The Train Breakdown

Over the last week or so, I fell sick, sick over the repeated bashing of the service providers of our MRT system for the breakdowns. First, the Red line, then the delay over the other line.  People calling for the CEO to resign, the Minister holding the board responsible.  This actually created more adverse reactions rather than helped.

Perhaps, we have grown into a society where everything has to be perfect, clockwork.  We might have grown too pampered and soft. We cannot walk out of the station, we need to wait for transport to be arranged and so on, and if there is a delay in the back -up action temper flares up. Are we really that soft now?  Will our next generation become a strawberry generation, easily bruised?  In some countries, when the train moves or arrive, it is a cause for celebration. 

Why can't we give our service providers some space and back off ? Do we really need to be so hard on them and so hard on ourselves by being perfect?  Look, mechanical parts will breakdown due to wear and tear, however having said that, I will be ballistic if there were serious collision in the tunnels attributed to the organization. We need to take things into perspective and understand that in Singapore not all things need to be perfect although we pride ourselves to be.

Then the question is, If we want all things to be perfect, we need to strive to be perfect ourselves, which will never happen!!!  Things are not perfect, and never will be. I believe the incidents happened for a reason.  Perhaps, it is a gentle warning for us to maintain parts that were deemed not critical more regularly, a prevention of a more serious accident.

I leave you with this thought, "Look at things in its context not the contents "

Jerry

 

 

Letting Go

As I write, a friend is dying of the dreaded "C", when I visit him, he will raise his eyebrow, twitch or do some other actions to acknowledge my presence..... he can no longer speak and drift in and out, it is depressing, but , I take pride that he is a fighter, having been fighting for 2 years....

He has 2 kids, same age as mine.  The wife is a super woman and she is keeping everybody intact although she know the end could be near. She cries but she know she needs to be strong for the kids, and make them understand that daddy would not be there when they grow up.  I know she is refusing to accept defeat and is praying for a miracle.

When I see his father, filled with grief, stroke my friend's legs, it brings tears to my eyes.

Nobody will ever be able to feel the grief of a father sending his son off before him, a saying in Chinese, " A white-haired person sending off a black-haired person."

Throughout all these, I see the human character shinnning through, the resolve, and the willingness to do whatever it takes.

I know when it is time to part and let go, tears will fall, as the feeling of losing somebody is indescribable pain regardless how well prepared you are, perhaps, the only comforting thought is that, he will no longer be in pain.

We can only support those that are carrying on the journey and pray that the fallen, is in a place that is pain-free and happy..........till we meet.

Life is tough, we have no choice but to be tougher than life......

I leave you with this,

"Death is perhaps mother nature's way of telling us to be kind to ourself, don't beat up ourself and at the same time, appreciate what we have and people around us...."

Jerry