Make yourself useful and work for life

Yesterday a Raymond Lo wrote to the ST to encourage Singaporeans to make themselves useful and they can be guaranteed of life time employment. His role model was LKY, who he quoted, at 86, 'MM Lee did, to a gruelling round of visits to Malaysia, meeting important personalities, gauging opinions and cementing ties. He has my respect and admiration because he does it for Singapore's well being.' In the same page a Kelvin Tan wrote to complain about the plight of his 81 year old father who was literally a football, being kicked all over the place and no one interested in his well being. The old man could not qualify for the Eldershield and need to be certified as 'disabled' to get help from the Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly(Idape). And it needs a simple process to confirm that he could not eat, dress, bathe or go to the toilet, move around and transfer from bed to chair. Kelvin Tan was able, and made many calls only to be pushed around too, with no solution to his father's plight. He was very disappointed. What is the moral of the two stories? 1. One must be useful. 2. One must be your own boss and have a job that is only yours, to work at your own time, to decide what you want to do and not to do. 3. No one there to breathe down your neck, to check on you and ask you to hurry. Why so slow? 4. The job must pay so well that you die die still want to work. How many of the taxi drivers would want to work to their 80s if they have a choice? How many cleaners, clerical staff, executives, mechanics, technicians or even professionals would want to work till their 80s if there is someone younger and fiercer yelling at them at every little mistakes they make? I would like to emulate LKY if I have that kind of job, or even be his personal blogger for the rest of my life for a pittance of a minister's pay. To be real, find something to do and enjoy doing it, like blogging or photography, and make yourself happy. No one to boss around with you and you decide what, when, where and how to do it. Happy blogging people. Forget about emulating LKY. Forget about emulating Nathan or Chok Tong. Find your own peace. But don't end up as a football to be kicked around, useless and unwanted.