TR EMERITUS

Sometimes, we run around like chicken without head. Under the tyranny of the urgent, we seldom find rest to heal or recharge. Most times that can’t be help. The urgency is imposed from the top. Our bosses hire us on the clock, and there is this chattel-mindset where they think they own us and we have to run by their clock. The reality is not far from that. They do own us, at least from 9 to 5? For many whose life is dictated by the clock, we have little (or if at all) control over how we spend our life at work. It is more a hierarchical society than a meritocratic one, and so, the majority at the bottom will just have to pick up the slack of those at the top. To put it starkly, slavery is not exactly dead. It has just put on a modern spin; this time, with legislation in place to make it more tolerable. It’s like the emperor’s new clothes; we just want to see what we want to see. We pretend freedom is still within our control. That’s how we console ourselves. The naked truth just doesn’t go down too well with our jaded soul in the modern machinery of work, life and eventual death. Against all that, let me invite you to read this article “The case for doing one thing at a time” by a rather cool author, Oliver Burkeman. He writes unpretentiously. He writes philosophy plainly, no embellishments. He writes with the jaded soul in mind, offering simple but elegant freshwater points for a life bordering on burnout and exhaustion. Whenever we could, he invites us to live in deep time. And instead of multitasking through life, Oliver invites us to consider living a life of depth, leaving the width of it to times of necessity. The truth is, we can’t avoid multitasking. At work, a last minute rush is part and parcel of our time-constraint society. Clients’ and bosses’ anxieties don’t wait for a good time to strike. One work piles up against another. At times, they come gatecrashing in. We just have to deal with it, like firemen fighting fire. Freedom is responsibility. So, we can’t escape from meeting deadlines. We have to toughen or train up our ability to respond. To experience freedom is to respond to exigencies with a prepared and resolute mind. But, that’s not all. To enjoy freedom is also to live in deep time, savouring the present, without allowing our mind to be bombarded by past regrets and future worries. Regrets and worries are only unproductive (even counter-productive) when they consume us. We are still in control, at least in nurturing the depth and meaning of our own life. At some point in our life, we will have more time to ourselves. But when we first start out, we just have to make do. It is still a balance of work and having time to and for ourselves. And when we do, or when we make conscious effort to make time, let’s consider what Oliver is proposing to us - “Doing One Thing at a Time.” He suggests we put aside that podcast while we are jogging or driving. He suggests we put off that Korean drama in the small screen while we are cooking. Give ourselves our full attention, because our attention is a scarce resource the world is frantically chasing after. Once captured, world commodifies it for the highest bidder. And he who gets it, practically owns you. You enter their world, and before long, are enslaved by what he has to offer at your expense - that is, health, time and emotional well-being. So, don’t give it away without a fight. Make every conscious effort to use it for your benefit, for your mental and emotional health. Attend to attending for yourself. Focus on focusing in living the present. Live deep, so that you are recharged to do what matters, without burning out. Your nourished roots should anchor and stabilise you against the storms of your unhinged appetites. Don’t try to compress a lifetime of labour into a day or two. Work can never finish. Spread it out so that you experience the emotional awakening of every here and now. Most discovery of self is about going deep, rather than running on the surface. And pace yourself. Don’t race ahead of yourself until you leave everything that matters behind. Run a soul-deep race, not a soulless one. Let me end with Oliver’s own wise words. “Instead, you can pour your finite time, energy and attention into a handful of things that truly count. You’ll enjoyed things more, into the bargain.” “My gratifying new ability to “be here and now” while running or driving or cooking dinner isn’t the result of having developed any great spiritual prowess. Rather, it’s a matter of realising I could only ever be here now anyway - so I might as well give up the stressful struggle to pretend otherwise.”   Michael Han * The author is a Director at Hoh Law Corporation and blogs on Facebook.      Read More →

I refer to the Straits Times Editorial, “Upholding political standards” (July 20). We should acknowledge and be mindful that the avarice of the human nature is all-embracing and omnipresent. It can erode an individual’s integrity and morality especially when someone is weak in mindset and composure. So we must always be vigilant and self-disciplined. Examples of China have well expounded the above point Corruption has been one of the most hated problems of the emperor and the people since ancient times. It has brought heavy disasters to the country and the people, and eventually led to the demise of the country. Therefore, the emperors of all Chinese dynasties have tried their best to severely punish corrupt officials, but corrupt officials are like "wild fire that can't be burned out, and the spring breeze blows again". In the Qing Dynasty, there was such a department. Almost all the officials in the department were corrupt. The emperor knew it well, but there was nothing he could do. This department was the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the recent decades, China declares war on adultery, China's ruling Communist Party steps up punishment for adulterous officials vows to strengthen party discipline. For example, in December 2014, the Communist Party of China (CCP) sent Zhou Yongkang to justice for bribery, illegal business operations, adultery, violation of discipline, and violation of the law. Anyway, the utmost importance of the Singapore’s political standards such as the qualities of competence, integrity, honesty, transparency, fairness and inclusiveness must be rigorously safeguarded. In short, all Singaporeans don’t wish to see these qualities to be seriously lapsed. For example, our political leaders must ensure that their party members especially the political office holders should not get involved in any form of favouritism or corruptions (the latest case of S Iswaran corruption probe). I also strongly believe that the Singaporean voters do not wish to see any corruption and adultery cases within the parliamentarians to be occurred in our prestigious legislature institution (Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui, Leon Perera and Nicole Seah adultery cases). Otherwise, it will adversely tarnish the reputation of the Government and it will surely diminish the credibility, trust and confidence from the people.   Teo Kueh Liang (Mr)      Read More →

Mr Tan Kin Lian I have a vision— to leverage the power of the president’s office to make life better for the people of Singapore. I will focus on three fundamental areas, crucial to the well-being of our citizens: bringing down the cost of living, ensuring affordable housing for all, and securing jobs that provide a sense of stability and a path to progress. Now, let's talk about the cost of living. I feel your struggles, your frustrations, as prices keep rising while wages seem to lag behind. I will work closely with government to explore innovative solutions to curb inflation, so that your hard-earned dollars stretch further. Affordable housing is a necessity. Our homes are where we build families, create memories, and find solace after a long day. Yet, for many, owning a home feels like a distant dream. I will help to find practical ways to make housing more accessible, so everyone can have a place to call their own without bearing an unbearable financial burden. The last area is jobs. We all desire job security, to know that our efforts are valued and that our livelihoods are stable. I will do my best to influence the policies of the government to ensure that our businesses are competitive and that our people will have the opportunity to get good jobs and are not put at a disadvantage in competing against foreigners for these jobs. Now, I must clarify that I don't intend to be an adversary to the elected government. On the contrary, I will work in collaboration with the government to achieve the goals stated above. I believe that, on the whole, our ministers do work hard, are competent and they too share the same goals that I have outlined. However, it is evident that some of their approaches and policies are not producing the desired outcome. I want to offer an independent perspective, to guide and support the ministers in finding alternative solutions to the issues at hand.   Tan Kin Lian      Read More →