Activism is the rent we pay for living on earth

i m moved by tis quote.

activism is not limited to being concerned abt the environment or protecting the rights of unprivileged & oppressed few.

my intepretation of activisim is to haf a genuine concern for EVERYTHING tat goes on ard u AND to haf the courage to STAND UP & TAKE ACTION to correct any 'wrong' tat u see.

yes, it sounds awfully self-righteous yet it is exactly tis strong sense of self-righteousness tat keep ppl disciplined & acting in a morally responsible manner.

it need not be always campaigning or protesting or picketing.
it can be something as simple as voicing out when u spot a mistake at work.

the spirit should b so internalised tat it's an automatic reaction to speak up.

and sad to say, it is NEVER cultivated in our young when in skools.

i m fortunate to haf frens sharing the same beliefs and i believe the strong chinese education background plays a part too. chinese education emphasize on moral education & thought leadership.

and i m even more fortunate to work in a company tat stresses integrity and encourages constructive confrontation. yes, tat is the msg we get from the CEO himself.

we exhibit our activism in our feedback abt service gone wrong and being brave enuff to confront authority in a constructive manner

i find it extremely sad when ppl keep quiet & suffer in silence or choose to ignore wat they r unhappy abt, whether it's work or in the family.

and these r not the poorly educated or uneducated.
these r the 'elites' wif at least a degree under their belt.

if we can't tell rite from wrong
if we dun even haf the courage to speak up
den frankly, i tink all the 'education' we got is wasted.

wat the education system has produced is someone hoo has earned a paper yet is NOT a learned person.

one good example was when i excited told my fren abt the rallies during GE2006.
he turned ard and asked mi 'why do u like such things?'
i haf no answer for him den as his reaction surprised mi.
it's not a matter of wat i like.
it's a matter of being a responsible Singaporean and setting a good example to my children tat every vote counts & must be exercised carefully.
if i had shown the same disinterest as my fren, wat kind of altitude will my kids grow up wif?