Jun

22

Education, what’s love got to do with it?

June 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Some of my friends often joke about me taking over the Ministry of Education. I don’t know if I am a good candidate for the job; however, I do know that there’s something terribly wrong with our education system.

The issue of education is quite dear to me as I believe that it will determine the future of our nation. Even pop songs like Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” talks about how important it is to teach our children well.

I am proud to share that I am a product of Methodist Boys’ School, Kuala Lumpur. I attended both the primary and secondary schools there, and I am now in my second term as the President of my school’s alumni association. Apart from my loyalty and love for my alma mater, I must say that there is something different about our school that moulded many of us into not only successful but also quite decent people.

Anyway, I read this quote from a site on J. Krishnamurti and I thought it was worth sharing:

Modern education, in developing the intellect, offers more and more theories and facts, without bringing about the understanding of the total process of human existence. We are highly intellectual; we have developed cunning minds, and are caught up in explanations. The intellect is satisfied with theories and explanations, but intelligence is not; and for the understanding of the total process of existence, there must be an integration of the mind and heart in action. Intelligence is not separate from love.

For most of us, to accomplish this inward revolution is extremely arduous. We know how to meditate, how to play the piano, how to write, but we have no knowledge of the meditator, the player, the writer. We are not creators, for we have filled our hearts and minds with knowledge, information and arrogance; we are full of quotations from what others have thought or said. But experiencing comes first, not the way of experiencing. There must be love before there can be the expression of love.

Aug

5

Confessions of an Economic Hitman

August 5, 2007 | 1 Comment

I just started reading a new book (one of many!). I’m halfway through the preface only, and I already find it intriguing.

By the way, this is a true account of the author’s career as an economic hit man. In his own words:

“Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign “aid” organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet’s natural resources. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.
I should know; I was an EHM.”
Read more

Jul

29

I’ve learned that…

July 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Someone shared these lessons with me…

I’ve learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing “Silent Night”.
Age 5

I’ve learned that our dog doesn’t want to eat my broccoli either.
Age 7

I’ve learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9

23

UK weather just got worse

July 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment

If you thought the weather in UK was bad, it just got worse. As far as I’m concerned, this is a very real sign that the earth is undergoing extreme “hormonal changes”. And if we don’t start taking steps to change our destructive lifestyles, we’re not going to leave much of a legacy to our children.

By the way, if you haven’t yet watched Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, check it out.

Jul

13

I not stupid, you stupid

July 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Just finished watching ‘I Not Stupid 2′ last night and found, despite the contrived scenes, a lot of truth in it. Especially about adults and how they act and react.

To quote the great Frank Zappa, “The world’s most plentiful ingredient is stupidity.”

We in Malaysia, so clever hor?! Here’s a poem (from an email) for us to chew on:
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Apr

12

Imagine

April 12, 2007 | 2 Comments

Just imagine. It’s not difficult, I assure you.

Just imagine a nation with its diverse peoples. A few hundred years back, the inhabitants of this nation were native peoples who lived in the forests.

Then one day, a visitor from a neighbouring nation came. He saw that the land was good and he decided to bring his people to this nation.

Imagine over time, his people grew and grew, and began to dominate this nation. Soon, the visitors became the Majority.
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22