Daily Lessons from life 19-21 September 2012 - FI, Population and Death ...

1. F1 Singapore - to continue or not

Heard on the radio show that Singapore needs F1 more than F1 needs Singapore! This REALLY upset me as Singapore can do without F1 for sure and I am sure F1 can do without Singapore as long as it can find another taker for this regressive and environmentally unfriendly luxury.

When folks argued that Singapore benefitted from hosting the multi-million dollar F1 for the last 5 years BUT could not quantify remotely the so-called acrreditive/positive economic impact, it is plain weak argument! If you cannot quantify the effects, how can you say it is generating positive impact?

Some commentators, must be the non-business and simple-minded type, that offerred the argument that BUSINESS PEOPLE who come to know about Singapore due to the hosting of F1 will come to invest in Singapore and bring jobs and prosperity to the country. It obviously did not occur to these commentators that Singapore IS one of the MOST recognized global city state in the world! Any business person worth his or her salt MUST have heard of Singapore before F1 comes here!! Surely!!

2. Declining National Population

A, or another, BIG national debate on HOW to reverse the declining population trend in Singapore before the native become a minority!

Before we can solve this challenge, we need to understand WHY do married couples, leaving the question of single not getting or not able to get married, not want to have children.

The top usual suspects are: stressful life as parents, high cost of living especially housing/education and medical care, lousy work-life balance, family-unfriendly work practices, need to build careers, lifestyle choices, etc.

Some of the reasons are actually intertwined and related e.g. lousy work-life balance and high cost of living/education/medical care and stressful life are interrelated.

Some root causes when resolved lead to disappearance of other related factors.

I like to tackle just one of the root causes of why people think or believe that it is stressful to be a parent: GOOD Parenting Skills.

If new parents apply GOOD PARENT SKILLS to their babies and kids while they are young, it is easier to mold their values and behaviors that reflect the values (both intrinsic and learned). e.g. giving effective feedback that inform the wayward kids about 'what they have done and the impact created on the task at hands or/& themselves or/& people who interact with/care for them'. Then check-in if they agree or disagree with the observation and facts shared. If they do, great. If not, ask Skillful Questions to understand/clarify that promote better mutual understanding before moving on to exploring the 'right behaviors to show or cultivate going forward', etc. This two-way communication process will include effective listening skill. Tips and tactics on how to control/manage one's emotion when confronted by aggression due to not understanding where we are coming from will be helpful instead of instant combustion and react with 'an eye for an eye' ferocity.

When we bring up 'good kids', they will be independent thinking and be a help to the parents instead of being a burden or worry or source of stress. They will study on their own, help with household chores, know not to demand for the latest gadgets or toys that the parents perhaps cannot afford, etc.

That will bring plenty of joy to being parents and stress-relief for worrying about the kids' education and the money for the 'private tuition'!

Of course, this action MUST be supplemented by other actions that address the root causes of why our education system is so stressful for the kids and the parents, etc...

3. Death

The death of a 80-year old cleaner while on the job in a hawker center is a very sad news. She only has 2 days off in a month and has to work pretty long hours. We do not know the circumstances that led her to having to still work for a living at the ripe old age of 80. Suffice to say in a 1st World Vibrant Global City/Nation, any 80-year old should have earned his or her share to retire peacefully and not work till one drops dead!

Maybe this is a very specific case. I hope so as it is a very very sad news to leave the world in this manner in the wealthiest nation in the world per capita!!