The
world was his stage. He was one of the key actors playing his part brilliantly
and at times to eclipse the roles of many big players. In a way he usurped the
roles of other bigger players and claimed the stage as his own when others
faltered or could not continue to stay on and were replaced. His endurance made
him a permanent cast to provide the continuity in an unending play. He
was there when new players were introduced into the stage to show them the rope,
how to play their roles without tripping on stage.
At
home he had a smaller stage, in fact too small for him that there was no room
for anyone else except himself. The years of honing his skills pushed him to
eminence as the undisputed master in the trade, both at home and in the
world. Now the master is gone. The
students have learnt, but not too well. Oops, some thought they have learnt enough
to be able to carry the candle and pass it on. None of the students are in his
class, to level up with him, but could be masters in their own right, in the
smaller stage back home.
LKY
is the equivalent of Huang Fei Hong, and his disciples will remain his
disciples, with none able to achieve and attain his level of skills to play at
the highest level of the game.
The
students will play their parts but would not excel to propel them to the
international stage like the master, not at the moment. Perhaps some might hone
their skills to keep the flame burning and find their place in the
international stage as a major player, perhaps. Perhaps left on their own, they
would grow and fight their way onto the world stage. They would have to prove
their worth to be there, no one will be there to offer them a place on stage.
They must earn it.
What
is worrying is that the smaller stage, the home stage maybe too small for the
students but not in the same way it was too small for LKY. In their blinded
ignorance or arrogance, they brought in bigger players to play in the small
stage with a false sense of security. Little did they realize that when the
master was around, no outsiders would dare to usurp their role to upstage the
disciples. The master was still keeping a keen eye on the stage. Now master is
no more.
Would
the students be able to hold on to their prominent role in the home stage? Or
would they be ousted from the stage by the bigger and more ruthless players
from afar, without the protection and watchful eyes of the master? The students
have a small stage to play on. Would the stage be too small that there would be
no standing ground for them to stand on?
The
students have learnt, or may have learnt, but may not have mastered much of the
master’s prowess and shrewdness to stay on the stage. It looked easy when the
master was around. It even looked easy to be calafare on the international
stage, as stand ins or guest stars. Minus the master’s overwhelming presence
and aura, the big stage would be too crowded for them. Hopefully they can keep
on dancing on the small stage and not be taken away from them. Dancing on the
small stage can also prove perilous to the naïve, innocence and daft.
Would
they lose the stage? Would they lose their pants? Forget about dancing on the
world stage when the master is gone.
