Why Marcus Aurelis wrote so much

Marcus Aurelis is well known for the stoic treaties entitled meditations. However it was not written for public consumption or even an audience. Aurelis wrote it primarily as a journal for himself….this is evident clear as when one peruses thru meditations, it is really a mess with no beginning, middle or even end.

Aurelis was first and foremost a very lonely man. Since he was a roman emperor. He could trust no one. He was marooned in his own mind and since he was very intelligent, this only magnified his loneliness. So writing. i imagine was a release from his own torment. Secondly he used writing as a means of auditing his thoughts…Aurelis was no dumbo. He was incredibly well read and familiar with the works of the Greek teachers of philosophy especially Plato and Homer…power corrupts. So to keep himself sane and grounded…he regularly examined his thoughts to make sure they were not growing pear shaped – today the sum of Aurelis writings are poetically referred to as the meditations. But that is not correct in my view….as I believe it was Aurelis method to keep himself mentally healthy.

He was in my humble opinion slightly autistic. Writing to Aurelis was a form of catarhsis. That at least is what I sense from his works…a deep and profound pain of a highly intelligent man who was trying very very hard to fit into the world that he did not belong in.

What I find remarkable is so much that was written two thousand years ago still holds true. So these are not just words. They are very powerful and concerntrated distillation of thoughts. So be mindful. As I am issuing out a surgeon general health warning – DO NOT TRY TO TAKE HIS WRITINGS ALL IN ONE SITTING. YOUR BRAIN WILL EXPLODE.

Take it one phrase at a time. Reflect on it.

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‘When people say you should forgive others. What they actually mean is you should reject your sense of injury. The moment you do this – you will no longer be haunted by the injustices, trespasses and malevolence that others once committed ontu you.

We all have injuries….you, me and they, we all have them. So and so once did this and that to us etc etc.

Many find it very difficult to reject their sense of injury. So they cling to them like some favorite dog eared story book. As without them even realizing it, they want very much to play the role of the victim.

The victim can always count on sympathy votes. He might also have the right to complain endlessly and possibly even hit back. The victim lays claim to the moral high ground and this legitimizes his or her grievance. But most importantly the victim will always look to others to right the wrongs of the world.

That is why the first step of maturity begins by rejecting our sense of injury – when we do this. Suddenly we realize, we have to take full responsibility for our responses. But it also informs us that, that is really all we can control…we cannot control others.’

Never get personal….even with.

People who you don’t like. Never ever get personal. Because the very moment you go there….you will lose all sense of objectivity and your judgement will be clouded and your decision making will be 100% lousy.

If you really cannot tahan (bear it out patiently)… then remove yourself from a potentially explosive situation.

But never get personal.

Learn to do this and you will unsettle your enemies

In this world there are three hooks that can snare a man. The first is flattery as that plays to his ego. The second is greed as it feeds his primal instinct of avarice and finally it is lust as that is a very powerful aprodisiac.

If someone is going to set you up for the proverbial fall. I can almost guarantee you 100%. They will deploy one or more of the above mentioned strategies.

You must always be on your guard against these three hooks. They will appear before you and when they do….you must be able to see thru the strategy.

When any of them appear before you….you must never ever get personal. Never let the otherside know that you know. Otherwise they will switch to plan B. Lull them into a false sense of confidence.

Instead smile knowingly without saying a word.

Always be impeccably well mannered especially to women. As since their hearts are very small, they take offence easily.

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‘Today mid way in a negotiation. The otherside leaned towards me and whispered, I have a very good deal for you. He was waiting for me to say something, but all I did was smile at him knowingly. After a while this man began to look at colleagues as his anxiety got the better of him and he asked again…arent you interested to know…again I remained silent, this time smiling supremely. Soon he spilled the beans.’

Is it time to chuck democracy into the garbage heap of history?

Democracy would really only work if the sum of what threatens to divide society is considerably less than what may unite it. Under those conditions of equilibrium, it is possible to work towards common ground.

Unfortunately the politics of unity no longer seems in vogue any longer…I suspect that may be because it has reached the end of its product life cycle.

Politicians and leaders are increasing resorting to hate, emnity and what may separate brother from brother to further their specious ends….this unfortunately is the new glue that unites people.

Under those lamentable conditions democracy will only be a crowbar for the tryanny of the mob.

It is conceivable since the inception of Plato’s Republic more than 2,000 years ago….democracy is now truly dead!

I am definitely going to give this a go!

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‘I never said just because you’re rich, you dont have the right to spend your money. Neither did I ever say you should just survive on sun flower seeds and boiled water. No! That whole idea would mean that the rich should be penalized for being rich! That’s not even communism, its self flagellation.

All I am saying is one can be whisper quiet and respectful of others and still be able to enjoy the finer things in life…to have a sense of time and occasion while giving respect to people and institutions.

It doesnt have to be full frontal in your face Phua Chu kang bling…it can be quiet, understated and still be a whispering rush like using sardines to whip up a spectaculsr dish.

Above all it can be sophisticated, cultured and impeccably well mannered.

Remember I am putting money in your pocket….I mean if all you people really want are lorry loads of Sengkang sally’s whose only highlight in life is to find ever more inventive ways to put hooks on T shirts…you go right on man!

You want to live your life all pear shaped…you go right ahead man!

But between you and me…I would like to believe that since you’ve taken the trouble to drop in.

You will give me an opportunity to make you a better man.

You see ultimately that is the whole idea that drives brotherhood….that you can be better than what you already are.’

Why r there so many crazy rich asians in Singapore

The main reason why so many people like to show off when they have a bit of money has to do with their discomfort concerning money.

Man is intrinsically a social animal. That is why when he’s ostracised, he feels deeply pained and even takes it personally….that is to say man constantly seeks the validation, approval and respect of his peers.

He still cannot stand on his own two feet since instead of looking inwards for strenght he is constantly looking outwards to keep himself from crumbling into dust.

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‘Take my advice. You will do well to be wary of the man who seems completely comfortable with money. The only reason why I feel compelled to share this is because it is not merely enough to look a man up and down and conclude he is like this or that….no that might well be fine with a man who is uncomfortable with money. But it simply would not do with the opposite sort of man. As firstly he has his ego in check, that might lead one to conclude further that he has certainly given the matter of the self and the ego considerable reflection. And since he is able to subvert his primal instincts, he might also be a man who is accustommed to winging it alone….that may also suggest at some point in what appears to be a seamless and uneventful life. This man was compelled to swim against the tide all by himself. You see it had to be that way otherwise there would be no hardened edge.

Truth remains its unnatural for a man to go it alone. The path of least mental resistance is to seek strenght if not solace in numbers.

Now that I’ve taken what appears to be an open book and showed you all the secret chapters….my hope is that you are now internally convinced its not so simple even if it seems that way.

You have to be very careful with man like that in business and in relationships….as you only think you know them…you only think.’

Why it is wrong for TOC to run down Chan Chun Sing’s lifestyle

It is a matter of profound indifference to me whether Mr Chan’s humility is genuine or fake….what however is vitally important in the general scheme of things is that he seems to understands why keeping to the discipline of frugality is necessary to avert a class war.

Not many people who are fortunate to come to money and influence have either the intelligence, far sightedness and patience to understand why it a matter of strategic precondition that this discipline needs to be rooted in a society like Singapore.

Now there are not many who subscribe to this philosophy….our numbers are far and few…. but what is jugular is the movement is growing and it will only be a matter of time before it begins to gain traction and gather momentum to effect real and meaningful social cultural change…one day this will be the new normal.

Trust me…what is real or not is not the point, that is to say even if a man loathes millet providing he smiles and doesnt make a face….after a while it would be immaterial whether he likes it or not…..that is to say what is important is that one keeps to the discipline.

Nothing in the planet can be accomplished without iron discipline.

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‘Many people are misinformed. They are still in a dream state where they believe a class war is something closer to sci fi set perhaps in some distant dystopian future….far removed from their current timeline.

This is not true as the advent of Brexit and Trump suggest class war is already right on our heads!

Whether you like it or not, we are already smack right in the middle of it.

Understand this! It need not been have been this way…globalization and free trade could have worked in such a way to produce more good than bad. But that is all now water under the proverbial bridge. Today we realize that whole droves of people were systematically marginalized to such an extent where they have completely lost faith in the idea of globalization and free trade.

Today globalization is a dirty word. It has become a parlance that symbolises unmitigated avarice, cosy inderism, horse trading that only benefits the elites at the greater expense of the masses. Free trade on the otherhand has become an oxymoron to such an extent where the paragon of free trade today. The USA is now a ressurecting the skeletons of protectionism, xenophobia and mythology that it is possible to regain the glories of a bygone age.

But how did we come to this sad point in human history? I mean if you loitered around Harvard Business school and asked this rather prosaic question…most will not venture an answer. The polite ones may refer you to the faculty of psychology and antropology….but I am very confident no one will ever sit you down and explain the chronology of how the happy go lucky machine broke down as it did! Or even why.

What I am prepared to say on this subject is as follows – globalization as a theoretical science on how people should live, work and play has always been walking a tight rope between perdition and salvation. On one hand there can be do not it is the most efficient machinery devised by mankind to distribute wealth, but one aspect of globalization also means for the very first time in the history of humanity….I have the power to see how the other half lives. And it is this aspect of human conduct concerning globalization that has not been given much attention – after all for the very time in human history millions of people can now snoop with their digital periscopes what car he drives…what holidays do they go too…and even what toileteries they are using. Never before has the human condition being subjected to such levels of panoptical scrutiny. These days a man cannot even enjoy the simple pleasures of life such as the right to scratch his gulis. The very moment his hand goes there. That will launch a thousand camera phones and in no time it will circle around the world at least three times while garnering a million views.

So my fellow brethrens we are now truly living in an age of contradiction where the globalized forces in technology has intersected humanity….but since the latter has not developed to suitably keep pace with technology. Mankind no longer knows how to exercise control over the globalized forces of technology any longer. The greatest contradiction I fear that will continue to sharpen is when the masses who are not empowered to see how the other half lives begins to ask – why can’t I live like them? The contradiction of our age while globalization is often marketed as a miracle machine, all it seems to do is sharpen the deficit in the inability of mankind in being able to fulfill the yearnings and desires of so many….only the rich and privileged it seems are the beneficiaries of globalization.

The problem with the privileged is they dont seem to register this swell of mass discontent that is like a growing mountain of dynamite, because one corrosive aspect of globalization allows them to live a life that is so far removed from the realities of the less privileged that frequently it is impossible for many of the rich to even know what it means to make ends meet….it is a language that is written in a alphabet that most of the rich do not know how to read. The problem will sharpen as since the wealthy will pass on their riches to their children, subsequent generations can only be entrench their way of seeing the world that has nothing whatsoever to do with reality. The result is not only that polarization between the have’s and have not’s will sharpen dramatically, but it also means that the class divide would be so deeply embedded at the level of the psyche that we are likely to end up with many different countries in one country.

That is not to say in the past. There was no such thing as class divide or even the conflict between have’s and have not’s. There was certainly such a divide. But despite the conflict since the commonalities between these two classes were much stronger this created much more incentives for mutual cooperation. But today since technology has magnified the divide between the have’s and have not’s – when we speak about the deficits we are not just talking about nett worth. The index of divide goes beyond merely earning power to even the controversial issue of intelligence to such a point where the have it all actually believe the have not’s are dumb and the have not’s believe that the other half are always conspiring to corner the market all the time, real or imagined matters little. As this simply illustrates how complex the matter is.’

(To be cont)

Tommy Koh’s petulant cry baby antics

This Tommy Koh talks as if he doesn’t know the modus operandi of the nation destroying press the Strait Times….he seems to be suffering from a severe case of entitlement mentality. When his ‘rights’ are impinged (real or imagined) that is when he feels justified to kick up a fuss a la facebook.

But what about the thousands of white washed and selective reportage cases where none of the marginalised even had a right of reply and a case for restitution….what about them Tommy?

And here you are Tommy behaving like a spoilt brat quibbling about why someone who wore your all time favorite T shirt wasnt featured in a photo session in your super private party!

Shame on you Tommy for not knowing better…or maybe you know and you’re just pretending….after all you were one of the architects of the system!

You should at least stand in line with your rotten tomatoes like the rest of us to pelt ST.

‘You mean Tommy Koh doesn’t know how the game is played in Crazy rich Asian Singapore?’

‘My owner has been feeding me fish chow instead of Alpo because he doesnt qualify for minimum wage…..by the way do I look as if I am turning into a fish. I could have sworn i used to have pointed ears like Batman this time last year.’

‘Yikes you look mighty fishy to me!’

Rainy days and coffee

Many years ago…Brazarville, Le Congo. Afrique.

In the bazaar in pointe noire in the Congo, Africa, many years ago, there once lived chinaman who every coffee trader revered and feared – the man had an extraordinary talent of revealing by just crushing a few beans and bringing it to his nose…where it was grown..what year…by whom and most important what was the price.

For years he raptured the price of coffee…controlled in even, thought he was rumored to be a wanted man with a bounty on hi head. An infamous gun runner along the Gambezi and a illicit trader of blood diamonds and ivory.

The traders in the bazaar all revered him as he was the Shahidi – the man who wore a creme colored panama and suit with a shouldered holstered revolver and moved around in an ivory colored Mercedes with a white woman – they all referred to him as ‘ouya’ , the wise one…the mysterious one.

One day he just disappeared. Never to be seen again.

Ricotta meat ‘ragu’ spaghetti

150 grammes beef…same for minced pork and 50 grammes chicken liver blended with Tuscan chili flakes.

Gourmet petit pois peas and baby corn ears…..quartered portabello’s

2009 La Medin…was an intense el Nino year. Hints of fresh June moss on ancient river stones are heightened…aromas of acorns and freshly hatched conkers..freshly cut sorghum fields left to fallow…sweet and with a diabolically bittersweet bite of rind and lime that will probably never come this way for another hundred years.

The cheat…only because one has to be a smmoth criminal to pull this dish off. One could use Ricotto cheese, but where I am, its impossible to come back and even harder to store long term. This way, its good.

Everything reduced under a small wick flame for three to four hours, stir with wooden spoon to stop the bottom from burning….till sauce is very dark, thick and mysterious…sun dried and crusty aromas…flavors are all full of intensity.

I made this for someone who I loved very much with all my heart…one day, she decided to just go….I did not stop her….but deep down. I know she will be back again….one day…one fine day…you see its simply too delicious to forget…you can even say its irresistable..unforgettable…opium.

Will Mr Dyson’s ‘made in Crazy Asian Singapore’ car make headwinds?

Many people have commented that Dyson has virtually zero automobile experience in manufacturing cars. That I assume is probably why they seem to give him lousy odds.

Recently I was asked what I thought of Dyson’s plan to venture into the super duper competitive car market…..I told them all, it is true that Mr Dyson has absolutely no experience in this field. But the perverse paradox may well be, this is his strenght i.e he harbors absolutely no assumptions concerning cars or even how they should be manufactured.

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Why no one in the internet is going to donate one brass cent to the Workers Party

The Workers’ Party (WP) which in my opinion should be registered as the cover my ass party is currently embroiled in two civil suits over their alleged mismanagement of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC).

The leadership of the cover my ass party has made an appeal online for funds on Wednesday (Oct 24)…..no one is going to give them a cent. Especially not in the internet. After all can you remember one case where they have even stood up or stuck their neck out to defend the rights of netizens or for that matter the internet?

If there’s such a case….do drop me a gentle reminder. As I for one either cannot recall or maybe they have never ever been there for us.

You’re on your own!

Now you know how its like to go thru the meat grinder without support.

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‘People who do not have a realistic expectation on what it takes to be the opposition in Singapore should join that air condition party called the PAP. Because when their expectation bears no semblance to reality. Then it is quite impossible for them to perform effectively. That is to say they will never be able to cross the finishing line and that should not be surprising. After all what do you expect when you task a sheep to do a fox’s job?

Tell me who is to blame when you put such an unrealistic measure of trust ontu a person and organization?

Please dont despise me for sharing with you what I believe it takes to be an effective opposition in Singapore or for that matter any country where the ruling party political outfit believes only they and they alone are annoited to rule forever.

You dont have to look so far to farwaway europe or America or Saudi arabia. All you have to do is look across the causeway and ask yourself what personal sacrifices were made by the opposition to kick out BN who have ruled Malaysia for over sixty years. My point is the opposition over there is five chili serious. These are very serious people who have absolutely no illusions when they decide to be opposition card carrying members.

You could even put a gun to their childrens head and they wouldnt flinch and they probably say…go ahead man make my day. My point is for real change to take effect, for the old to be thrown to the wind, then it doesnt pay for any of us to harbor sweet sugary lies that oppositional politics in a repressive regime can be any other thing except heart wrenching, bone crushing and soul shattering.’

Be mindful of what you choose to fix your eyes on….as it can be heaven or hell

Last week woman complained to me that she hates her husband and wants to know what is the most effective herbicide to poison a human being. I asked woman what does she hate…she went on to recount, she hates how he snores at night and keeps her awake, she also hates his atrocious table manners, hates how he spends so much money on beer…..yada yada yada and this went on and on till I asked….what do you like about your husband.

Woman was very quiet after that.

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‘If you want to hate someone it is very easy. All you have to do is focus on his or her bad points and ignore whatever else this person has to offer. If you really want to hate a person…again it is very easy. All you have to do is keep on doing the above every time you think about this person….and again like magic every conceivable good this person has to offer will once again disappear.

But strangely….if you want your heart to be soft and smile with fondness whenever you think of a person…all you have to do is focus on his or her good points. If you really want to feel more for this person…again it is very easy. All you have to do is keep on doing the above whenever this person comes into your mind.*’

Field Microscope

This is a simple 10X & 20X microscope. It is not powerful enough to see at microscopic level of detail, but it is enough for me……as I use it primarily for leaf analysis.

When trees suffer nutrient defficiencies or are inflicted with diseases, usually this shows up as symptoms which can be visually detected from physical characteristics such as the leaves. But there are times when one simply needs a deeper and clearer level of detail to zero into the root cause. For example magnesium deficiency results in the yellowing and crinkling of leaves in old fronds, but this is also true for drought stress as well…the only way to resolve this conflict is to examine the affected regions on a sample leaf thru a microscope. The same is true also of bugs. From a naked eye level ordinary bettles look the same as rhinocerous bettles, but the latter variety can bore into a palm like a drill and bring every frond down. Again the only way to confirm which is which thru magnification.

Why do I have a camping stove?

Many of my regular readers have asked me this question. The reason why I have a camping stove…..is not because I camp out. Its more to do with having the option to brew fresh coffee in the field. So its a kit that I keep in my car.

Rosemary Tomato based sardine spaghetti

Fry onions, garlic and cashew nuts till golden brown.

Add in one club can of sardines. Break them up into tiny pieces.

Left overs of sardine curry and two fresh tomatoes chopped with alot of Rosemary leaves.

Fry and add in spaghetti water to thicken if necessary.

Add in two squares of strong mature cheddar cheese.

Finish off with 2 tablespoon of fish sauce…secret ingredient.

Rosemary is a very strong herb that is not usually paired with spaghetti dishes. Many much prefer the milder oregano and basil as they consider Rosemary overpowering, that is why it is usually used to flavor gamey meat dishes such as beef and lamb.

But I needed a very dominant herbacious note and sardines is very forgiving to most herbs. There is alot of room for improvisation. What I wanted to do with the Rosemary was cut the dominant flavor of the left over sardine curry, not much actually, just a small tiny bowl. But since curry is a strong and dominant note it could have invaded this dish, so with generous portions of Rosemary and garlic along with some mature cheddar it certainly came together wonderfully as its own without even the slightest hint of curry. This dish would have been immeasurably enhanced with a liberal portion of dry red wine like maybe Pinot noire heated to reduce into the sauce….that I feel was the only missing dimension….but I didnt have any, but that didnt stop me from imagining it all….nonetheless the verdict is….very very good!

I will try it with Pinot noire next time.

Why crazy rich asians are responsible for the hardening of the social stratification in Singapore

The problem with Singapore is that MOST of the people who come to wealth are not really comfortable with the idea of money.

If they are truly comfortable with the idea of money. Then there would be no need to show off. Neither would there be any need to display wealth ostentatiously in your face which can only be considered bad taste and vulgar. Neither would there ever be a case where just by the mere act of breathing and going about their business, the rich has the unusual power to inflict pain on so many who may not be as lucky as them.

People who are really rich and truly wealthy do not need to tell everyone they are rich….they are very quiet and low profile and that is because they are very comfortable with the idea of money.

So the question is what does this problem have to do with government? Can governments wave a magic wand and make all the rich people in Singapore comfortable with the idea of money?

No!

So as you can see this is a delimma that involves every stakeholder of society itself….it has nothing whatsoever to do with government….it may possibly involve philosophy, ethics and the art of how to live well, but I really do not see where government can come in…..now if society frowns on those who display their wealth openly without restraint. Then very few rich people would actually have the incentive to show off. The problem is society actively encourages rich people to show off. Infact society glorifies the culture of mass consumption and even condones the vulgar display of wealth…..so this is a problem born and raised from the creche of society itself…..only society can prescribe a solution to this problem.

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‘Society will always gravitate towards whatever KPI (key performance indicator) it sets as the benchmark of personal and organizational success. In China once upon a time. It was very fashionable to waste food. Infact after a meal, if there was not mountains of food left over. It was considered bad form. You were considered a stingy host. But in the last five years after a vigorous campaign to penalize dinners who waste food and reward those who do the opposite….the vast majority of Chinese have successfully adjusted to this new ethical way of dinning…so it is not true to say social habits are set in stone. They can change.

But do not let mere appearances fool you. In case study of China’s anti waste food program it was not just the simple application of penalties and rewards that managed to shift public perception and modulate public behavior. More importantly there was a philosophic dimension, namely the promotion of the logic – frugality and moderation is the ideal and waste of any form is considered a sin. And this philosophy extends thru out society in various other metaphors, so corruption in the public servicen China is synonomous with waste and even considered a punishable sin.

My point is for real social change to occur within a social strata, it must be rooted at a philosophical level – that is simply another way of saying rich people must be mindful that they dont even have to be malevolent to inflict untold suffering on those who are not as fortunate as them….they can even inflict suffering on others by the mere act of breathing and going about their everyday business. This is why in Malaysia Rosmah Mansors ‘let them eat cake’ lifestyle was one of the leading causes of public resentment and culminated in the historical defeat of BN.

I am not saying if one is rich, one doesnt have the right to spend ones hard earned money. No! I am not promoting Marxism, not at all….I am simply saying one would do well to incorporate thoughtfulness into one’s personal philosophy.’

Survival craft – unbreakable laces

These boot laces are constructed out of industrial strenght cables weaved around kevlar. They are virtually indestructible. They also happen to be extraordinarily expensive…..its a small detail, but extraordinary important nonetheless.

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‘It is the small things in life that’s going to do you in….if your relationship with your better half is going to turn sour it will probably not because of the big stuff like cheating on her. Rather its the small stuff like not screwing on the toothpaste or farting without prior warning. Same goes if you boss passes you up for a promotion or a good thing…chances are its the small thing that did you in, like not saying good morning or parking in his lot. If you’re going to die its probably also going to be the small things that will probably do you in, like slipping on a bar of soap in the shower and hitting your head against the rim of the shit pot or being distracted by a ringing phone will driving only to go the opposite direction…so pay very close attention to the small stuff.

Because in life it pays to understand how the head bone is connected to the neck bone and back bone and so on and so forth. By the same token alot of small stuff all connect together to create the big stuff and that is why it always pays dividends to take a mission critical attitude – that means you take the extra effort to ensure you’re always good and tight on the small stuff….do that and the big stuff will take care of itself nicely.’

When you take pride in working with your hands.

There are three great addictions in this world. The first is heroin…one shot and you are more or less hooked for life. The other is sugar because it is in every sort of food especially those that insist – sugar free.

But the most insidious addiction is the monthly salary.

Because once a man grows accustomed to that sort of arrangement…then the worst part is that he believes – he is his own man….but he doesnt realize that he is actually living in a lie.

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‘Real wages have been declining for last twenty five years. The only people who buck the trend are ministers and senior civil servants in Singapore. But for the rest since the labor market is pegged to the economics of the free labor market and demand….despite working harder, putting in longer hours, they have less security and prospects, especially young people.

Young people these days are not hopeful….they dont aspire to own things or to even better their lot. Many people say they are lazy and the opposite of industrious….but I dont believe that is the case.

I mean if I were young like them….maybe I would do the same thing. Work for a few months, save to travel…after all you only live once… lets be frank even if the politicians dont seem to want to talk in depth about this problem….if one is young these days, then what is the point of raising a family when one cannot even make enough to take care of oneself.

So to me. Maybe not to the politicians and state sponsored economist…the labor market is truly busted…it works for only the select few elites, but for the vast majority it remains something that is only slightly better than indentured labor or worst slavery and drudgery.

This should prompt many to ask – why is it like this? Work after all is supposed to be a reliable pathway to financial liberty.

In my opinion. It is because in Singapore people have been brainwashed to only seek emancipation by following a very narrow tried and tested yellow brick road of seeking a better life thru white collar jobs.

The very idea of working with one’s hands be it as a shoemakers, hawker, cobbler, artisan, farmer etc etc is considered undesirable and synonomous with failing…..this is why so many people are trapped, not only in a financial vortex where there is little prospects for upward mobility….but mentally and spiritually as well….mentally because many cannot deal with the uncertainty of not having a regular monthly salary.

It is only when we see the great lie that we can shake off this stupor and begin to realize why the true road to financial liberty is by taking pride in the labor that we call our every own in every sense of the word…labour as an enterprise…labor as a means of being able to hire others…labor in the classical sense where a man can feel the honesty of a hard day’s work in his muscles…the greatest gift that life can give to a man is the privilege to trust his hands to supply labor to society.

We must take pride in working with our hands and not be too fixated in the paper chase and the comfort zone of a regular monthly salary.’

You are not listening even when you are listening

Man mentioned he was satisfied with the price and would ask his lawyers to make every effort to facilitate payment to purchase the land….thereafter he took leave. The landowner turned to me and said, ‘that was an easy sale.’ I told him, ‘he has no intentions of buy the land….he is interested in the land….but buying it is not in his scheme of plans.’ Landowner exclaimed, but you heard what he said. I said, yes, but I also heard what he did not say as well.

Landowner was most confused….I did not elaborate further and left it there.

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‘Man can never live with not knowing. When others tell us something we still make many assumptions, and even if they don’t tell us anything, we still make assumptions to feed our ego that we are the world’s smartest person along with satisfying our need to know and be informed. Even if we hear something and we don’t understand we will make assumptions about what it is along with its meanings.

Man makes all sorts of assumptions because deep down he is fearful of uncertainty and not knowing…..when you have this insight about man, you will find that this the very reason why man is always spending all his time and money on making things that are not supposed to endure last forever and rendering things which are elementally uncertain…certain. Even if all his assumptions is closer to the realm of fantasy than reality…man it seems cares not!

Like I said man cannot bear the pain of not knowing….it is torture to him.

The irony is everything in life is fundamentally uncertain….in the next chapter, I will write about my personal philosophy of how to live contently with uncertainty.’