My Internal Compass--by Dr Benedict Tan
Compasses are found in many boats. Other than giving us our sense of direction, sailing compasses also serve as tactical tools by helping us detect very subtle shifts in the wind direction.
There is a second compass on board, and that is the one within the sailor.
Improving Oneself versus Beating Others
I feel it is crucial to know why we do what we do. Do we compete to improve ourselves, or do we compete to defeat others? I feel that as we encourage competition in our schools and workplace, we need to be clear about this. People who compete simply to defeat others do not go far ultimately.
The most common mistake that sailors make is to race against another sailor – your greatest rival is not another sailor, it is the elements, namely the shifts in the wind. Sailors who are focused on beating a particular opponent very often miss critical wind shifts.
I compete to better myself, not to defeat others.
Be clear about our ultimate objective
Is the ultimate objective really to win an Olympic medal? If we hothouse a few individuals, and one of them wins an Olympic medal, what is the direct benefit to the country?
nIf we put in place a framework that sees thousands of enthusiastic young sailors competing and improving themselves, and building their characters through the sport, isn’t that worth a lot more to the country, even if not one of these sailors win an Olympic medal?
Hence, it is clear to me that the greater good is the participation and competition that comes from a sound framework, rather than the Olympic medal.
The Moulding Process
If you come to my home, you will notice that there is not a single trophy displayed. The reason is that the true treasure is not the physical trophy or medal, but the work process that I have so painstakingly moulded over the years, through repeated failures and painful lessons. My current and future performance is dependent on my work process.
Pushing the limits
My work process, if not appreciated and maintained through continued analysis and testing, can deteriorate and become redundant. I continue to accept challenges, to push myself, to test my limits, to keep learning, in order to improve my work process. There is much more to be done.
Enlightened Citizenry
To me, an enlightened citizen is simply one who sees the big picture and realizes that he or she is part of a web, and that web is society.
Society can thrive only if its citizens contribute to the greater good; the individual can thrive only if the society thrives.
There are critics who feel that Singaporeans are becoming self-centred. I wish, however, that Singaporeans are, at the same time, smart enough to realize that we must contribute to society and help our society to thrive, so that we may thrive.
This is similar to my training principle – I share with and help my sparring partners to improve, so that they can push me harder and help me improve.
Enlightened citizenry, to me, also means being pro-active, that is doing something about it. Singaporeans have learnt to be critical, but have not learnt to do anything positive to rectify the situation.
We complain, but when it’s time to do something about it, we leave it to others to do the job. This arises because many do not see that being part of the web means active, not passive, participation.
shared by Mrs Chew Lai Mun, Principal
2007
