When I was younger, my older brother and I talked about some the conflicts that we faced in our home. He told me what he knew of Confucius' teaching about one's attitude towards hindrances that stand in one's life journey and that is, one needs to learn from the water in the stream. It flows around the rocks, stones or any obstacle that stand in its way instead of dashing against them. That way, one circumvents the hard-knocks and still could continue moving towards one's direction/goal.
As I grew older, I faced with God-knows the kinds of trials which inevitably leave their marks on me. A friend of mine recently advised me to apply 'teflon'- do not let the marks stick. Both my brother and friend care for me, I believe. They do not want me hurt. I pondered over their caring and sound advice.
But, wait, should I apply the same advice when faced with evils in our society? Should I apply the same advice when faced with corruption that will eventually destroy the society? Should I simply move along like the stream, let the stone/rock be, and move along, live and let live? Should I apply teflon towards the experiences in life?
My fear is, what would such approach to life do to me in the long run? Would I too become like the rock or stone that causes undue hardship in the lives of others and expect them to just flow along like the stream does and I remain as the harmful rocks and stones? Or should I expect them to apply teflon whenever I harm or injure or hurt them? Would I become so?
I need to think carefully lest I become an abuser myself and expect others to accept my abuses and act strong. That would be destructive! Could it be that evil is perpetuated in this way?
Thursday 23 November 2006
Wednesday 22 November 2006
from inside to outside to inside to outside
I am still thinking very much about what happened at the recent UMNO General Assembly. I do not like the thoughts of what will become the 'tanah tumpahnya darahku'(literally means, land upon which my blood is shed).The lingering question in my mind- 'what happened?' What has been happening in the lives of our leaders? How have they gotten to where they are now? Have they come to a irreversible state, in terms of the important principles in life and to service? 3 possible reasons we may consider-
1. Lack of self-examination
2. Lack of accountability amongst the leaders and with regards to others, especially those whom they are accountable to.
3. Lack of "Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan"(fear and belief in God)(?)
I guess it is always easy to see and critique others. It could have been me. I remind myself that my day to day decisions have and will be the character building blocks in my life, of which i cannot neglect and pay no heed to.
I need others in the community to hold me accountable and vice versa. As a member of the community, i am beginning to see the indispensable responsibility on my part to hold my leaders accountable in a constructive fashion. Francis Fukuyama writes of how responses from the community form the norms in a society in his book, 'The Great Disruption'.There is a complex and dynamic interplay between an individual's and collective decisions which will form the character of the society and members therein. Richard Niebuhr (The Responsible Self) writes of the "Responsible Ethics" wherein members of a certain context need to continually ask the question 'what is going on' in order that they be responsibly interacting with the situation at hand with a goal of arriving at a decision which would be for the common good. Might we need to begin doing that at different levels and platforms within the mosaic of our community/society?
1. Lack of self-examination
2. Lack of accountability amongst the leaders and with regards to others, especially those whom they are accountable to.
3. Lack of "Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan"(fear and belief in God)(?)
I guess it is always easy to see and critique others. It could have been me. I remind myself that my day to day decisions have and will be the character building blocks in my life, of which i cannot neglect and pay no heed to.
I need others in the community to hold me accountable and vice versa. As a member of the community, i am beginning to see the indispensable responsibility on my part to hold my leaders accountable in a constructive fashion. Francis Fukuyama writes of how responses from the community form the norms in a society in his book, 'The Great Disruption'.There is a complex and dynamic interplay between an individual's and collective decisions which will form the character of the society and members therein. Richard Niebuhr (The Responsible Self) writes of the "Responsible Ethics" wherein members of a certain context need to continually ask the question 'what is going on' in order that they be responsibly interacting with the situation at hand with a goal of arriving at a decision which would be for the common good. Might we need to begin doing that at different levels and platforms within the mosaic of our community/society?
Tuesday 21 November 2006
when leaders choose to abdicate
The recent UMNO General Assembly was a demonstration of leaders abdicating their responsibility to provide good governance. This we see in
1. The Prime Minister's speech that forced on racial/religious divide in a multi-racial and multi-religious society. He also displayed a crude disregard for the highest law of the country, namely, the Federal Constitution.
2. The ministers of the UMNO party employing seditious words that aroused racial disharmony.
3. The Education Minister wielding 'keris' (a malay dagger) in a civil meeting held within a civil society met by taunting words from the other ministers,'when is he going to use it?' Can or should we expect our school children to accept a minister of Education's uncivil behaviour?
4. The MCA and MIC MPs failed to be the conscience within our government in the particular incident when they chose to keep silent about their collegues' inappropriate not to mention uncivil behaviour.
This is an abdication of positions of power and responsibility. Such leaders only invite vote of no confidence by the people who had voted them to their positions unless the leaders do something drastic to assume responsibility and give respect which is long overdue, to their voters. Voters, what kind of persons are you going give your vote to? Who,would you like to see governing our country? Decide wisely not only wi$ely!
1. The Prime Minister's speech that forced on racial/religious divide in a multi-racial and multi-religious society. He also displayed a crude disregard for the highest law of the country, namely, the Federal Constitution.
2. The ministers of the UMNO party employing seditious words that aroused racial disharmony.
3. The Education Minister wielding 'keris' (a malay dagger) in a civil meeting held within a civil society met by taunting words from the other ministers,'when is he going to use it?' Can or should we expect our school children to accept a minister of Education's uncivil behaviour?
4. The MCA and MIC MPs failed to be the conscience within our government in the particular incident when they chose to keep silent about their collegues' inappropriate not to mention uncivil behaviour.
This is an abdication of positions of power and responsibility. Such leaders only invite vote of no confidence by the people who had voted them to their positions unless the leaders do something drastic to assume responsibility and give respect which is long overdue, to their voters. Voters, what kind of persons are you going give your vote to? Who,would you like to see governing our country? Decide wisely not only wi$ely!
Sunday 19 November 2006
learning from maimonides
It is most interesting to read Maimonides, one of the foremost Jewish philosophers during the medieval times. He lived through one of the painful persecutions of the Jews by the moslems. Maimonides, a Rabbi whose devotion to the Torah can be read from his commentaries the misneh Torah, amongst others.He disguised as a moslem and courted deep friendships with the moslems draws my attention. Accordingly, he participated in the Yassin prayers said during fasting month. He was later found out, by which time he had located himself in a place which is free from the moslem persecution (Maimonides, A Biography by Solomon Zeitlin,1935, 94).
"Thou shall not bear false witness..." is one of the commandments within the Decalogue would have been a commandment Maimonides had been very familiar with. Would his disguise and participation in islamic prayers and holding out as a moslem been a deception which amount to bearing false witness? Misleading? Yet, Maimonides' interaction with the situation of his time and the Torah he devoted himself to, is very interesting. His letters to the Jews in Yemen who underwent bitter persecution revealed his staunch stand on Judaism.
I thought I read in the life of this great rabbi a deep understanding of the Torah (deontology) that had enabled him to appropriate same teleologically for a greater goal which is enshrined in the Decalogue, which is, preserving life(?)
"Thou shall not bear false witness..." is one of the commandments within the Decalogue would have been a commandment Maimonides had been very familiar with. Would his disguise and participation in islamic prayers and holding out as a moslem been a deception which amount to bearing false witness? Misleading? Yet, Maimonides' interaction with the situation of his time and the Torah he devoted himself to, is very interesting. His letters to the Jews in Yemen who underwent bitter persecution revealed his staunch stand on Judaism.
I thought I read in the life of this great rabbi a deep understanding of the Torah (deontology) that had enabled him to appropriate same teleologically for a greater goal which is enshrined in the Decalogue, which is, preserving life(?)
Friday 17 November 2006
in the beginning
Life is filled with choices and decisions.
While in the supermarket, my friend exclaimed that there are simply too many choices before us - which brand of toothpaste to pick? In hawker centres, I have walked from one end to the other, wondering what I should eat for dinner.
Some decisions are more significant than others; some have greater implications than others.
Decisions matter. Much that we like to think that our decisions are private matters or individual preference, we soon realise that it is not. When my friend chose the more branded toothpaste, beside money matters, it also meant that she had contributed to the profit the toothpaste company is making. If she has other commitment, her decision would have some small implications on her budget and therefore the discharge of her commitment. Perhaps I have exaggerated but...imagine the example in a macro scenario.
So I begin, just like I took the many first steps in my life and now, to blog. I do not know how this blog will turn out but I look forward in anticipation. I hope to put in concrete terms some of my mind-rumblings over the choices and decisions we make day after day, wanting to remember that the moral and ethical concerns I/we can (and ought to) reason over- why? Because I live in a community... My decisions bear upon the community of humankind- my constant question is- how does my decision bear upon the community?
While in the supermarket, my friend exclaimed that there are simply too many choices before us - which brand of toothpaste to pick? In hawker centres, I have walked from one end to the other, wondering what I should eat for dinner.
Some decisions are more significant than others; some have greater implications than others.
Decisions matter. Much that we like to think that our decisions are private matters or individual preference, we soon realise that it is not. When my friend chose the more branded toothpaste, beside money matters, it also meant that she had contributed to the profit the toothpaste company is making. If she has other commitment, her decision would have some small implications on her budget and therefore the discharge of her commitment. Perhaps I have exaggerated but...imagine the example in a macro scenario.
So I begin, just like I took the many first steps in my life and now, to blog. I do not know how this blog will turn out but I look forward in anticipation. I hope to put in concrete terms some of my mind-rumblings over the choices and decisions we make day after day, wanting to remember that the moral and ethical concerns I/we can (and ought to) reason over- why? Because I live in a community... My decisions bear upon the community of humankind- my constant question is- how does my decision bear upon the community?
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