There has been so much haze in this region. But so often we see the haze around us but we do not know the haze that is within us. Just how many of us truly know ourselves? We are so often blinded by ourselves. There is a haze that clouds our life. What is it that has prevented us to know ourselves. And how many of us can really accept our true selves after discovering them. Pray that the wind will blow away our haze soon.

Our society has been focusing so much on our economy. So much about the IRs and blaa… Perhaps that is what that will gain our support. Though it is true that we need to look into our economy, we need a greater emphasis on character building and training. We have been people who know how to study but do not know how to behave like a human being. Furthermore, we lack the forefather spirit in our younger generation. Everything is prepared for them, what is their worry? Not enough fun? Not enough money or not enough maid? Go for character, Singaporeans.

Looking at the news everyday, we would realise that something is amiss. The way that people look at things is seemingly warped these days. People no longer bother about what is the point other people are saying, neither do they bother about whether the comment or action is true or right. Rather there is an increased sensitivity concerning political or national, cultural or racial, and religious arena. People are no longer concerned about the point that the Pope is making, but faulted him in the choice of words used. People are no longer interested in wining support through integrity and uprightness of a political party, but to bring others down by exposing their shameful deeds. People are no longer thinking about what is true, but they are thinking what is hurting them. This seems to be the tyranny of the post modern world, or should we say, going back to the pre-modern world. Perception of people today is largely hinged on the emotive and affective and thus becomes subjective. It has greatly influenced the way that people are using their cognitive faculty so much so that their reasoning becomes faulty. People are using their brains, but they are not putting it into right use even though it may be put into good use. What is happening to the world?

Gain and pain are so closely knitted together. They are many things in life that we see the gain so we do it. But we did not see the pain that it can bring. On the other hand, there are also many things that we see the pain in doing them, but we do not see the gain. Some times, it is even worst, we spend a lot of time in doing certain things, but we did not gain anything out of them. We bear a double cost in this case. I think we should really see things more carefully, and think more carefully to know what exactly they are. Or else we may have eyes, but do not see, have ears but do not hear, have brains but do not think, have hearts but do not feel. There is surely more to life…

I was reminded of a title of a book, “Make a life not just a living.” I guess many of us are just making a living. We work for work, we work to have fun, we work to provide better living standard, but there is no end to all these. We just have to slog our whole life. Furthermore, things just get more and more. From school to work to family, our responsibilities increases, workload increases, pressure and stress increases. But we are all so willing to be enslaved to work. Nowadays, no one ask “why are working so hard?”, “why am I here for?” Some say these are questions of the past. This is a postmodern world. Just enjoy life. Can we really enjoy life without having answers to these questions? Can we just numb ourselves by burying ourselves with more work? Who are those we would really bother to pause and think “how to make a life?”