable changes for the benefit of the common good. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For if absolute power corrupts absolutely, then this power also comes with the monopoly of essential knowledge, as the first major act of a tyrant, and that in itself is the means to support the perpetuation of such absolute corruption. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Ok, so much for the real benefits of technology, and there are more of course. But, coming back home, from the Gutenberg press to social media, there is a dark side too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For in the same way that money is a medium of exchange, technology is a medium of learning. But at times, that medium is the message, and it can overpower and overlord the individual and society as a whole. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When you take something like technology to the extreme, the change will, at some point, cross the threshold of benefit to the threshold of cost arising more from its unintended, and unwitting, consequences. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Ultimately, the whole problem with humanity is surely not their ingenuity or inventions, but it is in their underestimation of what the byproduct of their collective intelligence can cost them over the long run. We are indeed people of the most intemperate minds and appetites. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, on more granular level, our kids will have to bear the brunt of our hubris, and unwitting-ness, when we constantly fail to balance the benefits and costs of technology, or in this case, social media. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As the world becomes less flat, more transparent, with the help of social media, the world for the young minds finally becomes a stage, an open Shakespearean stage. Forget about privacy, when, by a touch of a button, you can become famous, traipsing on the social media stage, even for that 7 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Suddenly, you can post whatever, and be “liked” by whomever, their identity is immaterial. And for that pedestal moment of fame, you feel like you are at the center of the universe. Cloud no. 9, right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, here comes the crossing of the rubicon threshold of unintended consequences for technology, and it is captured in this Yogi Berra’s observation: “Anyone who is popular is bound to be disliked”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And it is that torrents of dislikes on social media that most of our kids, even ourselves, cannot take. It eats into their soul, like acid drip, because, while our kids have the knowledge (and freedom) to compose and post, and also re-post, they do not have the maturity to compose themselves when their well-manicured image and self-esteem suffer a blow. And this blow adds up as our kids trip over on the social media stage, or when their privacy, shame and mistakes are exposed for all to remark, ridicule and remember. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And how about envy? It’s real too, very real. Before social media, we only get to read about famous and successful people strutting their stuff on printed newspapers, and maybe in the tv news.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But nowadays, kids get to see their friends’ blow-by-blow account, on a daily-by-a-mere-touch-of-the-screen moment. Some exposure can deepen the comparison, and allow envy to kick in to dry and rot the bones from within.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And the addiction to fame, and the vicious cycle of envy only cause the intemperate young minds to dive deeper into the social media’s black-hole.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As an illustration, here’s a conversation by Zuckerberg before FB became a staple of our daily life. It is about how easy it is to get information, thrown at you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">““Zuckerberg began the conversation with a boast, telling one friend that if he ever needed information on anyone at Harvard, he should just say the word:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">ZUCK: i have over 4000 emails, pictures, addresses, sns <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">FRIEND: what!? how’d you manage that one?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">ZUCK: people just submitted it<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">ZUCK: i don’t know why<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">ZUCK: they “trust me”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">ZUCK: dumb fucks””<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">(@pg 24, “An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination” by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Let me end by saying that, with social media, we have started another Gutenberg-like revolution, in all its excesses, and it can be reduced to the obsession to be right, liked and the light. That is, we can now broadcast our “rightness” to thousands, if not millions, of users, unfiltered. Our posts on the most mundane, or the most manicured part of our life, may just strike social media goldmine and elevate us to dizzying heights. We also become more superficial as a result. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For in a postmodern world, truth is more about feelings of being right rather than one based on objectivity, established by tedious scientific facts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And with a critical mass of social media attention, we become a celebrity overnight with the harvest of likes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Overtime, we are transformed into a city on the hill, with tens of thousands of followers. We will then embody the “light” for the many who want to associate themselves with us for boasting rights. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But it doesn’t stop there, because many young people will not want to miss out on such tidal wave of popularity, or such accessible, palpable successes as deceptively flashed on their small screens. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Before long, the spirit of FOMO will be a constant indictment of how inadequate our kids are, as compared to the screen idols in their handphones, with such wealth/successes coming to them so easily. Alas, it’s envy to the bone all over again. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, like it or not, that is what we as parents are up against. It is the monolithic of technology pushed to the extreme. It is a Gutenberg-like revolution that came in from the backdoor of our home, like little Trojan horses. And the addiction to it is very real. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">We therefore have a duty to protect them from its deleterious effects. This battle is for the long haul. And we must always remain vigilant.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-80043363042834389042021-12-29T22:52:00.002+08:002021-12-29T22:52:42.975+08:00Taliban takes over Kabul - American's white man burden?<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPM869YpckpxX-B1m7YltQVuldRQldlSBWUArgidqw_6ARnszQq-nCjGQLEyYHTAVhn9LRCPJl-g2cRk1a6BJd1XAqwxjOmaQ48aY8lGu7IkyVQ3bKSh2jyw46Hohc8d6zMaWl4i-btB4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="701" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPM869YpckpxX-B1m7YltQVuldRQldlSBWUArgidqw_6ARnszQq-nCjGQLEyYHTAVhn9LRCPJl-g2cRk1a6BJd1XAqwxjOmaQ48aY8lGu7IkyVQ3bKSh2jyw46Hohc8d6zMaWl4i-btB4/w300-h400/228955379_2098800573592358_5814362912576293959_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Actually, if you think about it, both the US and Taleban share something in common: Human ideals and hubris. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For both claim they want to make the world a better place. Both want the best for their country. But, when you mix ideals with hubris together, you get chaos. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Of course, in terms of material success and national development, Taliban is light years behind US, in their throwback practices, brutal treatment of women and tribalistic, patriarchal mindset. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, in terms of similarities, both held on to their self-referential ideals as if their lives and pride depended on it, and with some measure of success, they let it pollute their political will and unanchored minds. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, the best means to building character (or a nation) is consistency, regardless of the shifting times, and when you adulterate ideals with hubris, you get a yo-yo-like existence - up and down, up and down, never progressing towards your ideal affirmatively. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When the top Taliban leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, took over the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, he made this most idealistic declaration: “We have never expected to reach such victory - we should show humbleness in front of Allah. Now is the time when we will be tested on how we serve and secure our people, and ensure their good life and future to the best of our ability.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, if Kabul’s airport is any indication, where thousands are fleeing their country knowing what to expect when Taleban rules absolutely, many know a crab can’t walk straight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">They also know that it is going to a selective development led by the Taleban leadership, where, yes, they will show humbleness, but it is a humility demonstrated only if you bend to their will, surrender to their uncompromising beliefs, which always subject their right to express and rule over yours. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And the good life under them is a life that is defined by them. That applies to the future too. Abdul Ghani said: “The Taleban (fighters) have won with their judgments of their sword and guns, and are now responsible for the honour, property and self-preservation of their countrymen.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And it’s no less a Freudian slip that he mentioned “countrymen” - underscore “men” - because out of the abundance of one’s heart, the mouth speaks and the hands get busy. It can’t be denied that by honour, they are referring to their honour, and the women and girls are the extension of that honour, which if, once defiled by the slightest of indiscretion, like the showing of one’s ankle, the consequences for the victims would be unthinkable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And it’s also mortally frightening when honour, property and self-preservation are most times translated to mean vindication, nationalisation and, well, self-preservation speaks for itself. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed, it is what it is, and the Americans shouldn’t have any illusion about their imagined exceptionalism, if it still believed today. They have indeed reaped what they have sown, and it is a gap that history has proven that they will never bridge. That gap is ideals and reality, where the means crushes the end. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Former undersecretary of defence, Michele Flournoy said: “In retrospect, the United States and its allies got it really wrong from the very beginning. The bar was set based on our democratic ideals, not on what was sustainable or workable in an Afghan context.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is so true, that is, a truth that is the curse of American exceptionalism, one that ironically culminated to the raid on their own Capital in January this year. And that is a lesson not in the pursuit of ideal, but one led by arrogance and Taliban-like ego. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, from the Jericho chant after 911 to the US$83 billion spent and to a 20-year occupation, Biden, like all his successors before him since Bush junior, has fallen to the one sin all leaders of great civilisations make, and that is, the sin of overestimating their intelligence and the reach of their influence and power. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When you overstretch your ideals to fit your unrealistic ambitions, you break the protective refuge you take shelter in, and the result is sadly a humanitarian crisis; or at least, soon to degenerate into one as UN’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“There continues to be reports of serious human rights abuses and violations in the communities most affected by the fighting. All abuses must stop. He calls on the Taleban and all other parties to ensure...the rights and freedoms of all people are respected and protected.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Unfortunately, UN lecturing the Talebans and hoping they will listen is like refracting light into a black hole and hoping it will bounce back on a positive note. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In fact, Pentagon has forewarned Biden even before he took office that Afghanistan will be taken over by Taleban in about 18 months should they pull out. But, that was another overestimation, because it took only about one week. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Imagine that, for a 20-year occupation and billions spent, what you get is a lot of carnival-like activities on the surface, but there’s no deep roots in the soil and soul of the people’s hearts. It was supposed to be engineered as a people’s war, but it turns out to be a war of egos between different American leaderships with a very high attrition rate. This somewhat breathes new meaning to the phrase, you may win the battle, but it is the war that I have won...tragically.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But then, maybe there is a morbid silver lining here. If on both sides, it is a war of the perversion of ideals and hubris, we can then expect a yo-yo-like transition, between the victors and in this case, the retreaters, and back again - all this done to the haunting tune of the Einsteinian insanity chant: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But why morbid, Mike? Because the collateral casualty of the games (and experiments) that the powerful and mindless play is, without fail, always the innocent people, young and old, hopeful and otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-27443624817264502812021-12-29T22:52:00.001+08:002021-12-29T22:52:23.790+08:00Religion and better mental health.<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb2raMgkcBHV5LNX-6PQwNMr8qU5Xld9aCHMjCeUT357zQ-s2vwyOcpOZmJ_OJFDf8OpzeS5lMJEJpsBzZ6HBubSSELgJJh6aRZhmaTlJ0-6pzYi40yR3cIwSucH9oZnOnsjfeXCdajY/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb2raMgkcBHV5LNX-6PQwNMr8qU5Xld9aCHMjCeUT357zQ-s2vwyOcpOZmJ_OJFDf8OpzeS5lMJEJpsBzZ6HBubSSELgJJh6aRZhmaTlJ0-6pzYi40yR3cIwSucH9oZnOnsjfeXCdajY/w300-h400/228085913_2088368321302250_6659218254996880982_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">2,270 participants. That was what it took to come out with a finding about religion and positive mental health (“PMH”). The study was carried out by IMH in collaboration with Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">What is PMH? According to lead researcher Janhavi Vaingankar, 45, it generally refers to "a person's attitudes towards themselves, ability to handle life's surprises and ability to reach their true potential and resist stress".<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">To me, it is a deep soul searching personality, one that is intensely introspective and is aligned with a worldview (or a metanarrative) that not only provides solace and resilience to the individual, but also faith and hope to move forward in life (one step/day at a time).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, are those with religion, or believe in a purpose beyond themselves and the world they engage in, cope better with life’s circumstances or trials? Well, the study seems to point to that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Reported by Cheryl Doo, it reads: “People with a religion were found to have a higher total PMH score, faring better in spirituality, emotional support and general coping. As spirituality includes practices like prayer and religious beliefs such as trust in a higher being, it was not surprising that people with a religion had stronger spirituality, says Ms Vaingankar.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And FYI, the study measures six aspects of PMS: “General coping, emotional support, spirituality, interpersonal skills, personal growth and autonomy, and global affect, which is the experience of positive moods such as being calm and happy.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? One - should we now go and sign up for a church, mosque or temple, do some good deeds and then wait for favour to pour on us in this life and the next? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, being a Christian since 1985, I know intimately what religion can do to a soul. At least, that knowledge is personal to me. Like a fingerprint, no two religious experiences are alike. That is my caveat. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">To every belief, there is a dark and a bright side. A study like that is generally on point. You can’t believe in isolation. No religious man or woman is an island by itself. We are an archipelago of closely knit islands, pandemic or otherwise, collectively coping courageously in a sea of uncertainty, disappointment and doubt. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The basis of religion is to bind a community together with a timeless purpose beyond this world. Being a social animal, body warmth always brings soul healing, cults and false teachings notwithstanding. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Cheryl observed: ““That people with a religion had stronger emotional support indicates that "interpersonal aspects of PMH are stronger among people with religious affiliations than those without"”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">However, in the continuum of belief, at one extreme you have the martyr and on the other extreme you have the pew warmer. Under all circumstances, only the martyr will die for and with the faith. For the pew warmer, there is a price to his/her devotion. When it gets too high, you can be sure that one by one they will fall away, or remain in a suspended faith state.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, I do not know how the 2,270 participants are lined up for the study. What is their level of belief and faith. But there is a deeper aspect to belief or religion that can make or break a person. In general, most of us believe because of the community (and some of us stray also because of the community. It’s a double-edged sword, leaning in favour of community, of course). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The binding communal effect of religion is irresistible to the faith subscriber. People attract people, masses draw masses, and crowd huddles with crowd. That is the interpersonal aspect of religion, and in that connection, ties, hope and faith are build up. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Sometimes, it is an involuntary knock-on effect like the domino effect, or it’s something like the time when preacher Benny Hinn swung his coat at the congregation and that managed to pull down a whole row of front seaters, some falling due to gravitational reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, between the martyrs and the pew warmers, there is the goldilocks zone of religious belief comprising the unquestioning believers and the inquisitive ones. And their level of bliss depends on the level of ignorance they are prepared to bear by faith. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Because, ultimately, the omnipotence is largely unknowable, and this has already been foretold in Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yet, having said all that, here is where the faith of the martyrs leave little doubt that that Deuteronomic scripture is not a source of frustration, but one of comfort and hope. It is also a source of strength and courage to them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">They are indeed a rare breed in the continuum of belief, and their faith is unshakable because they have a resilient and all-encompassing worldview that endures through good and bad times, blissful and stressful times. In fact, quite quizzically, their hope is so anchored that it is in the furnace of fire that they shine the brightest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Religion for them is more than just a community of many. It is however first and foremost a community with one, that is, with the object of their affection and devotion. That is the true price of their faith, one that they are prepared to pay because for them, it is real, timeless and nothing in this world compares. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is the true prize of religion, and it is hard to study that kind of faith because it is not just about community, that is, the interpersonal aspects that yield better mental health. It is about a soul so transformed by a transcendental purpose that mentally, emotionally and physically, they are simply set apart from the things of the world as the latter goes strangely dim in the light of what is ahead of them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-75165037257866070472021-12-29T22:52:00.000+08:002021-12-29T22:52:05.410+08:00Adoption - the Woos.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiwdDgxtEdGaXoJZOjBogQ4oHz-nRR04LKBQGRKq8JII051ImXGEd-_7NnQQ6LOPNayogQczhRiWBK-mId7Fp94vnJxzhEHSoiwbzZE0sSAibNtQ4dOUgzQI1xIt6Z8y_UlSjqnlChEM/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiwdDgxtEdGaXoJZOjBogQ4oHz-nRR04LKBQGRKq8JII051ImXGEd-_7NnQQ6LOPNayogQczhRiWBK-mId7Fp94vnJxzhEHSoiwbzZE0sSAibNtQ4dOUgzQI1xIt6Z8y_UlSjqnlChEM/w300-h400/232866034_2098024717003277_8003207363808523843_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When the Woos were told by a social worker that an unwed mother is about to give birth in two months, and they do not know the baby’s gender, and having told them that, was asked, would they be keen to adopt? They said yes immediately. That was 13 years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The Woos have one biological son. They always wanted two to three kids. Mrs Woo, 44, a marketing officer, said: “We have always felt we have the capacity and resources to have a bigger family to care for.” Her husband, 47, is a chief financial officer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Of course, Mr Woo needed some convincing. He said: “My kid was already eight years old by then and we were comfortable. It wasn’t an easy decision for me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But what tip the scale for the man of the household was this consideration: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“When I meet my Creator - I have been blessed with so much and if I’m asked, “When you had an opportunity to change a life, why didn’t you take it?”, I wouldn’t be able to answer.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The Woos are Christians and when they took their baby son home, Mrs Woo said: “The first time I saw him, I was just so moved with love for him. There was no doubt in my mind that I had made the right decision.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mr Woo said that his elder son is in love with his little brother (adopted son). “They plan to tell the younger child about his adoption as soon as he is able to comprehend it.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He said: “It has been awesome so far. He has been such a blessing, being so much joy and love to us.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">FYI, the Woos have tried for a second child for years and ”went through three cycles of in-vitro fertilisation unsuccessfully.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? One. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, I am glad the Woos said yes to the opportunity to change a life, and it changed their lives too, including their son’s life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I can imagine the blessing are mutual for them, from adopted son to their family and from their family to adopted son. From day one, they merged to become one family, that is, a synthesis of manifold blessings for a family with the capacity and resources to care for the additional bundle of joy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, everyone is inspired by a journey of many happy endings, especially when it is a journey about building relationships with unconditional love and hope. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed, for those whose faith tells them that when they cross the liminal line of mortality, they will be held accountable for the things they have done and have not done, it just adds to their conscience one additional consideration for living a life of meaning and enduring purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As an aside, it is interesting to note the difference between meaning and purpose. I googled it, and this came up: “...meaning (logos) is how something or someone is defined, as well as an intention or reason for doing something; while purpose (telos) is the fulfillment or consummation of the meaning. One intends, the other accomplishes”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In other words, your meaning is the “why” you do something, or the specific reason for that choice, and your purpose is to ask yourself: “What am I here for?” It is an overarching reason for living. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">By finding your purpose, you breathe meaning to your decision or choices. They do overlap in significant ways, of course, one influencing the other, but I see purpose as broader in scope and depth. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, I can imagine someone defining their purpose as self-directed, that is, they are here on earth to gain the most material riches through industry and determination. Thereafter, every decision in line with that purpose brings about meaning to their life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For the Woos, however, the meaning is captured in the decision to adopt. Its purpose is the opportunity to change a life, to impact the life for good. As such, the purpose for them is others-directed, and that decision is meaningful to them, a blessing that is mutual no less. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">As such, meaning and purpose, when it comes to us as human beings, is premised both on the social and the metanarrative. Social is horizontal, that is, it is about building relationships, and the metanarrative is where the purpose comes in, upon which we are inspired and emboldened to fulfill that meaning. That is the case for the Woos. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Of course, the true test of love is that it is unconditional, and I know of some parents whose child (with developmental issues) and actions have brought them to the edge of insanity and back. Their meaning and purpose were put through the fiery furnace of parenthood, and for some of them, they came out of it even stronger, with a love overcoming even the toughest trials of their life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Be that as it may, the Woos is right to confront their purpose in life, putting their faith in the metanarrative of “I am here on earth to take every opportunity to change a life,” and that chariot-led their decision to adopt, a choice that gave them unsurpassed meaning and joy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is a lesson in parenthood we will all benefit from, and occasionally, we will need such timely reminder, in particular, when embracing our own child.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-42426160738094180702021-12-29T22:51:00.002+08:002021-12-29T22:51:48.100+08:00Zuckerberg's metaverse - Let there be light.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0m9vw3CTAn6DnWk3qNVlBZK78MflXBFgoUeJqb353mUwwi5FgwImoiL9_sMwntwVcqLsW9IfyCzmVQB9wPTpn5ZAoeH6H932qmdljuP8y5xvD9chksIlFoxvcCZDfI_YQmc5fyKfTqk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0m9vw3CTAn6DnWk3qNVlBZK78MflXBFgoUeJqb353mUwwi5FgwImoiL9_sMwntwVcqLsW9IfyCzmVQB9wPTpn5ZAoeH6H932qmdljuP8y5xvD9chksIlFoxvcCZDfI_YQmc5fyKfTqk/w300-h400/220931250_2087568228048926_1156396082971969667_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I recall the kick-off verse to Genesis, “Let there be light”. And God created a whole new world in 6 days. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, Mark Zuckerberg has plans to create another whole new world called “metaverse”. But, before I flesh out what the 35-year-old technology magnate meant, let’s flesh out what is ordinarily implied in that word - “metaverse”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Meta” is a Greek word for “after”, “beyond”, “comprehensive” or “transcending”. And “verse” in this case means the single or first word, which is akin to John 1:1, where it declared - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">When you put them together, you get a world beyond this world, a world created by the first word, in this case, a binary-algorithmic language with some resemblance to the word that first became flesh and lived amongst us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And I am making this biblical reference because it felt like this is what Zuckerberg has in mind, for there is an uncanny parallel to it; if you allow your imagination boundless flight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Rightly so, Zuckerberg sees the metaverse as a virtual world, one that is so real, so tangible and so experiential, it is really no different from the one we are living in now. In fact, the closest thing imaginable is that of mega-hit trilogy, The Matrix, where we are reduced to bodies to be plugged in, for a new experience beyond the world we once knew. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, Facebook is heading in that direction, and like all out-of-this-world ideas, it started with a thought, a spark, or as some would say, “let there be light.” And it will be an incredible immersive experience way beyond what our current VR goggles are able to do. Are you then ready player one to player one billionth?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Director of the Centre for Financial Regulation and Innovation, Daniel Broby, wrote the below article and here is what he said: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“In his quest to turn Facebook into a metaverse company, Mr Zuckerberg is seeking to build a system where people move between virtual reality (VR), AR and even 2D devices, using realistic avatars of themselves where appropriate. Here they will work, socialise, share things and have other experiences, while still probably using the Internet for some tasks such as searches, which is similar to how we use it now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Owning not only the Facebook platform but also WhatsApp, Instagram and VR headset maker Oculus gives Mr Zuckerberg a big head start in making this a reality. Collectively, these brands give Facebook an unbeatable number of customer relationships, and all the important knowledge for creating a desirable virtual world: how people behave online, their personalities, likes and dislikes, gait, eye movement and even emotional states.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mind you, this is mind-blowing. Imagine a world so real you can easily escape to with a touch of a button, without ever leaving your living room. And you will not be alone, for loved ones are all reduced to life-like avatars in the metaverse, for both general and personal interactions and engagement. (And I don’t know whether we will need to rewrite the rules of morality since you can engage in experimental screw ups in metaverse without much or any accountability/responsibility for your avatar’s actions because it is not real, as far as virtual goes). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">You can also teleport to any place your mind wishes or fancies, and the environment and objects literally respond to you, that is, by sheer force of altered perception, you just can’t tell the difference between what you touch as real in this metaverse and the things/objects in the real world you have been living in for all your life up to the time you enter metaverse (and excitingly, your children’s children would have spent more time in their lifetime in the metaverse than in the real world, right?) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Daniel wrote: “To help build the metaverse, Facebook's engineers will have to make a success of immersive realism. Imagine a computer game with 2.9 billion avatars and the artificial intelligence that harvests all known information on them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, imagine your children and your children’s children and their children all sensorially teleport to such a world, such a transcendent world, fully malleable, where you can fulfill your wildest fantasy and hopes, all by a touch of a button, or a few of them. How’s that for heaven? Digital or virtual heaven? It’s Second Life 10.7 right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But Zuckerberg and FB is not going to do all that for free. You have to pay for it, unlike uploading your photos or videos in the current flat-dimensional FB. There is no free lunch in metaverse. You pay for the meta-experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In the current FB, he harvests your private data for more targeted advertising to secure astronomical profits. Now, with FB’s metaverse, he, with godlike powers, creates a world you can’t live without and therefore have to pay for it. It is a step up in the way your private data is being secretly collected and then applied to create a make-believe world that you can’t tell the difference from. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, just saying, he is already one of the richest man on earth. Yet, with metaverse, he may just cross a few trillion dollars threshold to be the first (multi-)trillionaire in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, Zuckerberg wants more, and metaverse is the way to go to reap in the boundless dough. Here is how he can reap it all in, as Daniel writes: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“But users might be willing to pay for the enhanced interactivity that will be available in the metaverse, perhaps to enter certain private areas or to do certain things, like teleporting for more than a few minutes at a time or whatever.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Mr Zuckerberg has said he believes Facebook will make money from the sale of certain virtual goods and experiences. Will we be paying for the most stylish avatar clothes in future, for example? Or to see the latest movie in a virtual cinema?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, I think I will end here. It is too much of an imagination probably coming true in the near future for one listless morning. You just have to think for yourself what an unregulated alternative world metaverse will be, and what does it mean for our future generation and the world at large. That is, a world controlled by men, if not one man. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It is truly a babelian achievement reaching beyond the skies, for a taste of omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. Zuckerberg truly deserves a standing ovation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And if you think handphone is addictive, imagine such a world, where virtual is real, and real is virtual. A world this attractive - because who wants to create a world of pain and suffering, sorrow and grief - you can expect billions to want to pay for everything they own just to get there, live there and die there (I guess the real world would be depopulated for the heavenly world that is metaverse). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It’s heaven, right? It’s the final redemptive destination we have been believing for. A Xanadu on earth, a Shangri-la forever. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And thanks to Zuckerberg, he has finally embodied the way, the truth and the life for all of us, common folks, in a coming virtual world we can savour, enjoy and find our own existential purpose in. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">...can’t wait?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-83002022407745526632021-12-29T22:51:00.001+08:002021-12-29T22:51:32.765+08:00Kindness with a touch of consideration.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFtyf2ZVKHYFZ386g1sSdDXXHeN9AXaF51xMinWdn3I093FLrmtOKfRHrCOlYlEz6SabE5utCJo4-ehHav-w5XP1G0BFi1JDCCv7iAss3yIx2f7lNwX5dv5riEy6Ci27x7P93pTsvC9o/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFtyf2ZVKHYFZ386g1sSdDXXHeN9AXaF51xMinWdn3I093FLrmtOKfRHrCOlYlEz6SabE5utCJo4-ehHav-w5XP1G0BFi1JDCCv7iAss3yIx2f7lNwX5dv5riEy6Ci27x7P93pTsvC9o/w400-h300/234254194_2094780783994337_8763272398746475866_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The message is simple: kindness without a touch of consideration can lead to distress. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Reported by Malavika Menon, the title captures this admonishment well: “Don’t post online about vulnerable folk, social workers urge.” I guess it is a matter of time before society realises that even an act of kindness can be carried too far. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">MSF minister Sun Xueling said: “When you put up a video or a photo, apart from the fact that you might be infringing on the privacy as well as confidentiality of the vulnerable person, sometimes you may be bringing unwanted attention to the vulnerable person.“<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Another commentator, Ms Siti Rohana Hanson, manager of Social Service Office @ Bedok/Geylang Serai said: “To have quite personal information published, it brings them distress. They are out in the community and people may look at them differently.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I think this message is important, because kindness is not an unqualified good, and there are risks to the ones we seek to help. Causing them distress is a very real outcome. That would defeat the purpose of the kindness being shown to them, even if it is one-off. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mr Brian Monteiro, manager of shelters and programmes at Catholic Welfare Services, who conducts regular night walks with other members of CWS in an outreach called Night Mission, said: “The lives if these vulnerable individuals do not become better after their information is shared online. Often, their faces are publicised, they are questioned and they move away from their familiar locations.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">He added: “They do not ask for money or pity, only that they are treated with dignity and respect. They are still human beings and fellow Singaporeans.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? Just one. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I guess we will be well-advised to lean our kind hearts to the wisdom of Matthew 6: -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“...But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is why our kindness has to be tempered with consideration. At times, kindness done under the bliss of anonymity is an enduring reward for both parties, that is, the giver and the receiver alike. For the receiver, it is the benefit of privacy protected and the kindness extended. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Here is a sobering reminder from a homeless man: “When people take photos or videos of us, posting them on social media with our faces shown, our families will know about us and be affected.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For the giver, it is the simplicity of charity that deepens the soul onto the anchor of authenticity. Such act of anonymous kindness is unembellished, and its intention is unalloyed (pure). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Imagine that, the giving hand is done without the other hand even knowing it. It is carried out in ceremonial secrecy. And it is of such anonymity that is devoid of any fanfare and the complicated emotions that come with it. Thus, the “reward” is a lighter conscience knowing you have made a small difference in a stranger’s life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">At most times, publicity muddles the waters and blunts the motivation. In other words, it risks adulterating the initial agenda. Mind you, kindness does have its own KPI and we may unwittingly turn it into a competitive or performance sport because we secretly relish the attention we are getting from it, online and offline. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So when kindness mutates into a hierarchy of conscious rankings, we would have turned it into a transactional act that swallows whole the soul that is initially seeking for a purpose undefiled by worldly benchmarks that rewards sensorially, and most superficially. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Abraham Yeo, co-founder of Homeless Hearts, makes this honest observation: “Ultimately we draw the line at what’s the agenda behind posting photos or videos of these individuals - is it to raise awareness or for people’s own agendas?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Of course, there will be times when publicity with discretion and discernment is required, to raise public awareness, to raise funds, to right a wrong, and/or to push for legislative action for sustainable impact, but there has to be a balance in and consideration for the kindness offered to the recipient. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">In fact, MSF strongly encourages members of public to refer individuals who may need help to MSF and “our partners will coordinate and render support to ensure that they get the necessary assistance.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I believe the article targets individual acts, most times done spontaneously, by people with a kind heart. And we must always give them a benefit of a doubt, because even in the soft terrain that a kind soul is treading on, there are uncharted minefields - like the lures of popularity in social media - that the unwitting may fall into. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, I like to think that our passion for kindness is like a calm river stream, which is refreshing to both our soul and the soul of the receiver. But when that passion develops a deep undertow running underneath, we risk being pulled into it and the outcome may be self-defeating.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-60922846391605357152021-12-29T22:51:00.000+08:002021-12-29T22:51:06.516+08:00Joseph Schooling - Rio Olympic 2021<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP2ml3BxmLcu3l0Xw2gjnhKjm0Uyjs-iCZPJ9_JXT85dqxkQRuMI5_GOd-bW_n320eqUHFYTlCA4R9wSVQ0CjHptxlFNysxxC17fv4OWUlHgKhdDBj7RMHt8Rx2s3dRq2Ib998-f66Js/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP2ml3BxmLcu3l0Xw2gjnhKjm0Uyjs-iCZPJ9_JXT85dqxkQRuMI5_GOd-bW_n320eqUHFYTlCA4R9wSVQ0CjHptxlFNysxxC17fv4OWUlHgKhdDBj7RMHt8Rx2s3dRq2Ib998-f66Js/" width="320" /></span></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“I want gold”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That was what Joseph Schooling declared just before he won the Olympic gold for Singapore in 2016. And oh, what a win! He was then the fastest Olympian in the pool. And he had finally put this little red dot on the world map (and record) with that shimmering gold. Even Michael Phelps bowed out with respect after 24 years leading the champion’s crown and went contentedly into retirement. Alas, that was a record-making feat five years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I still recall what Schooling said after the gold. “This moment is not about me, it’s about my coaches, my friends, my family...This swim wasn’t for me, it was for my country.” It was a time even parliament rejoiced with a standing ovation. And the nation celebrated with these words from PM Lee: “The motion will be formal recognition of his achievements by Parliament.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But five years have gone by since then, and Tokyo Olympics is so different from Rio’s. At Rio, we welcomed home a champion. This time, this round, Schooling is coming home without any medal around his neck. He didn’t make it in the heat in the men’s 100m butterfly swim on Thursday. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">His timing of 53.12 secs was way off from that golden touchdown of 50.39 secs five years ago. And even that record was beaten, with Caeleb Dressel clocking in 49.71 secs in the semi-finals. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed the tide for champions is evolving and once the whistle blows, you either swim or sink. That is the sports of winners in the Olympic, or for any competition, right? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The reality is, when you put yourself out there, whether in wet or on dry lane, you will be judged. Winning and losing is all about judgment, that is, judgment of and by yourself against a gruelling, demanding standard for the gold, and judgment by others pining for you, for whatever reasons, noble or otherwise, against another standard called human expectations for the win. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is how competitions are geared or wound up. You don’t join the heat and represent a nation if you do not have what it takes. For when you run, the nation runs with you. When you swim, it swims with you. And when you dive, it dives with you. You thus carry the Olympic torch and heartbeat of a nation with you, and that’s pressure enough for one person, with a heavy weight on his/her shoulder <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Having said that, and after Thursday, one is tempted to ask, does Schooling still have what it takes? Can he win again? Is the Olympic lane closing in on him, who is already 26 years old? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, you could say (counterfactually) that if he had won the gold in Tokyo, ultimately that is, he would have been hailed by the millions whose faith and hope were well placed on his shoulders. But, what then is the runner up’s consolation (or the one who had missed the mark)? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Indeed, we all love a winner. We live vicariously for them, riding on the coattails of his or her win. We can proudly declare that we have a champion, even for the many who doesn’t know the champion personally. There is just a high-scaling moment of togetherness and pride when someone like Schooling walks up to the highest podium with the Singapore flag waving behind him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And maybe, that’s the issue for some of us for the longest time. Admittedly, it’s just part of human nature or our make up. For what is glaringly visible is that 50 or more secs in the pool, and nothing is ever seen of the 50 or more months away from it. We don’t see the sweat that gets wash away every time athletics like Schooling or Yu Mengyu put their heart and soul into their consuming passion. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">We do not see the tears, the fears, the pressure, the stress and the pain of training (or even defeat). For all that they have done, the hard work and sleepless nights, is condensed in that few seconds leading up to the moment when the time-keeper declares who wins or loses. Crudely speaking, the Olympic whistle either blows for you or blows you away. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">If only we had seen the whole runway of an athletics’ sacrifices from the time nobody even knows he/she existed to the time he/she finally reaches the finishing line, I believe we would then intimately know that they, just like us, are humans too, trying their best and giving of their best within the constraints and restraints that they face to reach for the best. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">After Thursday, as a nation converges, Schooling said: “Like before it might have been just to show to myself and show my family. But honestly, man, after all the support that is coming out, and like I said they don’t owe me anything, they didn’t have to do that, but they do anyway, that gives me something more to swim for. Maybe that is what I need.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, let me just say this, who doesn’t want a hero’s welcome right? That is the icing on the cake for the sportsman or sportswoman. But, from the support Schooling got, and the ones still pouring in, that is no less a hero’s welcome, because it is not just about a win, it is about faith for the journey that is far from over, as Schooling puts it, and trust for the champion who has given us so much hope.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And for the nation, I sincerely believe we, or most of us, are not fair weather about this, but are true storm chasers - for wherever our champions are, we will be there for them, cheering them on, in spirit and soul, because just showing up is what champions are made of, from day one to day done. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Let me end with the powerful words of Schooling’s swim coach, Sergio Lopez. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Over 10 years ago, we crossed paths in this beautiful life for something more than just being perfect. Never forget that perfection lies in the imperfection of life. Thank you for this amazing and interesting journey. Let’s keep moving forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I wonder, what “something more than just being perfect” is? And I think the answer to that is the journey, the friendship, the unfailing love shown, especially Schooling’s indomitable parents, the overcoming beyond our imperfections, the enduring sacrifices and support poured out, and the faith and hope for an amazing journey. These are the things that is more than just being perfect. For they are a broken but resilient community coming together to celebrate, to congratulate, to heal, to inspire, and to encourage. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">That is the summation and summit of a hero’s welcome, as we all stand together today, to welcome our champions home. For you have always done us all proud.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-37442904193764872722021-09-28T20:15:00.001+08:002021-09-28T20:15:43.511+08:00Yale-NUS Closure - Part III.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyBGylAIvoasMy-VrOfHAW7d6M4bMBwcPRg1PpmNXMjsXaPdTVB7nwG4zH_KJ4Hm3fJNpS-ZQrJx7uj4chPii5s3OpirT365ZyjNnH832DyjWm4rHD4OGBy3jd-vDiA5M7gd1yPPen14/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdyBGylAIvoasMy-VrOfHAW7d6M4bMBwcPRg1PpmNXMjsXaPdTVB7nwG4zH_KJ4Hm3fJNpS-ZQrJx7uj4chPii5s3OpirT365ZyjNnH832DyjWm4rHD4OGBy3jd-vDiA5M7gd1yPPen14/w300-h400/241520628_2131634453642303_5420828925779279065_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yale-NUS college is not letting go. 508 members (about 60% of the alumni) have signed a statement “questioning the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) decision to close the college.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Minister Chan has told parliament on Sept 13 that money is not the main motivation behind the decision to merge YNC with USP. It was a factor though. YNC costs $90,800 a year for each student. The govt subsidised $70,300 a year. The student pays the rest of it, that is, $20,500 being its tuition fees. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Yes, a liberal arts education is rather expensive, but “comparable institutions overseas will cost the Singaporean student four times as much.” That was an extract from the alumni statement, and it would be a greater deprivation for students from poor background. “Additionally, those who go overseas may not return, thereby exacerbating the brain drain in Singapore.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Shanice Stanislaus, who graduated in 2017, said: “They keep saying it’s money or accessibility, but I think it’s more than that. Instead of just coming out and facing these questions, I watched NUS respond in silence or with carefully crafted statements.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Lesson? I have three in fact, and they start with the letter Y-N-C.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">1) Y - yah, WH-Y? This charade has been going for long enough. It’s been one month now (since 27 Aug), and money was initially the main consideration. At least that was the impression I got. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And then, it got relegated to being one of the factors, as Mr Chan puts it in Parliament, but without any further clarification. I thought Parliamentary debate or discussion was supposed to clear the air. It however left it thick, heavy, and at times, hazy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Next comes the assurance of a road map for liberal arts education in the new merger, akin to YNC 2.0. But todate, the alumni questioned why “the institution currently has no website, curriculum and admissions or financial aid policy despite being scheduled to open next year.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It is like you are given a 1000-piece puzzle to assemble. The whole alumni then rush to participate in the hope of seeing the full picture. Yet, as they piece it together, after weeks of patience and due diligence, they discover that the puzzle box comes with 500 pieces short. It was not meant to be completed in the first place. You then walk away feeling shortchanged. And I call that the dumbstruck or flabbergasted effect. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">2) N - it stands for “Not On My Watch”. YNC will come to an end in 2025, and 2021 intake will be the last batch. The governing board is making the transition for its new intake next year. It is hoped that those affected (and concerned) will just let it go silently into the night.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, besides the gobsmacked YNC’s president and 60% of the alumni, recently we have another protest arising, and it comes from a group of faculty members from the college. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">They too released an open letter “disagreeing with the de facto closure of the college.” They broke rank, broke the silence and broke the alabaster flask, releasing the tuberose fragrance of a bold united front, standing together to reject the justification given for the closure. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It reports, ““they also questioned the school’s ability to ensure a “full Yale-NUS experience” for the remaining cohorts of students, and publicly condemned what they described as a “breach of trust” by decision-makers from the NUS.””<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Mind you, the 19-page letter states: “Given the obvious negative outcomes for Yale-NUS College’s many stakeholders, who collectively put their trust in Yale and NUS...and given the many questions that remain unanswered about the rationale, process and timing of the decision, we express our disappointment, sadness and disagreement with the decision to close the Yale-NUS College.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Breach of trust in a trusted institution is a strong word to use, especially when it is used by those who work within that same institution. And it makes for even more strident protest when one faculty member stood up and hollered - “Show me the money!” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, the more refined construction of that is this: “If the NUS leadership thinks that Yale-NUS college was a declining institution, then show us the metrics because as scholars, we work with evidence.” Ouch.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Now, if YNC is fading into the night, that is, sooner or later, because the powers-that-be has spoken, it is definitely not going quietly into the night. At least the fight at the frontline is this rallying cry - “Not On Our Watch!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And finally, Y-N...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">3) C is for Cost. No, not money. It is a value far beyond that. It is the cost of an education, one involving the liberal arts, an interdisciplinary education to open minds, for all and sundry, regardless of your background, and whether you stay in a landed property or a rented HDB flat. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">It is a universal understanding of the world not just for purposes of a vocation, profession or technical skill. It aims to nurture connoisseurs with an eye for compassion, not technocrats with a measuring tape. It is a desire to understand beyond the utility of a subject that is designed to fit narrowly in the marketplace. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">An education like that serves to broaden the mind, plumb the depth of one’s heart seeking for meaning beyond the economic metric. The benefit of such an education may not be immediately obvious. It may not even produce the results desired by those who impatiently shake the money tree, hoping for the juicy fruit to fall onto one’s lap in an orgasmic spree. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But, as Peter Ooi, who graduated in 2018, puts it: “the benefits of Yale-NUS might be hard to quantify. But Singapore should not abandon a project just because its outcomes are less tangible, or because it is too impatient to wait for its fruits to ripen.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, that is the cost of a liberal arts education. One that seeks to impart life’s lessons worthy of a free person. One that aims to discipline her down-to-earth pupil to question, challenge, provoke and confront, not to be echo-chamber, but a city on the hill, a guiding light. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Let me end with the words of abolitionist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson for your evening digest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Good night.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-925460883082240660.post-15152786128700631272021-09-14T21:40:00.003+08:002021-09-28T20:15:00.923+08:00Yale-NUS Closure - Part II.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIa2WpUsC_ZGjaNGWNcJUDMTbx-cuvsmyCprAm4D3d6u7VcCjC9jR_OiAHUHz2Uh6fBcIrmwRAwHiEBBfdkv_N4vbu2Twg_pwUnoqlj18TagbRvEAklto24pgOtGbAf8k8Toz-ehoF1o/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIa2WpUsC_ZGjaNGWNcJUDMTbx-cuvsmyCprAm4D3d6u7VcCjC9jR_OiAHUHz2Uh6fBcIrmwRAwHiEBBfdkv_N4vbu2Twg_pwUnoqlj18TagbRvEAklto24pgOtGbAf8k8Toz-ehoF1o/w400-h300/241037276_2120314708107611_7046421323572234574_n.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br /> <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; text-align: justify;">The plot thickens...further.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Last Saturday, when I read about President Tan Eng Chye’s explanation that it is about the money, I paused for thought. He said YNC only managed to raise $80m of its intended target $300m in endowed donations “to build a sustainable overall endowment of $1 billion.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Well, if money is the issue, then maybe there is some just cause for closure? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">But this morning, it is the alumni strikes back when three former YNC grads (Tee Zhuo, Melody Madhavan and Ng Yi Ming) wrote a rebuttal to President Tan’s Saturday’s article. And I un-paused, and wonder, will the real slim shady please stand up? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Here is why, and there is more than meets the eye when it comes to money.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The alumni trio cited former Yale president Richard Levin, who said this: “If people are saying that finances were the issue, they’re simply incorrect.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">President Levin added that the gap could be easily closed if enough run way was given. Mind you, East Coast plan was not built in a day right? What’s more, president Tan has left out one detail: that $300m fund-raising target was set for the year 2030. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">So, YNC has about ten more years to go to hit the target. According to the article, $20m a year for the next ten years is not exactly a herculean task. It is definitely not a crisis of unsustainability, as President Tan puts it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“To put things in perspective, top liberal arts colleges in the United States that have at least US$1 billion (S$1.34 billion) in endowment, such as Williams College or Amherst College, are over 200 years old. Yale-NUS was expected to achieve the same total endowment in a tenth of the time.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Make sense? So, will the real Slim Shady pls stand up? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">FYI, that reference is directed at a rap made popular due to the need to smoke out the real Eminem amongst the many fakes. Likewise, will the real reason for the YNC closure pls fess up? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Because this has been going on for long enough, and whether one is gobsmacked or flabbergasted, it is fast mutating into a situation where this Latin phrase seems most apt: “suppressio veri suggestio falsi" - that is, suppression of the truth is the suggestion of the lie or lies. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">I know this is none of my business. I graduated decades ago. I do not come from such prestigious higher education. But, this contest for truth at our higher educational institution (that is supposed to be accorded the highest moral standing) is disconcerting. Lives are affected. Hopes dashed. Our young wants an account. Don’t they deserve it? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">There’s in fact more than that money issue mentioned in the article. If you read it, the whole of it, you will note that the new college that replaces YNC is off to a less-than-inspiring start. There is no scaling up to an inclusive interdisciplinary liberal arts education as promised, because the batch intake is very much still the same. Maybe time will tell? There is even a risk of conflation between liberal arts and interdisciplinary education, because the two are rather distinct concepts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And there is also the issue of autonomy. This is how the alumni trio explain it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“But far from autonomy, the New College will not have a dedicated faculty or its own majors. Instead, students will, like other NUS students, choose their major or specialisation from existing schools and faculties within NUS.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">“The intense and close-knit interaction between students and faculty inside and outside the classroom, so integral to the success of liberal arts colleges, will also be lost.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">For more details, you will have to read the article. But my point, after all said, is to invite you to reassess that assurance given by our then education minister Ong Ye Kung in parliament: “a liberal arts school will have a place in Singapore’s education landscape.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">The question to be asked is, what kind of liberal arts school are we hoping to set up? Liberal arts with socialist or Asian characteristics? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">And, if this saga is anything to go by, it seems like the way it is managed is based on this underlying theme: when you can’t stand the heat in the kitchen, you don’t just get out, you shut it down, toss up some platitudes, and start another cooking school. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Alas, will the real slim shady pls stand up? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;">Ps: Let’s just hope for some clarity in the upcoming townhall meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p>michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12525516891724794215noreply@blogger.com0