lets talk religion

We talk religion. That is what the Straits Times did today. Several pages were devoted entirely on the topic of religion and how it will affect social cohesion in a multi religious society like ours. And from some of the comments made by religious leaders of the different sects, they came out quite sensible and reasonable. Religion will always be a pricky thing given what it is and what were written in the scriptures of different faiths. I have read some of them, and unless the religious leaders are revolutionary enough to take a tough stand to expunge the divisive and racist contents in them, religion will always be a dangerous instrument that will drive men to kill each other. Read the various scriptures honestly and find out for yourself what is in there. What we see today are the sanitised versions of religion in practice while the ugly and offensive doctrines have been quitely swept under the carpet, not spoken and pretend not to exist. As long as these doctrines remain in the scriptures, they will be used as a weapon by the unscrupulous at the right moment to divide and destroy each other. What I think is important is for everyone to ask himself/herself on what is being preached to them. Are they sensible and reasonable? Or are they divisive and destructive? One easy gauge is to check on the intellectual level of the preacher. How wise is he/she? Never believe in anyone that is intellectually inferior to yourself and who is teaching you things that you are uncomfortable with. If one is intellectually superior to the preacher, there is no reason not to find your own answers in the scriptures and interpret the scriptures using your own intellect and wisdom instead of relying on the doubtful interpretation of an unwise and intellectually inferior character. The sickening part is that many are fakes or hypocrites.

please don't make people beg for help

The man who jumped the MRT track was jobless for a few months. His wife was earning about $500. He left behind two sons age 13 and 15. Before he left, he probably had only $9 left and he gave it to his younger son to top up his EZ link card. That was the last gesture of a father to his son. And he told them to take care of their mother. 'last night, west coast GRC (boon lay) MP and grassroot leaders went to mr tan's funeral wake, and pass $1000 cheque to his family. MP said if the tan family had look for help from the grassroot organisations, the tradegy would have been avoided. she said actually govt provide a lot of assistance schemes for the people, but people are unwilling or don't know how to get help.' I hope all MPs and the govt understand these words. Many people are unwilling to come forward to beg for help. Also many people may not know where to go for help. It is not an easy thing even for a desperate man to go knocking doors looking for help. It is thus better to reduce the cost of living instead than to keep raising the cost of essential goods services and expect people to come begging.

myth 78

'When age is wisdom' The 21st century is seeing a dramatic change in the belief that maturity and wisdom come with age. And age is, or was, important in how human's manage their lives, societies and countries. This pillar of age old wisdom is crumbling down since the dying years of the 20th century. During that period we have seen the rise and success of many young entrepreneurs, Steve Jobs, Bill Gate, home grown Sim Wong Hoo, the Yahoo, Google, Hotmail and now Youtube, all pointing to the power of youth. The youth has arrived. Youth signifies dynamism, vitality, creativity, freshness, impulse, derring do, spontaneity, adverturism, hip, cool, and the future. Even in the corporate scene we have seen the youth elbowing all the oldies out of their cushy jobs. And once entrenched in power, they made sure that no oldies are allowed to intrude into their newly conquered space. Senior managements are now dominated by the 40s. Soon the 30s will be knocking at their doors. Even in politics, we are seeing more brilliant young people stepping forward to run the nation. And they will run the nation and elbow out the oldies just like they have done in corporations. It is time to can the oldies. Any oldies passing 40 should give up, and forget about looking for a job. Where is there a need for people who cannot run, dance, or stand? The 21st century is the century of youth, of fun and laughters, of merriment, of living life to the fullest. There is no need for the conservative oldies to be around. Life is for living. Everyday is a celebration.

my article in the new paper

haha, it has seen the light...today oct 19.

high medical cost or how to pay?

Khaw Boon Wan in front page news again, in the limelight as the fighter to bring down medical cost. Or maybe I should rephrase it, to make medical cost affordable, or maybe more precise, how to make payment in a way that is easier on the pocket throught extended payments instead of at one go. Am I confusing? I just got this feeling that everyone is barking at the wrong tree, missing the problem or avoiding the real cause of the problem and going around offering solutions which they think are really solving the problem. It is very similar to the problem of traffic congestion. If the road users are constant, if the roads available are the same, no matter how much one increases the ERP charges, there will be congestion if not at point A or road A, it will be at point B or road B, or hopefully, the drivers give up and take public transport. The real problem with medical cost is medical cost. If the cost of medical care is high, no matter how much insurance, how much co payment, how many types of medishield, someone must pay. It is either you pay first or pay later. Or it could be the majority of non users subsidising the minority of big users. Or worst, it could be the poorer group subsidising the richer groups who used private hospitals or A wards. Though they may contribute higher premiums, but their claims are that much more in relation to what they put in. That's what insurance is all about. Pooling of funds. So whoever uses more is being subsidised by those who don't use. Now, do we understand where is the real problem?

A starts fire, B puts out fire

The haze just get worst everyday. And as all the affected nations are thinking of ways to douse the forest on fire, the firestarters are planning when and where they are going to start another fire. To the plantation owners, it is so cheap to burn and clear the forest for their use. Why spend the money to cut or bulldoze the jungle and taking months to do it? Burning is the cheapest and most economical way and effective way of doing the job. So we are going to see the firestarters starting fire while the neighbouring govt spending money trying to douse the fire. How silly can things really get? And who is paying for the effort?

how to provoke a nuclear war?

And the spin doctors are now hard at work spinning more stories about how evil the North Koreans are and how many more detections of radioactivity and more tests. North Korea, you are doomed. North Korea 'will pay a very, very high price for its reckless behaviour,' said Christopher Hill. The world shall learn a lesson from the Americans on how to provoke a nuclear power with punitive actions and avoid having a nuclear war. The way the Japanese and Americans are pushing the North Koreans, war is only a matter of time. That is the only sure thing to happen when nations think that it can bully another nation to dance to their tune. Just keep at upping the ante.