Reflection of 2014
I had entered 2015 rattled, shaken and hesitant to move forward. To a certain extent, I felt no rest even throughout the "holiday season" (I was trying to plow through my report and assist a friend to analyse the economic policies of Japan since the 2000s). It would take me another few more days before I could genuinely slow down and get some rest.
There are many ways to look back at 2014. I used my photos and blog posts as key indicators of the milestones across the year. It was kind of poignant. Some friends who were with me at the start of 2014 ended up in their valleys at the end of the year. At this point in time, they are still trying to make sense of their lives. Overall, the first half of the year was cushy, but the later half was a roller-coaster. I had gained some, and I had lost some.
There are many ways to look back at 2014. I used my photos and blog posts as key indicators of the milestones across the year. It was kind of poignant. Some friends who were with me at the start of 2014 ended up in their valleys at the end of the year. At this point in time, they are still trying to make sense of their lives. Overall, the first half of the year was cushy, but the later half was a roller-coaster. I had gained some, and I had lost some.
To a certain extent, I felt that I had stagnated in my learning. I had not been stimulated by new ideas, largely because I did not spend enough time to focus on these things. Sure, I did receive a refresher about some old stuff (chaotic systems, marketing research, monetary economics, theology, etc), picked up Python and read a few books, but I felt that these were simply sub-par to what I can actually do. I need to challenge myself to acquire more knowledge and gain new perspectives in the months to come.
However I had also gained many things.I had opportunities to sharpen my presentation and leadership skills. I had plenty of projects to manage and learn from. I had friends who stuck by me throughout the year. I experienced romance and kinship at a deeper level. I had been given the privilege to serve the elderly and foreign workers. I learnt about the limitations of doing good and gaps in social policy. I got my finances in order. I had made some new friends. My family had grown closer across the year.
On doing good......
1) It is easy to do good on impulse, but it is not easy to journey with people.
2) Helping hurts. True love demands sacrifice. To help the hurting, you need to deny your own rights.
3) We have many assumptions about poverty, but the causes can be rather surprising.
On relationships .......
1) When infatuation dies along with its nagging set of expectations, longings and fantasies, the real relationship can begin.
2) Take popular advice on "friendzone" and other ideas with a pinch of salt.
3) Ignore hearsay about the person. Tune out those nagging voices (even the well-meaning ones). Let go of your assumptions and expectations. Get your information from the source.
4) Expectations kill relationships. Anchor yourself on the reality of the person and the relationship rather than mounting expectations.
5) Always choose what you know to be the best for the other party, even if it is disadvantageous for yourself (of course you should get your facts right before assuming it is the best choice). True love gives liberally.
6) Like-mindedness and chemistry is overrated. Faithfulness and appreciation fuel solid relationships in the long run.
On social policy ......
1) It is impossible for the government to reach out to every needy individual in society, unless we are prepared to expand the budget and size of social agencies and ministries.
2) One thing that stood out was ignorance. Ignorance does not equate to stupidity. For example, I have a reasonable intelligence but I am clearly ignorant about the lives of the hill tribes in Taiwan. However the ignorance of social policies and assistance schemes proved to be a huge obstacle towards matching the needy to the appropriate organisations/caregivers. Some of them refused help from the government due to fear, misconceptions or plain denial of their abject situation. Others lacked the resources to research and contact the relevant organisations for help. Some of them were not available when social workers/volunteers visited them for consultation because they had to struggle and work into the ungodly hours.
3) Civil society must step in to fill in the gap. Sometimes it is not a matter of giving money and walking away. If we pause to listen to their stories, we'll have a rough idea of who they ought to contact. By a simple process of listening, googling and passing them the relevant contacts, we would have relieved them of the search costs and allowed more efficient matching of needs to agencies.
On social policy ......
1) It is impossible for the government to reach out to every needy individual in society, unless we are prepared to expand the budget and size of social agencies and ministries.
2) One thing that stood out was ignorance. Ignorance does not equate to stupidity. For example, I have a reasonable intelligence but I am clearly ignorant about the lives of the hill tribes in Taiwan. However the ignorance of social policies and assistance schemes proved to be a huge obstacle towards matching the needy to the appropriate organisations/caregivers. Some of them refused help from the government due to fear, misconceptions or plain denial of their abject situation. Others lacked the resources to research and contact the relevant organisations for help. Some of them were not available when social workers/volunteers visited them for consultation because they had to struggle and work into the ungodly hours.
3) Civil society must step in to fill in the gap. Sometimes it is not a matter of giving money and walking away. If we pause to listen to their stories, we'll have a rough idea of who they ought to contact. By a simple process of listening, googling and passing them the relevant contacts, we would have relieved them of the search costs and allowed more efficient matching of needs to agencies.
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