Book 2. Our Dream For A Better Life - By Dr Alvin Foo

EVERY achievement worthy of accomplishment starts out as a dream. My dreams for a better life began as a child in a humble, picturesque setting of a united and love-filled household.

It was before the industrialisation of Singapore. Three important ingredients existed in most families at the time.

First, the foundation of the family unit rested on a firm bedrock of trust. This was because the husband/father took a job that often required his absence from the family for long stretches at a time.

Second, the womenfolk gladly undertook their role in the family of housekeeper and child-minder with a sense of contentment and matronly pride.

Third, children in those days were not overly stressed by the demands of an exacting academic regime. The school system in those days was rather laid back and relaxed.

Children had time to explore the simple joys of growing up, being surrounded by nature. They were forced out of necessity to make things for themselves for their own enjoyment and amusement.

Self-styled storytellers were aplenty in those days. It was an indulgence that enabled many of the village ‘old guards’ to while away their time. I vividly recall the experience of having my fortune read by one of these elders.

Imagine my sheer horror when I discovered that I had achieved the rare distinction of bagging in “Fs” in almost every department of human affairs, including health and intelligence! Whether in fulfilment of these predictions or from a psychological resignation to fate, I performed poorly in both the academic and athletic pursuits at school.

The foretelling left an indelible mark on my future development — it was a psychological ‘scar’ or stumbling block, if you like, which, if it had been left unchecked, would have become self-fulfilling. Thankfully I proved to be a late bloomer! And bloom I certainly did, much later in life.

Like any kid, I had my heroes. I was enthralled by the exploits of the freedom-fighter and father of modern China, Sun Yat-sen. I was particularly attracted by his liberal ideologies, which he used to dismantle the closed, centuries-old feudal system existing in China then.

Another role model I have great reverence for is Lee Kuan Yew, the founder and former Prime Minister of modern Singapore. I am attracted by his formidable skills as a statesman and the dynamic qualities he displayed as a world-class leader.

His acute vision and sharp insight has shaped Singapore, as we know it today, from the enslavement of sovereign servitude through and beyond the communist insurgencies.

It was not until my later years that I was finally able to shake off the shackles of doomsayers when I decided to take stock of my life. I reasoned to myself, “Well, if these smart alecks are as clever as being able to foretell our fortunes, why can’t they predict their own destinies?”

As I developed in maturity through a long and painful process, I was able to shake off the carefree spirit and complacency of idyllic youth. I began asking many searching questions such as who I was, the greater meaning of life and how I fitted into the general order of things. I realised the importance of having a game-plan for survival.

I cannot over-emphasise the need for a strategy for living. It seems to me a curious anomaly that in our desperation, the louder we shout or the harder we try, the less we seem to achieve. William Shakespeare expressed this point very aptly when he likened such frantic efforts to “all sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

We can easily be caught up in the nervous energy of seemingly achieving something in our desperate struggle, yet gaining nothing of any worth in the end. I wish life was easier for all of us so that we are rewarded by our efforts and input.

But we all know that life seldom works in such a way. Struggle or try as we may, we always seem to achieve very little if we do not have a game-plan or strategy for guidance.