The life of a generation impinges itself on the life of the next generation and the cycle continues. This cycle is termed the chain of life.
My paternal grandfather is a typical china-man whilst my paternal grandmother is of mix parentage. Her roots are of Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and what nots. Thus, inevitably, dad has a 50% genes from the westerners and he looked less Asian then he was supposed to. Both maternal grandfather and grandmother are from China whom later migrated to the land of Malaya as it is known then. Mum therefore, has the orient genes in her. As of the marriage of Dad and Mum, the three of us siblings therefore inherited only about 25% of the westerners’ genes and due to this, we are more Asian in the way we look, our culture, and our lifestyle.
Mum converted to Catholicism after marriage and thus we are Catholics by birth thanks to the Sacrament of Baptism. Dad was always fond of pets especially dogs and over the years, we had around 4 to 5 of them. Dad was highly educated, furthering into varsity and earning a degree in the field of Engineering whilst mum ended her academic journey in high school. We led a slightly above average lifestyle as Dad secured a bright job and thus, mum always encouraged us to further our studies. To take that extra step ahead of the rest as no amount of education will ever be wasted.
Being the middle child, I am sandwiched between my elder brother and the younger one. The elder one has always left a benchmark which I am supposed to achieve if not supersede it. He’s interest became mine as he leads the way in martial arts, musical instruments, education and so on. I in turn became a role model for my younger brother as the generation gap between us is in a smaller margin.
My strength is that I am more of a balance type of guy in all fields, an all-rounder so to say. Be it indoor or outdoor sports, academic-wise, personality-wise etc. My weak point is that I at times, overanalyzed situation and is very difficult to make the first step. Perhaps being too long in my comfort zone prompts me to be not a risk taker most of the time. I tend to grasp opportunities that come my way and it had let me to have a good CV in my future. As for my challenges, I still do not really know what I am to do in the future but I am determined to strive for the best regardless of what the future holds. My circle of friends tend to look at me as a sort of a standard to reach to due to certain distinct personalities and achievements.
As for my children and grandchildren, I would like them to have what I have, and definitely better. Two or three-folds the Amos you see today as I do have particular traits, habits, and shortcomings that I am not proud of having and would love them to overcome.
Looking Around
Just a brief introduction, this particular chapter was taken from Richard Slaughter's book entitled "Future Concepts and Powerful Ideas." I chose this chapter and was supposed to summarise and explain in my own words what it meant
It basically tells one to have a good 360 degrees view of that which envelopes their daily life. In the article, it gave the analogy of fish in water. Fish tend to be brought away by the ocean’s current and end up where they are without really knowing their true destinations. This is tantamount to the human race being caught up in the waves of globalization and if we are not careful enough, we might just be thrown into oblivion. Thus, comparing the past and the present state is of paramount importance as we can then decide which fate do we want in the future.
It speaks of the life of our ancestors in the yesteryears who lived in rural areas, deprived of commodities such as electricity and electrical items, transportations, medicines and so forth. As a result of localization, traditional values such as religions, festivals, cultures and so on are the norm of the society. The insights of the past are beautifully captured in the form of arts and literatures that accounts for the earlier days. Phylogenetics and historians are tracing back the roots of our foundation for further studies and diagnosis.
The writer goes on about the comparison of cities from the past and present. It noted the distinct and stark differences in terms of buildings, roads etc. Human dominance definitely took a stronghold on Earth. We continue to evolve intellectually and in the process, gradually reshaped our environment to our needs even to the extent of remodeling mother nature itself! The breakneck speed observed in the advancement in Information Technology (IT) is rather mind-boggling. Machines nowadays are no longer machines but artificial intelligence (AI) capable of taking up sophisticated tasks which once, were only capable by the human beings. The envied lifestyle of the kings and the upper echelons of the society in the yesteryears are now seen, or perhaps superseded by that of an ordinary citizen in the world today, no thanks to the advancement of science and technology alone.
We now turn our focus to the darker side of progress, the costs we have taken or perhaps overlooked for all the comfort and advancement we have made. People from the past look at the achievements of the West as a gradual process to kind of Utopia, the world of ideals, but somehow, it had backfired. The clearing of forestry and other natural resources inevitably sent some species to extinction and many on the perilous brink of extinction. The rate of exploitation is beyond their ability to regenerate and replenish. Certain fertile and prosperous lands are being barren and useless. We are in a way, going back to time but in an even worse scenario, in that we could not get back what we lost!
The dumping of massive nuclear waste to the ocean and hunting of fish to its extinction are dim-witted actions. We are very reliant to the ocean which covers practically 70% of the planet Earth for our everyday needs such as water for drinking, cleansing, fish for consumption, the cycle of rain for our crops etc. are now endangered and the toxins, is just a matter of time, before they get back to the human system and we will be facing a world pandemic all over again. On land, the ability of Earth’s ability to support life is in serious jeopardy! Our air as well are threaten with chemicals notably CFC contributes to the thinning of our ozone layer. The steady rise of scorching heat in today’s world is due to carry on for years to come. CFCs and plutonium are not just temporary problems as they are around for a much longer time.
Cultures and native people too are at threat due to colonization of countries by other countries to satisfy the bottomless pit of human greed. Native people around the world are essentially remnants of their halcyon days. Priceless things like cultures, which never fail to inspire and aspire are gone forever and the civilization that took a tremendous amount of time to develop, will never be found again.
Lost Generation
There's this clip from youtube and other video-streaming websites entitled "Lost Generation." I never posted any links before and unsure whether the clip can be stream from my blog or just the link itself, so I'll just give it a try. An alternative, you can always search in youtube on your own =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA
As usual, interpret it on our own words in regards towards Future Studies
The state of our being is dictated by the way we perceive matters. A glass that is half full or half empty depends on the perception of the respective individual. We can choose to be either, it is not wrong. It is just that when we’re in this mind-boggling crossroads, where both roads lead to two very distinct fates; one which is for the better and another for the worse, that decision making is of paramount importance. Thus, we must ensure that we are in the right frame of mind, taking into account every possible aspects before making that ever so important decision. How we look at the world or the matter of perspective is very important to how we understand the messages we observe and interpret. To be an optimist and lead a desired future, or to be a pessimist and lead one a world less desired. It’s anyone’s call.
In this globalization era, we cannot escape from the advent of technologies that serves to bring comfort in our daily lives. As we seek comfort, so are the others. In an era where the Earth is experiencing ‘population explosion’, the competitiveness rate now is even higher than before. As much as we would like to deny the power of money, at the end of the day, we have to succumb to the fact that the proverbial green stash of paper is what moves the world. Imagine a world without money, the people there will never move an inch and no progress will be recorded in their history. It is in the lust for money which is the heartbeat of this business-minded world. Hence, progresses are seen due to the rat race in the pursuit of wealth. However, those who are left out in this race are left to fend for themselves in this dog-eat-dog world. The natural laws of the jungle remains: the survival of the fittest, where the weak shall perish and the strong will reign. Humans are generally benevolent, however we are easily corruptible, making us do the evil things. As much as we love to be philantrophic, as human with the innate traits of anthropocentric ideology, we will and shall first and foremost, ensure that our needs are secured. Even Bill Gates who is renowned for his philantrophic deeds will not do so if he lives from paycheque-to-paycheque like most of the citizens in the world are. However, the act of giving is a state of mind. Whether you are giving your money, or giving your time, once you do so, it seems like you will live a life of giving. It feels good to give, it feels right to care.
As people are being more and more career-oriented, the status or well-being of a family is judge based on the paycheque that arrives on a monthly basis. The higher the digits or zeroes the better! Nothing is wrong with being career-minded but for a family person, family is and will always have precedence over career. What more when there is a minor in the house and it is in this infant years that the child’s personality is moulded aggressively. When babies are conceived, they are born with a blank slate. It is the events that unfold in their life that shape who they become. Time is linear and there is no such theory found in reversing it. Time gone is gone for good. There are many stories of the wealthy that are despite all their fortunes, are unhappy and
the poor that are overjoyed. A family that eats together stays together, this is the maxim that the Chinese hold steadfastly on. This is evident during the Chinese New Year when members from all over will return for the reunion dinner on the eve of the event. The very sensation of having everyone on a round table is surreal and cannot be replaced by that of the value of cash. A lonely, old rich man will always be willing to exchange all that fortune for the sake of family togetherness.
I do not blame the monetary system as everybody has the equal right to pursue this form of happiness but there are cases where equal rights are limited and undeservingly exploited by certain groups of people in authority. Corruption in a nation or by the upper echelons of the society, entirely made for their own well-being is the virus that if not terminated, will continue to propagate and spiral out of proportion. Consequently, it will cause the fall of the human race altogether. When the unjust and unfairly treated victims are edged beyond their boundaries, they will certainly rebel and revolt. The equilibrium of order in nature will take a deep shift and chaos will turn this world topsy-turvy. The very fact that the world spends $780 billion on military equipment and a mere $6 billion on basic education shows the mentality of our leaders. Policy made should not favour a certain sect over the other but all should be given equal privileges which would yield a healthy competition instead of imbuing hatred for one another. The world is tearing itself apart with politics, war, hatred, and pure arrogance. But if we all just forget the differences, and realize the fact that we are all humans living on the same planet, then we could all live in peace.
In Catholicism, marriage is one of the blessed sacraments known as the sacrament of matrimony, and it is not to be taken lightly. However, the rate of people getting divorced currently is far greater than that of those getting married. This is particularly true in the West and fortunately, not true in the East, yet. People are getting into marriage out of formality and not to complement their love for each other. Also in the East, where traditions are rooted deeply in our lives, we do not really practice the liberty of human rights as we ought to. The young shall never speak up against the elder for it is shows a blatant disrespect. A father cannot apologize to the children even if he is in the wrong as this would fall him down from grace. It is because of this lifestyle that the Easterns are known as the ‘Yes-man.’ This ‘Yes-man’ attitude will impede their creativity and lead them to be complete followers, and not leaders. They will not be bold to speak up, to generate new ideas or stand for what is right. Even the ancient practice of stoning women who committed adultery are still being practiced in the middle east!
But slowly but surely, we are getting out of this shell and making the right call. No voice too small that it will not be heard. One voice has the power to inspire another voice talking. One hand has the power to get another hand helping. One heart has the power to get another heart caring. One person has the power to get another person doing – doing something, doing anything, giving of themselves in some way, any way to help. As long as it makes sense, even the opinion of a 5 years-old cannot be taken lightly. Remember the story of the emperor’s new clothes? The emperor was stark naked but none of his men dared to question him. Suddenly, a child burst out of the blue saying, ”But he’s got nothing on!” That was a courageous child I would say. Yes, at first sight we might be seen as being apathetic or lethargic, but that was due to way we were brought up. However, as soon as we realized this, we must rise up and make a difference to the less ideal state of the world today. Even in this depleted state, earth is still one of the most beautiful creation and we will fight to make it better. We are not part of a lost generation but a part of a new beginning. We must be aware of the power we all have within ourselves to make a difference, not only for ourselves in our own little lives, but for others in great need.
Environmental destruction has to make way for the progress of mankind but over-exploitation to the extent that our natural resources cannot replenish and regenerate is a dim-witted action. We are depressed and wallow in self-pity but what are our options? Show me where I could live the alternative? There really is no other options out there. All we can do is take this system of ours, regardless of its deformities and mold it into a more deal able, likeable shape. We cannot change the course of history but be mindful that our beliefs’ can. Adversity is often the catalyst to greater success and it is always in the course of adversity that opportunity to make a difference arises. We must grasp this opportunity and be able to live, laugh, love and learn. It is as easy at that. Just a shift of direction in the mind and many a times, the fastest way forward is to go backwards. We shall not sit idly by while events unfold and conspire to determine the course of our life; we must make this stand. The serenity to accept the things that we cannot change, the courage to change the things that we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Be it better or worse, happiness is a day worth living for and we will pursue it with the utmost vigilance.
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