Learning About What I Am Worth

I learnt today that there are 2 kinds of people being paid in this world:

1. One who gets paid for what he deserves
2. One who gets paid for how hard he works

In where I stay, first kind of payee is the most blessed. The second, is more fair and worthwhile.
I have always believed in working hard and working smart. However, I do feel that the society in which I live in does not permit such kind of lives. Sadly, but true. It seems that in this society, image/credentials, are what defines credibility, which in turn, creates a certain value that is not even ascertained.

People with a degree, are honored above other credentials, and even though one who works harder and more skillful are producing more worth than their keep, they are valued lesser than their degree and less productive equivalent.

Perhaps the problem is with my desire to achieve more and yet restrained by what I have and worth. However so, I do believe that the driving factor which fuels the desire for my society to get a university degree is such generalization; a degree student is worth/better valued than any other credentials.

I do not think I am envious, rather I felt sad that academic is now appreciated for it's monetary returns in which our society embraces. If you're studious, you'll be productive, therefore you're worth more. Long gone are the days where academics are for those who are passionate in the art of learning and sharing. Thankfully, there are minutes who are still living such lives.

If I have my options, one who contributes the most, draws the most. When will we ever be able to retire? I guess when I start to own a few buildings/properties and renting them out...
I shall leave it for another lesson I need to learn. :)

Learning About 3 different kinds of Singaporean

I recently learnt about having 3 kinds of Singaporean living in Singapore.

The first one is called: The Typical Singaporean

The Typical Singaporean lives his/her life pretty well. They are constantly upgrading, never seems to be satisfied with how things are around them. Never seem to be able to stop complaining, and are pretty critical in the way they perceive things. They like to travel the world, see different things, always hope to see Singapore with a different light, but never seem to get it. Unfortunately, they are also often in dis-agreement with how the government implement certain policies. Please don't get mistaken, they may dislike the policies and how the country is run, but unconsciously, they appreciate what this government does in maintaining stability in the nation.

With all these ever seems so negative comments (which I don't think they are), it's the typical Singaporean that drives the Singapore economy to be where it is today. It's the typical Singaporean that the government wants, and it's the kind of people which we (they) are cultivating through our educational system and politics.

Nevertheless, the typical Singaporean, no matter how 'un-settled' they may be/seem, they will stay put at a comfortable zone, and will not move. They are dedicated to their jobs, and lifestyle. They're also very sociable, mixing around with lots of high-fliers and seems pretty successful in life as well. The Typical Singaporean also project a driven, efficient, high-standard and prosperous this nation around the world.

The second is called: The Ideal Singaporean

The ideal Singaporean lives their lives pretty simple. They're the government champs. They makes up almost 60% of the overall population of Singapore. They're the most stable kinds of people. Unlike the typical Singaporean, the Ideal singaporean are pretty simple and less fussy. They still complain and all, but they're generally good supporter of the government. They love the orderliness, systematic and as long as their basic needs are met, they'll be content.

The attitude of the ideal Singaporean may be looked as 'bo-chup', or simply don't care. However, deep-within, it's more about what's most important that they should be worrying for rather than paying concerns for sentiments on the outside.

These ideal Singaporeans live to work, support their family, procreate, and travel once a year. They cultivate very strong family bonds and values. They do face problems in the midst of their content, comfortable and composed lives but life isn't going to rock them much.

The third is called: The Extraordinary Singaporean

The extra-ordinary Singaporean doesn't feel that life is 'on-the-edge' enough without going the extra-mile to bring the name of Singapore to the next level. They venture into unknown places, live out their lives to do great works, bearing Singapore as a name that's out of the ordinary. Usually people like these can't stay still that long, life must be challenging. They passionately pursue their dreams, even though other fellow Singaporeans cannot explain why would they go to such extent. 'So-Bia-Mia!', some are called.

The qualities of Extra-ordinary Singaporeans may look/seem noble, however, deep within, it's still the discontent of the normal lives that exists in the Typical Singaporean.

In saying these, there are some common traits of Singaporean that we see in all 3 personalities:

1. Kia-Su (fear of losing out)
2. Desiring Personal Comfort
   
3. Dilligent
   

Won't you readers agree with me? :)

Learning to not be boastful,, as subtle as it may seems..

I recently learnt that it can be quite easy for us to actually boast about our accomplishment, especially in times when we're to fend for what we know and what we can do.

I remembered having a quiet time that specifically talks about this a few days back.

In life we have many privileges. More often than not, we rely on privileges to boost our confidence in the things we believe in.

For example, if I am a Singaporean, I will take pride in what my nation does well in. If I am a Christian, I will take pride in being a good christian... etc etc.

Having a good sense of pride versus being boastful about our accomplishments are divided by a rather thin line.

I guess that's why the beatitudes mentioned: Blessed are the Meek, for they will inherit the earth.

I believe at the end of the day, knowing that we're all equal, sinners, imperfect and the fact that we all ought to consider others better than ourselves, will be a key in getting us to where we ought to be.

I like this article where it talks about the principle we should apply in being meek:
http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/905-matthew-5-5-meek-inherit-the-earth

What does it mean to 'en-Courage'

I learnt today while sharing to my friend about what does courage mean to me.
Courage, in my opinion, is measured by how you make a certain decision, when faced with a difficult situation that requires one to Flee, Fight or be indifferent.
I guess like what my friend once told me, it's easy to carry out a decision. But it's often much harder to count-the-cost to make one.

My friend, whom I was having dinner with, had an interesting definition of courage!
It comes from the word 'EnCourage', where one Enables Courage for another.

I asked myself, how do I feel when I get encouraged. I guess that's the same feeling I ought to have when I need to display courage, even when nobody enables me to feel that way. I enable myself, to have a feeling of encouragement.. That's encourage for him.

Question is, when I do get encourage, does it really enable me to do something greater than norm? Because that's what people with courage do...

Some thoughts to ponder huh...

Learning to Tread on the Grey Areas of our Lives

I learnt last-night that everyone has grey areas in their lives that requires an answer to. For me, grey areas in my life will be:
1) If working in my workplace is ordained by God and it's a marketplace ministry involvement, then, how do I balance responsibilities against church related ministries?
2) Is life too complicated for me?
3) Who and how do I define my best friends?
4) Am I really working too hard?
5) How many kids should I have in future?
6) How much money should I keep in my bank account? When will it be enough?

Many at times, when logic doesn't come in direct interpretation, the only way I can get answers from will be through feelings. God doesn't give us feelings for no-reasons right?

But I learnt that apart from the look of people having it all 'well' on the outside, many of 'these' questions still lingers in their minds without any answers. For some, it's put aside and ignored, for some, they face head-on in search for answers.

Well, I believe and learnt we can still exists without having all the questions in our life answered. For some of which we aren't suppose to know, answering usually lead to more deep/'requires-much-thinking' kind of answers.

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Learnt something about the Patriach of the Jews today:

Father Abraham!

Few of Noah's descendants served God. Out of all the peoples on earth, God called Abram. Like all the biblical heroes, Abram sinned. Yet because of his faith, God would declare him righteous. Abram strove to obey God.

Truly, this shows how important it is to:
1) Obey God
2) Have Faith

when everything fails, just do this 2, things may continue to go wrong, but in God's eyes, I believe you'll be walking on water..

Not Everyone Can Learn As Fast

I was teaching my client just now about how to make a network connection from home to the office.

I thought I made it sound lay-man enough for him, an elderly, roughtly 60+ years old. However, after explaining the connection procedures for 5-min, I realized he didn't get it.

I learnt today that no amount of 'lay-man'ness can be used, to help others absorb the amount of information they can receive. Some people just need more time, some just cannot take that information.

Which makes me feel blessed, really... I realized that being young and one who is always hungry to learn more, it's a natural thing for me to receive new thoughts or inputs.

Lesson learnt today:
As much as I would like others to be as passionate in their learning process, I have to learn to accept the hard-fact that learning to some, may be a pain in the neck!

Learning to be strong and fighting against satan's weapons

Tonight I observed and discovered something about my relationship with my girl-friend.

There seems to be times which each of us are down and we stood by for one another with cheerful attitude and being positive.

Last night, was one of it. I encountered mixed feelings. On one hand I do feel that giving may sometimes mean 'un-appreciatedness' or 'being taken advantage' or even harboring unfair feelings.

I believe that's the price of love. I learnt last-night that those were opportunities for me to be strong and provide support. I never realized that 'joy' is also a form of support.

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I also learnt today about being envious with the world. The devil really have means and ways to tempt christians, even with methods from within, to shaken one's convictions and beliefs through influences of modernization in society and cultural beliefs.

Should the church be influenced by cultural and social developments, which in-turn create an impact on our beliefs as a Christian? Is it really necessary to adapt, or do we have to conform.

The weapons of satan, against christians today, I learnt, is in the subtleness of what we see, hear and do, which affects us from within. You may not believe me if you're struggling with things that is visible. But to those who are fighting against what's inside our heart, it's so easy to fall into:
1) bitterness
2) conceit/jealousy
3) greed
4) pride

I guess my prayers have recently been answered. New lessons in my life will now change into my battle plans against these newly acquired-faith testing damages that is to come.