Wednesday, March 30, 2011

We need leaders, not politicians

There is election fever in Singapore currently and it comes with its usual media storm of snarky online anonymous critics. Somehow in this maelstrom, I feel the real issue has been ignored.

The real issue that we should be focusing our passion, intelligence, collective wisdom, ingenuity and courage on should be the issue of producing leaders at every level of society, in every organization, in every community, in every school and in every family. This does not depend on which party you come from, how much experience you possess, which organization you are a member of, the current job scope you are covering, which school you come from, how much wealth you have accumulated, whether you are a Singaporean citizen or not. These are artificial dividing classifications that arbitrarily cause us to forget we all live on a tiny utopia, seemingly well insulated from the barrage of financial crisises, natural disasters, civil strife, war, religious conflict, corruption and terrorist attacks. Our daily grouses consists of not being able to board the first train that comes, wondering why the price of food has increased by 20c, complaining that housing is getting too expensive and debating about the melodramatic characters in the evening TV drama serials.

We need leaders, not politicians. The term "politicians" brings to mind a calculated career choice, with connotations of mudslinging, petty political snubs, baseless rhetoric, endless machinations and maneuvering in an ever-consuming power struggle, alliances and carefully cultivated relationships. It carries the miasma of empty promises, under-the-table benefits, allegations and counter-allegations, thunder and fury. Where is the heart, the joy of service, the determination to set a leading example, the conviction to do the right thing, the courage to admit to the inherent human tendency to make mistakes?

For those online anonymous critics, please remember that your remarks are targetted at a real person with feelings. Before you make a another intelligent comment, mentally check whether you have ever taken up a leadership role in your daily life and whether you are qualified to criticize. If your comments do not enhance the debate that relentlessly drives the quest for better leadership from all our political, social, religious and business leaders, please refrain.

Just imagine the impact of everyone performing simple acts of leadership everyday. Just stop blogging, tweeting or updating your Facebook status for just 30 secs, and imagine. We can move on to discuss more salient issues such as current events and impactful long term trends. What can we do to balance our economic aspirations and environmental impact? What should we do about reducing our oil dependence on volatile supplies? How should we take precautions against shady financial products that do not create value? How do we adapt to a world where the global power order is undergoing upheaval? How do we remain relevant to China and India? What should be our role in South-East Asia? How do we drive the creation of more home-grown innovation, given that MNCs are placing more emphasis on China and India? How should we ensure that everyone gets a chance to enjoy a comfortable standard of living, work in a fulfilling capacity and develop a social consciousness? How do we manage the problem of an aging population? What is our culture and national identity? How do we preserve the best of our combined Asian heritage? How do we improve our education system so that kids learn how to learn, rather than rote learning? We can take action. We can fail, we can learn from our mistakes, we can improve on every iteration.

6 million leaders, that is a force to be reckoned with.

We need leaders.

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Dalai Lama was asked about what confused him about humanity

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered:

"Man.. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then, he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

Monday, March 21, 2011

Submission for YES! Funding to Spring Singapore - Spring has shifted to Fusionopolis!

For people applying for YES! Funding, please note that their office has shifted from Bukit Merah to Fusionopolis. Luckily, I did not mail our application in, but I went down personally.

Their new office address is:
1 Fusionopolis Walk
#01-02 South Tower, Solaris
Singapore 138628
Tel: 6278-6666

Take the MRT to Buona Vista MRT, then take the Biopolis shuttle bus. Alternatively, cross the road and take 91 from opposite the train station.