Chinese Classes Are Starting Again

Today, we re-started our Chinese class for some students from the international business studies department in San Marcos University in Peru. Due to changes in their academic schedules, we were not expecting too many to turn up - maybe just 2 or at most 3, so we were pleasantly surprised when 5 students turned up. What was even more gratifying was that all of them came with their notebooks, and they had not forgotten what they learnt in the first cycle despite the fact that we have had close to a one-and-a-half months of break in between.

After the class was over, three of them stayed back to have an interview with our friend Joan regarding various issues about Singapore. (In the pictures above, Joan is telling them some interesting anecdotes. In the first picture, from left-to-right, the university students are Johnny, Cynthia and Sonia.) Apparently, they are working on a class project on the topic of international trade, and they have chosen the theme of exporting mangos to Singapore.

Along with our teaching of Chinese, we have also been constantly seeking ways to inculcate good values into these university students. They are all intelligent students who have made it into one of the most difficult public universities to enter in Peru, and therefore have a good chance of doing well in their careers in their future. We are trying to teach them altruistic values and to encourage them to participate in some community projects with us, so that when they enter into the marketplace, they will not be sucked into the cold and calculating ratrace, but will continue to be principled professionals who will invest their time, treasures and talents into blessing the less fortunate members of society.

Building a Community of Love that Breaks Down Social Barriers

After the youths came together to prepare some food on Saturday, it was the turn of the adults on Sunday to come together and celebrate our friendship with one another by preparing some food together. We cooked various dishes such as arroz con pollo (Peruvian style chicken rice), causa rellena (mashed potato stuffed with chicken fillings), tamales (Peruvian meat dumplings) and the dessert arroz con leche (rice with milk). It was a nice time of catching up with one another and sharing our life experiences with one another. There were adults coming from different social classes, and it was a pleasant sight to see them mingling with one another without the social class prejudices that are so prevalent in Peruvian society today. It was especially heartwarming as I saw two ladies coming from opposite ends of the social spectrum stand side by side to each other to wash the plates together, and chatting heartily with one another while they were doing the dishes.

Today, one of our friends, a manager with a foreign MNC in Peru, took some time off her work, and offered to bring our friend Joan out for lunch. We eventually had a nice meal at T.G.I.Fridays in Jockey Plaza, the largest shopping mall in Lima. One of our conversation topics was on some of the rather social problems that have seeped into Peruvian society. One problem was how many people live on credit here in Peru, spending beyond their means. We also talked about the amount of prejudice that goes around in Peruvian society, and especially how easy it is for a person to be discriminated against as a result of his skin color, family name (which can be a sign of your social pedigree), or lack of education.

After lunch, we went to visit a manager at the shopping mall to enquire about the possibilities of renting a booth to showcase some jewellery items, and allow our youths to earn some money to save up for their education. Unfortunately, the manager was not around, and his secretary told us that there was no more space available at the Jockey Plaza shopping mall. We will now have to source for alternative locations.

In the night, Aili and I whipped up a nice dinner together. We cooked a plate of fried trout in sambal chilli sauce with garlic, a plate of steamed trout (these are only 2 ways of cooking the trout; as far as I know, there are at least 8 ways of cooking the trout in Peru), a sort of fusion Szechuan chicken wings (Aili added some of her own touches to the original recipe that I had downloaded from the internet), and bean sprouts cooked in roccoto chilli. I have discovered that whipping up a nice dinner does not necessarily mean burning a big hole in your pocket. Rather, it is about creativity. For example, the raw materials for the small feast that we whipped up tonight cost only 18 soles (about S$9.00), a feast which fed four people (Aili, Delia, Joan and myself) and still having leftovers.

Learning To Appreciate The Little Things In Life

I was reading a special report on the global economy in the Economist magazine today. One particular headline caught my eyes: "More of everything - Does the world have enough resources to meet the growing needs of the emerging economies?" The opening paragraph that followed the aforesaid headline is as follows: "The average income of the 5.5 billion people on this planet who live in emerging economies has been growing at a cracking pace: an annual rate of over 5% in recent years. As people grow richer, they want more cars and household appliances as well as better homes and roads. This, in turn, means a huge increase in the demand for energy and raw materials."

I see an underlying assumption in the aforesaid statements: when people grow richer, they want to consume more. Here we see one negative consequence of increased consumerism - a strain on the natural environment. A more serious drawback of unrestrained growth in consumerism is that it could take away our appreciation and joy in the simple things of life. Many people have told me that life gets more complicated as we grow older. I have been reflecting on that statement for a long time now. It is true that our responsibilities seem to increase as we grow older, and there are more things that we need to juggle around in life. However, I think increased responsibilities and challenges in life do not mean that we have to sacrifice the joy of simplicity in our lives. It is all a matter of perspective, and learning to appreciate the little things in life. Life does not get more complicated because we have more responsibilities, but only when we lose sight of the foundational building blocks of life and the capacity to find contentment and joy in the little things in life. Life gets complicated when we allow ourselves to be envious of what we do not have rather than enjoying what we already have; it gets complicated when we focus on the differences in our relationships rather than the common values that we share; it gets complicated when we spend our time worrying about the things that we cannot control rather than working on the things that are within our control.

The author George Bird Evans made an interesting observation: "I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying."

Just to end today's reflection, I think it is important to observe that simplicity should not be confused with simplisticity. As the scientist Albert Einstein puts it: "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler." We can find joy in simplicity, but when we begin to use it as an excuse for not exercising our intellect, engaging in industrious conduct or defending right moral values, then it is no longer the attitude of simplicity that leads to joy within our souls, but rather an attitude of over-simplisticity that turns a blind eye to the realities of the world, and which will surely lead to ruin eventually.

Youth Friendship Day

Today, we celebrated Friendship Day in our youth club after we came back from our IMPACTS project in the morning. The entire event was organized and run by our youth committee from our Youth Alive project. The youths from the different English classes prepared different food, including causa rellena (a dish of mashed potato with chicken fillings), goreng pisang (this is not a Peruvian dish) and wonton dumplings prepared in a fusion style. In the first picture, we have Kyara, who is from the Basic 1 class, preparing the causa rellena dish, helped by two young girls, Zoraya and Guadalupe, who come to our Kids Club on Saturdays. The two young girls like our house and their friends in the Kids Club very much, because they actually take a bus by themselves all the way to our house every Saturday, and one of them is not even 10 years old yet! They are quite attached to us as well, and one of them, Zoraya, unexpectedly came up to me today and asked me: "Where is the tall and big guy? Do you know him?" I was a little confused for a moment, until she brought me to a poster that we hung on our wall, and she pointed her finger at the unmistakable picture of Julian!

The second picture shows members of the youth committee setting up the tents and tables in the garden, where the event was going to be held. The third picture shows Carolina, Gabriela and Delia taking turns at the goreng pisang. The last picture shows the various groups seated at their tables, where a few light-hearted games were played together. There was a also a short time of sharing from our friend Joan from Singapore on how to choose your friends wisely, and a time of gift exchange. Interestingly, the gift that my "secret pal" gave to me was the only gift that was a food item - I guess it is the least guarded secret in the world that I have an extremely soft and tender spot for good food. Everywhere I go, people are telling me to watch my tummy, and to resist eating too much of the yummy, yummy food!

We had three new visitors for the event, and all of them had nice words to say about the community that we have. One common comment was: "You guys are a really fun and warm bunch to hang around with!" A mother who was here with her daughter also stood up and shared a few heartwarming words rather spontaneously. Here is what she said: "I have been a psychologist for 26 years, and I have counselled all kinds of drug addicts and serious crime offenders. I have discovered that one of the most effective ways to fight crime in our society is to ensure that our youths belong to a community that has healthy values. I can see that your community is very friendly and has good healthy values. I am very glad that I can send my daughter to join this community, and form good healthy friendships with all of you."

Teaching Children At A Small School In San Juan de Miraflores

The boy in the picture is Victor, one of the young chidren that we are teaching English to in our current Impacts project. We are currently working with a small school in one of the poorer areas of Lima to provide free English lessons on Saturday mornings to about 12 kids. All these kids come from very poor families, and most of them have to work in the streets at a tender age to help supplement the family income.

At first sight, Victor strikes you as a rather rough guy - his tone of voice and his mannerisms. However, if we examine beyond the surface, he is one of our best students in regards to his attitude in learning. He also shows a lot of enthusiasm in learning and is a very helpful chap. He shows a maturity beyond his age due to the harsh realities of life that he has to deal with at his young age.

Here in Peru, most people judge by appearances. If a person is dressed shabbily, or has a darker skin color, or does not speak with cultured eloquence, such a person would often be bypassed in society. In our projects in Peru, we try to teach them grooming and lifeskills to give these people a better chance in life. However we focus a lot more on the grooming of internal character rather than the grooming of external appearance. Ultimately, it is not the outward adornments that will bring the brightest sparkle to a person's beauty, which will fade with time, but the internal adornment of his character and values.

An example of "values grooming" could be seen in a small incident that happened after our English class with the kids at the school this morning. After they completed their work, Aili gave out sweets to them as an incentive. However, two young girls were so excited about their rewards that they tore out the wrappers immediately and dumped them onto the floor. Their faces looked most angelic even after dumping the wrappers onto the ground, as if it was the most innocent thing to do in the world. It would have been easy to overlook the offense. However, Aili spotted the transgression almost immediately, and told them firmly to pick up the wrappers and throw them into the wastepaper bin.

We may not be around in Peru by the time these kids grow up to be adults one day in the future, but we believe that the small seeds of good values that we sow today will reap a harvest of blessings for them when they reach adulthood one day in the future.

Back to the present - a night of dance and folklore

We have a friend from Singapore who is visiting us in Peru at the moment. In the afternoon, we took her to visit Jockey Plaza, the biggest shopping mall in Lima, and we had a nice meal of "pollo a la brasa", chicken grilled in the traditional Peruvian style. After that, we brought Joan to an evening of dance and folkloric performance at the school that Aili and Delia are working in. It is one of the biggest bilingual schools in Lima, and the cultural evening was held to commemorate the change of season from winter to spring. We were all enchanted by a wonderful evening of dazzling dances that were put up by the students and teachers, capped with a heartwarming rendition of "We are the world" that was led by the principal himself.

When I was in Singapore, I never attended a play or cultural performance for much of my life. Even when my parents took me to a cultural play when I was younger, I was always screaming for them to bring me out of the concert hall, because I felt that all these art performances were a waste of time, a distraction from the more worthy pursuits in life. My time in Peru has changed my perspective on this matter completely. In fact, just last month, I watched three cultural performances. As I watch the Peruvians manage their songs and dances with grace, passion and patriotism, the atmosphere always cut through my skin like a stirring stream of electric current. I am beginning to appreciate much more how art, music and culture is able to forge a sense of unity and identity among communities of people. They are certainly not trivial distractions away from the economic pursuits of life, but art, music and culture are indispensable tools towards forging a sense of belonging within a community. After four years here in Peru, I am only just beginning to fall in love with the cultural dances and music of the local community, even though my stoic Singaporean roots have somewhat persisted in reining in my dancing feet and spontaneity of expression.

While we can certainly boast of our technological and economic achievements, as well as the machine-like efficiency of our systems and infrastructure in Singapore, I believe that we would need to bring up the level of our artistic and cultural consciousness to the same optimum levels as our economic and social achievements, if we want to forge a strong sense of identity as Singaporeans. We have spent a few decades perfecting our hardware in Singapore, and the time has now come for us to work on our heartware.

Looking at the same issue from a different angle, it would be fair to say that material pursuits and success alone cannot forge together a sense of identity, whether at the personal level or at the communal level. Even businesses are beginning to realise that profits cannot be the only bottomline if the sustainability of the business model is to be maintained. Intangibles such as the development of core values within the organization and the overall enhancement of the emotional quotient of the community would also be important foundations for the sustainability of the businesses. In other words, we are talking about heartware here.

Whether we are dealing with the success of an individual, the stability of a community, or the survival of a nation, heartware would be an essential element to take into consideration. How do we develop heartware? One aspect of heartware development is to involve ourselves in community work. It is through our interaction with other members of our community that we develop heartware. Heartware is one area that cannot be developed by isolating ourselves from community. It is through involving our lives in those around us who are less fortunate that we develop compassion. It is through engaging in relationships at a deeper and committed level, and passing through the furnace of forming, storming and norming in our relationships, that we learn to trust, to accept and to forgive, and to forge relationships that will last and perform. It is through giving of our times, treasures and talents to help the needy around us that we will discover true significance and meaning in our lives. This is why we have come to Peru to experience a different kind of culture here. This is why we have set up a channel for volunteers from Singapore and elsewhere to come down to Peru to experience community work and community living for a period of time, and to develop their heartware in a very practical way.

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part II

This is a picture from the very first IMPACTS project that we had in Peru, started some three and a half years ago. It was a project in which we went down every Saturday to teach English to a group of orphans from a Catholic orphanage. This is a small party that we had with the kids at the end of their first cycle of learning.

For most of us, it was the first time that we were teaching children. The lack of experience and know-how brought forth a lot of interesting anecdotes. For example, a kid that I was teaching once crawled underneath his chair and refused to come out. I tried every means possible to get the kid out, but to no avail, and finally I had to go out of the classroom to get help.

A team of about 10 volunteers, comprising mainly fresh graduates from the university, had come down from Singapore for a 12-day visit at that time, and one of the events which they liked the most was organizing a day of fun for some 80 kids at the orphanage, including telematches, games and food. Have you ever tried cooking for 80 kids? The picture of the volunteers cutting vegetables in our kitchen and laughing away about the task which seemed like a never-ending story, and the huge cauldron in which these volunteers cooked soup for the children remains vividly striking in my memories. On top of that, they were trying very hard to use their "cavemen" Spanish which they had learnt in a crash course to manage the kids, and it was quite a warm if somewhat funny sight to see the kids cuddling up to them and telling them with the most angelic faces that they had pronounced their Spanish words wrongly.

An air-ticket from Singapore to Peru is not cheap, and for most of these fresh graduates, it must have cost them a significant part of their savings. However, I am sure that what they got in return was an experience that would last them a lifetime, and a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that cannot be bought with money. Through their interaction with one another and with the natives in a foreign culture, they discovered new insights into their personal strengths and weaknesses.

I suppose that one of the biggest returns from their trip here must have been a change in their perspectives. As they saw the level of poverty that could be seen in some shanty towns in the outer suburbs of Lima, they began to better appreciate the many luxuries and securities that they had taken for granted in Singapore. For many children in Singapore, the question that they would often ask their parents at meal times is: "What are we going to eat?" Unfortunately, for many of these children who live in the shanty towns, the question that they are constantly asking is: "When are we going to eat?"

Our first project was a learning curve for us. Although we enjoyed the many "gotcha" moments with the kids, our classes were generally fraught with several problems of discipline of the kids. This could have been a combination of our lack of classroom teaching experience at that time, as well as the fact that several of these kids were rather hyperactive. We were also probably taking on too many classes at the same time. However, the biggest problem we faced was the administration of the orphanage. Due to the fact that there were very few staff, it was often difficult for them to ensure that all the kids could turn up for the Saturday classes. We often found some of the kids running around instead of attending the classes, and when we questioned them, they would reply that they had to attend another workshop. Due to the highly irregular attendance of the kids, and the failure of the administration to work out any system to ensure some continuity in the learning of the kids, we finally had to end our project here at this orphanage and look for a new partner for our IMPACTS project.

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 1

About four years ago, five young and enterprising young men and women decided to leave the comfortable shores of Singapore to experience the adventures of social entrepreneurship in a different culture, and we arrived at the rocky shores of Peru, a land filled with spectacular views of natural wonders, which are contrasted against the stark reality of poverty that so many people find themselves struggling against every day. Against this backdrop, we started various projects to help the people around us, and I am going to bring us down a trip through the memory lanes of time through a series of blog entries from time to time that I shall call "A Trip Down Memory Lane". The picture here shows Julian teaching English to three single mums in a relatively small classroom in a youth club in the district of Surco four years ago. This was the first time that our NGO started English classes here in Peru. It was a very small class, comprising of two single mothers and two other young mothers coming from extremely poor backgrounds. Attendance was highly irregular as well, and I remember that there was this mum who could not turn up for class because her husband wanted her to accompany him and threatened to beat her up if she went for her English class. The irregularity of attendance and the slowness of the students in learning made it relatively frustrating at times. This was compounded by the fact that our Spanish was not too good at that time, resulting in various kinds of communication problems. (I have a few nice jokes that took place during miscommunications with the students, but I will save them for another blog entry.) Julian and I did not have any jobs at that time, so we took turns to teach the class. The students paid about S$10 for the entire course that lasted about 12 sessions. One of our friends from Singapore, Jeffrey Chong, visited us at that time and joined us for one of the classes, and he was quite surprised at how little the students were paying for the course.

Julian has a masters degree in engineering from the National University of Singapore, while I had just quit from my job as a legal manager shortly before coming to Peru. Many of our visitors had a simple question for us: Why were two highly qualified professionals spending time teaching English to four mums, and getting paid a mere S$10 per student for the entire course of 12 sessions, an amount which could not even cover our transport expenses and photocopying expenses? It was not even one percent of my pay in Singapore! Furthermore, it was not even a good start to our community work here - the irregularity in attendance and the slowness in learning meant that none of the students passed the course - because they did not turn up for the exam.

I am not sure about Julian, but I had my fair share of disappointments and discouragements at that time. No income, no results and no support from the people we were working with - there were moments that I felt so "useless" and not knowing what to do then that I cooped myself in our small office and played "Pinball" on my computer for hours on end, so much so that I was breaking all kinds of "Pinball" records on the computer and becoming a "Pinball" king. However, as I reflect back on those early days, I think the experience that we gained through this first project provided a seed foundation upon we built our subsequent successes, both at a corporate level as well as a personal level. By building our projects and advancing our mission here in Peru from the "seed" level, we were able to improve the quality of our subsequent successes. Whenever we seem to be doing something that seems small or insignificant at face value, it is good to remember the principle of the seed. Seeds are small in nature, but when nurtured properly, they will grow into gigantic trees one day.

At a personal level, as I reflect back now, it was a time when we discovered the secret of having great joy even when you have little - the five of us did not have much economic means at that time - with only two out of the five of us holding some form of jobs that paid a regular if meagre income, but we supported one another like a family, and none of us were ever in need, and we could even afford the occasional luxuries of life such as short getaways to different parts of Peru. Today, our economic means have improved by quite a bit since those early days, but the difficult times of those early days have helped us to learn to appreciate one another more, and to recognize and remember that true joy and significance does not lie in our increasing incomes, but in the friendship that we have with one another, and in the efficacy of heart in which we go about sharing our time, treasures and talents to improve the quality of the lives of those around us.

A nice quote from Mahatma Gandhi succintly sums up what I am trying to say today: "Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself." The Christian apostle Peter had a similar view when he said in the sixth verse of the first chapter of his first letter: "So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here."

People Who Wear A Smile On Their Faces All The Time

The photo is taken on a short two-day getaway that we took in the small town of Huacho, a 2-hours drive from Lima, last month. Huacho is famous for its delightful boat trips and delicious seafood. We feasted on both attractions with an equally vivacious appetite. It is also a nostalgic site for me to visit, as I defeated a whole pack of top Peruvian chess players here 3 years ago to win the Huacho International chess competition. Huacho is known as the "Friendship Capital" of Peru, due to the warmth and friendliness among the people here.

Our office administrator Laura and two young professionals Karen (far-left) and Oscar (far-right) joined us for the trip. Karen is a marketing manager in a foreign MNC here in Peru, while Oscar is an engineer by training who became a teacher by choice because he felt that teaching was a more meaningful job where he could impact more lives. Karen is volunteering her time on Saturdays to give enrichment talks to the youths in our "Youth Alive" project, while Oscar takes time off his busy schedule to teach the youths Mathematics on Thursday evenings. What prompted these successful young professionals to take time off their hectic schedules to volunteer with us? I will tell you their stories another time. For now, let me share with you excerpts from what Laura, who is only 18 years old, has to say about volunteering her time to organize activities for the youths in our "Youth Alive" program.

"Now, I am volunteering in the executive committee for the youth wing of the Peruvian branch of Generation Acts Club International. I am also a youth, but it’s nice to work with people of my age, and it is a joy to see how they are growing in their character and values. It is not easy to talk about commitment to youths in Peru, because the youths here like to have fun. However, the youths in our youth group are slowly understanding more about the value of commitment in their lives. Each Saturday, we have a time of planning events and projects, learning lifeskills and discussing issues related to character development. Of course, we arrive late at home but with joy and hope that we are discovering greater significance and meaning in our lives!"

Mother Teresa made a keen observation when she said: "In the developed countries there is a poverty of intimacy of spirit, of loneliness, of lack of love. There is no greater sickness today than that one." What is the cure to that sickness? The same lady added: "We have to share with our people. Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing." Hoarding our time, talent and treasures not only brings the suffering of deprivation to the needy people around us, but it also brings upon ourselves the suffering of dereliction of the soul. The well-known Christmas story about Mr. Scrooge shows the damage that hoarding can do to a person's internal well-being.

A curious natural phenomenon of Lima is that it never rains (good news for those who like to have outdoor parties!), but the sudden storms of life often come with alarming alacrity. Yet, when we look at people like Laura, Oscar and Karen, we often see them wear a smile even during the moments when they have to weather the storms of life. Their secret: they have discovered the joy and sense of liberation that comes from sharing their time, treasures and talents to improve the quality of the lives of people around them.

The Greatest Joy of Life

The picture shows a birthday treat that Aili, Delia and I gave to our office administrator Laura today. We brought Laura and her sister Gabriela for a tepanyaki meal at a Japanese restaurant located at the shopping mall Jockey Plaza. The person nearest the camera is me, and next to me is Aili, followed by Laura's sister Gabriela, then Laura, and finally Delia. Earlier in the day, three other members of the youth committee for our "Youth Alive" program came over to our office to send their best wishes to the birthday girl as well. To top up a wonderful evening of celebration, the birthday girl received an ice-cream brownie as a compliment from the restaurant.

One of the greatest joys that we can discover in life is to have brought a smile to another person's face. Recently I attended a social ball in Lima for the pre-launch of a new art gallery at the musuem, where several elite members of the uppermost echelons of Peruvian society were gathered together. Everyone was extremely well-heeled and the women wore immaculate make-up, and we were served with some fine food and wine from different cultures. As I spoke with some of these people, I discovered a sense of emptiness among many of them beneath all that fine facade. I am not well versed in the field of psychology, but it does not take rigourous psychoanalysis to figure out the root problem that runs as a common thread through most of these people. They are all people of means who have amassed great wealth and personal achievements, but beneath all that golden gliterazzi, we discover that not all that glitters is gold. Many of them are tormented by the uncertainties of life, the shattered or extremely fragile relationships that they have to deal with in their personal lives, and the burden of trying to keep together their wealth and achievements in one piece. They tried to bring a smile to their own faces through advancing their personal successes, but the smile never lasted for more than a fleeting moment.

On the other hand, I see how my fellow social entrepreneurs here in Peru, simple but successful Christians who choose to use their personal successes to bring a smile to the people around them, and finally the biggest smile that I see is in the lives of my fellow social entrepreneurs. The Bible has a book called Proverbs that was written to make people who read it wise. In the 25th verse of the 11th chapter of the book of Proverbs, we have a wonderful piece of advice coming straight from heaven: "A generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." We hear wonderful testimonies from the people that we help, and how can one not be refreshed by the sweet music of their testimonies?

"Jesus has blessed me since the day that I decided to commit my life to him. First of all, I obtained medical security for my son. I am a woman of low economic means and I did not have any hope that my son would be able to obtain treatment for his illness. However, God has brought me much joy in my life and has heard my prayers. Now my son has his medical security and I have managed to get treatment for him. I have faith that my son will be healed and all will go well. God has also blessed me in my job. Now, I have a job, and God has provided all that I need and I lack nothing. Recently, a miracle happened. My son was suffering from low hemoglobin levels, but suddenly his hemoglobin level jumped to 14. I know that this is a miracle of God. I was also told earlier that my son could not be considered for the list of kidney transplants, but God has intervened and moved the doctors to have a second meeting, where they will reconsider my son’s case and reconsider putting him into the list of kidney transplants. " - Rosa Cahuana, 35, a single mum who attends the Hope of God church in Lima-Peru.

Success + Significance = A Complete Picture

A picture of Delia (lady in the center), a friend and colleague of mine, together with the members of the youth committee in Peru that she has invested her time, treasures and talents into. An energetic young lady and a graduate in chemical engineering with a good honors degree, she could have found a great job with any MNC in the world. Yet, she made the choice to come to Peru to bring hope to the people in Peru, and she has invested much of her time towards developing a group of youth leaders to lead the "Youth Alive" project, a project that is dedicated towards teaching underprivileged youths coming from the poorer segments of societies strong values and core skills that will equip them for a great future ahead of them. In the picture, she is giving them a treat at a Chinese restaurant.

I believe that personal achievement per se is not wrong in itself. In fact, it is natural for a healthy person, project or philosophy to see fruits and success. If we plant an apple seed into the soil, and nurture it with the right conditions for growth, it is inevitable that we will see a big and strong apple tree one day. If we build our careers or businesses upon the seeds of strong moral foundations and God-sized faith, it is inevitable that we will see God-sized results and success one day.

One of the key events that is shaping the world today is the conflict in the Middle-East. To trace back the roots of this conflict, we would have to go back to the patriach Abraham, who fathered both the nation of Israel as well as the nations that we see in the Middle-East today. In the second and third verses of the twelfth chapter of the book of Genesis in the Bible, God made two promises to Abraham. The promise in the second verse focused on the success that Abraham would have in his personal life and achievements: "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you ...". The promise in the next verse focused on the significance that Abraham would have on the people around him: "... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Personal success is one facet of the divine plan for those who follow the principles that are set out in the one book that was inspired by God, but it is not a complete picture of the divine design for our lives. A life that is complete is one that attains personal success so that the individual can become a channel of blessings to the many people around him.

Through the following series of blog entries, I hope to explore the various tensions between success and significance in our lives. Three words shall characterize the three main arenas that we shall visit in this journey: struggle, search, solution. The four years that I have spent in Lima as a social entrepreneur have brought me through these three phases as well as I sought to find a balance between success and significance, to find the missing link that will fit the two jigsaw pieces of success and significance together to form a complete picture.

From Success to Significance

I have not written anything for quite a while. A twist of events led to my having to postpone my return to Singapore for a few more months. I am not too fond of dealing with abrupt changes to pre-fixed schedules, but I guess if God in his absolute sovereignty allows for His divine plan to interupt my personal schedules, then I guess there is always a divine purpose behind everything.

Over the few extra months that I have spent in Peru, I found some time to reflect on my relationship with God and other matters. The writer Bob Buford wrote a book called "Halftime", which I had read a few years ago. He wrote: "Halftime is a pause in the middle of the game of life to reflect on who we are, what really matters to us, and to redirect our time and resources for the second half. It is a time when the quest for success loses meaning, and we ask, "Is this it?". We want our lives to have really counted for something. Something that will live on long after we are gone. Most call this a midlife crisis. We call it halftime."

I am not going through a midlife crisis. However, I do believe that God has graciously provided me with a period of "halftime" during my extra months here in Peru to reflect on what really matters to me, so that I can redirect my time, talents and treasures for the second half back in Singapore.

The same author defined the difference between success and significance in a lovely way: "Success to me is using your knowledge and experience to build up your own portfolio. Significance is using your knowledge and experience to share with others." I was just watching a show together with my friends here in Peru. It was called "Take the Lead", which is based on a real-life story of Pierre Dulaine, the owner of a professional dance studio in New York city. It is a story of the transition of a man's life from success to significance. Pierre Dulaine, who was skillfully protrayed by Antonio Banderas, took time off from his thriving dance business to volunteer as a dance teacher in the slums of New York City. Faced with a group of rebellious high school students who were regarded as "rejects" in society, Pierre invested his time, talent and treasures to train them in ballroom dancing. When confronted with the value of what he was doing, he gave a poignant defense of his actions. Addressing a group of parents, he said: "I am not only teaching your kids ballroom dancing. I am also teaching them values of respect, teamwork and acceptance, because these are what will give them hope and a future."

Different people have their moments in life when they are doing different things. Some have their moments when they are preaching. Some have their moments when they are negotiating a business deal. And some have their moments when they are dancing. I have my moments when I am writing. Writing keeps my mind actively engaged in the process of thinking, and the Bible makes at least one allusion to God's desire for Christians to engage not just the heart and the hands, but also the intellect in our communion with Him. In the 18th verse of the first chapter in the book of Isaiah in the Bible, God speaks out with striking clarity: "Come, let us reason together."

Over my next series of blog entries, I hope to be able to explore and share some of the thoughts and reflections that I have regarding the tension between the pursuit for success and the search for significance in our lives. The Greek philosopher Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Let us take a step backwards from the frantic forces of our daily lives to examine the trenches of our souls and spiritual lives, for the heart is where the well-spring of life is found.