Forums → WEPR → Mr Lee Kuan Yew
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The man who dragged my country out of its colonial days by its neck, shook up the system totally and forged a modern, prosperous nation by sheer force of personality has passed on.
I mourn his passing, he was my hero when I grew up(still is), and I'm proud to be a Singaporean. Without his leadership and firm hand, I think our little island nation would have at worst, imploded due to racial violence followed by being bullied by its far larger neighbours, and at best, trudged along as a nation mired in mediocrity.
And yet now, I live in one of the safest nations in the world, the economy has for decades been booming, corruption is almost virtually unknown, meritocracy is the word of the day, the city is clean and green, political freedom is balanced sensibly, our foreign affairs are harmonious.
Maybe some people would not appreciate it, and think it a "boring, strict, ordered, structured" place to live, but to me, that translates to safety and stability. I've lived and visited a host of other nations, and there's no where else like home. Singapore isn't a liberal democracy held to be the shining mythical paragon that every nation is supposed to reach politically, but in her own way, she's a mighty fine place.
You'd think that no one in their right mind would want to live in a "atriarchal, state dominated" country, but I sure do. The great man had to clamp down hard politically and socially, but what he did was absolutely right. We had just been granted independence by the British, were experiencing awful racial tension, were in a region that was a hotbed of Communist activity, had zero natural resources apart from being a great port location and were surrounded by larger neighbours that did not look kindly upon us.
Yet we made it. From mudflats to metropolis, within a generation. And I thank him and the group of talented, steadfast, progressive men he gathered around him for that. He gave his entire life to saving, improving and protecting his country -I have shed some tears in the past week over his death.
RIP Mr Lee, a giant in life and death.
- 19 Replies
I don't think it's the fault of a meritocracy if a child who has been given all he could have been possibly given in terms of help, doesn't make it in life. It just means he isn't cut out for it, in terms of how that version of success is defined.
It would be a nasty sting to see someone else make it through a rags to riches story from his point of view. But that's not a flaw in the system I feel. Yes, luck and charisma can play a part, but ultimately, you would need a solid education level, or put in hard work to succeed in whatever path you take.
Meritocracy doesn't "romise" someone success if he has tasted it from young, but only if he goes all the way in terms of effort. If you do, then I think on the whole you will succeed. If you lay on your laurels thinking you've made it already, then you really have no one else to blame but yourself, , barring any really unlucky scenario.
The converse would be a far worse alternative to think about.
It just means he isn't cut out for it, in terms of how that version of success is defined.i just can't agree with this. education only up's the chance for success. determination does the same, if not better. but both are not the key or even needed. neither do they guarantee success. when success does not come then that is surely not always (mostly not cause there are more "unsuccessful jobs" in the world.(but where do we draw the line? thats personal i guess.)) personal failure but often just their luck of how things in life go, where they are, what opportunities they comes across, small mistakes in their early career that keeps promotion away or that co-worker that started 3 weeks ago and already is the managers favorite, racism, love, travels, military duty, etc. etc. there is soooo much more to it then just education and determination... you have full control over your actions but not full control over your life. other peoples actions also effect your life, if you want to or not.
Meritocracy doesn't "promise" someone success
meritocracy does not. education and determination don't do that either.
while the meritocratic system doesn't promise someone success. do the people living in a meritocracy promise each other success. on a early age it is most noticeable because all parents want the best for their kids and so its also easy relatable. but at a older age we still do it. when somebody is/feels down for example then most people will either go along with the sentiment or try to make the other feel better by giving them a different insight and coming with "solutions" on how it will become oke again. while these solutions are not guaranteed success.
The converse would be a far worse alternative to think about.
meritocracy is like democracy. it's far from perfect, but 1 of the better options.
Yes, luck is often a cruel mistress when doling out the gifts. And so does whether a person is born innately intelligent, handsome, etc. Or someone could be born with a silver spoon and be the heir to a cushy job in a booming company. But these are unfortunately factors we cannot control, just as how we cannot control the path of a tornado, but we can certainly spring to action to react to it. I think it would be futile to brood over such factors too much in the long run. As pointed out by yourself, one can have full control over your actions. In reality and the workplace, that is often the only solid and real thing we can grasp on to. Better something than nothing.
Meritocracy isn't a surefire method of success, but it does even out the playing field as much as possible. A good education and a culture for it would also hopefully inculcate esteemed values such as determination, diligence, etc. Education doesn't just entail book reading.
I can't speak for others, but whilst I was brought up in a household that emphasied studying, I was always told to continue onwards with the effort. Essentially the core message that I was partook of the experience was that success can be as fleeting as it comes. After all, that is the very essence of meritocracy, that success has to be constantly fought for and earned as it is never permanent.
And for that, I am very thankful for the great man's vision. It's a much fairer system than what the rest of the world has to begrudge and endure.
*It just came to my mind that if success is guaranteed, then that would rob success of any meaning!
we cannot control the path of a tornado, but we can certainly spring to action to react to it. I think it would be futile to brood over such factors too much in the long run. As pointed out by yourself, one can have full control over your actions. In reality and the workplace, that is often the only solid and real thing we can grasp on to. Better something than nothing.and if the tornado keeps destroying your construction project then that wouldn't feel as a fail? after all, you still don't have what you have been working so hard for all the time. i think it would feel like you have been wasting your time pursuing this house near the lake. (i love metaphors, sorry =P )
After all, that is the very essence of meritocracy, that success has to be constantly fought for and earned as it is never permanent.many forget about that around here. they think that they work now for a lifetime of freedom and joy once they have made success.
It just came to my mind that if success is guaranteed, then that would rob success of any meaning!true that.. but they say success will always come eventually. so just keep going until you make it... but that is not guaranteed either.
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