Daily Lessons from Life 09 July 2014 - Children Cleaning & S'pore Jihadists!

World Cup Updates: Brazil's most 'humiliating' defeat in football in recent decades! 1:7 loss to Germany this morning! It was surreal when the 3rd goal went in looking at the faces and responses of the players and the innocent passionate Brazilian fans! The 'Crying Boy' image is most powerful. Sad they all should be as theirs is a football proud and crazy country. Let the emotions out. As much as possible. When the emotion subsides, perspective will be gained that it is ONLY a football game. There will be many more football matches. The next World Cup is in 2018. A new generation of players, officials and fans will continue to enjoy the beautiful game in Brazil. And around the world.

"Get the children's hands dirty to inculcate values - The Straits Times Jul 07, 2014   

Two weeks ago I visited a public primary school in the Philippines and saw something that I have not seen in decades.

Right after the morning assembly at 7.30, the pupils in the Cauayan South Central School picked up brooms, dust pans and rags to clean their classrooms, staircases and common areas.

The area cleaning was an official 30-minute block in their timetable under "character education" and "community service".

How apt, I thought.

It reminded me of when I was in primary school from 1976 to 1981 and our daily ritual of school cleaning. I remember even having to clean the teachers' common room.

When I enlisted for national service in 1987, I continued to clean. It was normal for soldiers to clean their own bunks, toilets, barracks and common areas in the camp.

Now, armies of cleaners and maids have taken over most of the cleaning of our schools and homes.

The only cleaning that pupils do these days is the sweeping of their classroom floors and wiping of blackboards."

AND

"Syrian conflict a security concern, some S'poreans have joined fight: DPM Teo
 

A key challenge is to counter the radical propaganda used by the terrorists and radical ideologues to recruit fighters.

At the core of the issue is an ideological battle, between those who distort Islam for their violent political ends, and those who uphold the tenets of Islam as a religion of peace."

Both piece of news are about 'culture' and 'character building'. One with the religious overtone. The other without!

Lessons for me are:

1. normal household chores SHOULD be standard routine for the kids to take care of. The excuses of they are better off spending their time studying, completing revision of worksheets and 10-year-series examination papers, etc instead of doing household chores SHOULD BE outlaw! Seriously!

This CRY of our kids are pampered WILL NOT go away IF we DON'T mandate it as the PARENTs have gone used to having the maids around the house to 'help' the kids and themselves!;

2. 'jihadists' are by choice. Influence by the religious message that it is a holy mission to fight for the honour of Islam, the great religion. As I have repeated on many occasions too, religion is powerfully linked to emotion and NOT to rationality. When emotion is riled, rationality has no chance to help the person 'see' the logic and rationale of why when one fights in the name of religion DOES NOT make any sense. That is why it is very hard, almost impossible, to 'reason' with the radicals. Extreme measures are required in such extreme situation. Hopefully it is not abused to turn the measures into 'witch-hunting' and persecuting 'people with strong diverse views but practice peace and harmonious method' of debating and arriving at 'agree-to-disagree' state at worst!;

3. Both the issues in item 1 and 2 above CAN be resolved. The key is: are we prepared to be 'radical'. Radical in a nice way. Make 'kids above 12-year old do simple household chores like washing dishes and taking out the thrash daily or rotation if there are more than 1 such kid in the family'. Mandate that when anyone is found out to harbour intention to become a jihadist, ISA will be enforced without hesitation and mercy.

Kids for the future. Religious harmony in Singapore in focus too.