Tuesday 8 October 2013

A wedding and a taxi driver

Last weekend, I attended a niece wedding in Kuching. I attach two photographs here that captured the mood of the occasion.




The informal and casual dinner was attractive to me. But what struck me most was that people were genuine. They had fun in the simplest way. There was no professional entertainer. The guests took to the floor singing and dancing, no formality and no pretension.

The dinner was at a chinese restaurant. People of all ages and races attended. People spoke in all languages. There was no need to be “sensitive”.

A Bumiputra lady went on stage to sing for the bride, her colleague at work. She sang an English song, after she greeted the audience in English and Mandarin.

This reminds me of a taxi ride I took a few weeks ago in Singapore. The driver was in his seventies. We talked and soon I asked why he is still driving, obviously referring to his age.

He said he has to support himself and his wife. I naturally asked about his children. He said he has two sons, both working. Then he quickly added, they have to take care of their families too. And offering the explanation that making a living is hard these days. He was obviously answering my yet unspoken question.

Intuitively and without thinking, I asked him, would life not be better had we not progress into a developed economy but remained as farmers and fishermen? At least, he would have his children and grandchildren around him, even if they do not have all the material assets he might currently posses. He was silent and so was I until we arrived at Changi Airport.

Economic development and comfort of an urban lifestyle do not make life more pleasant and meaningful.

19 comments:

  1. We can all relate to your fine observations Datuk!

    There are many instances where we witness people of different backgrounds share joyful moments together - just the other day my wife urged me to quickly snap a photo of three young Malay, Chinese, and Indian girls laughing and walking together happily in a mall and post it to FB or somewhere just to show that our race relations are doing fine, just as she did when we were at a playground with our grandchildren watching them play with kids of all races. Against this background isn't it sickening to hear and see politicians driving the wedge between us?

    As for the taxi driver, I am sad that he has to still drive taxi for a living, and missing his children. I know of retirees who drive taxi not only for that extra income but also because they have nothing to do at home. I escaped boredom and the drudgery of routines to the wilderness where the air is still fresh and the only noise is the chirping of birds and the river flowing nearby. Instead of going to the gym I get my exercise by tending to the trees that I grow.

    Of course our children whom we had taken the trouble to educate are busy now with their careers and families - which is not to say you can't meet up every now and then to chit chat and makan, or even go for holidays together.

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  2. With all due respect datok, I think the lives of farmers and fishermen are no picnic either. A freak of nature draught or especially wet season will mean a year of income gone. That will result in hunger and malnutrition. Fishermen of the old bore high amount of risk as the sea is not the most predictable place on earth.

    Economics development and urban lifestyle can be meaningless but it doesnt have to be. I can see a lot of middle income living very fulfilled lives. Singapore, and most SEA countries, have the problem of widening income gap. Government policies such as very generous capital gain taxes are not helping.

    In short, I dont think there is a system that is the silver bullet to solve all kind of society ills. However I do think its easy to fall into the trap of selective rosy images of the past.

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  3. mr. tong,

    it is good that you had not lost your roots from your writing.
    i am waiting for your article on our samseng home minister.

    instead of migrating end enjoy life you choose to stay to fight on.
    buy you a teh tarik if happen to bump into you...............

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  4. ahh the simple life...... nothing gives me more joy than the simple pleasures of spending time with the lovely kids. But alas we do have to make ends meet and kids will grow and will invariably have their own lives. Whilst they are with us its our duty to nurture. Nothing nobler than a old taxi driver who carries on selflessly perhaps to lighten the burden of the kids.

    It is perhaps in giving and doing so unconditionally that we get the most fulfillment in life, I think that's a timeless value, and I am not too sure about us getting it tough, I dread to think what my kids will have to go through.

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  5. I won't be surprised that taxi driver has and still living a better life than many of us here!

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  6. well, very deep in everyone's thought. I don't know what I'll do when I'm seventies. But must salute to him. After-all, he is still contributing in some ways to the society.
    Very hard to still see healthy individuals still working. Most either being dumped to old folk's home, being tortured by sickness and suffering and eroding them off their wish to live on, relying (to some a burden) on their children......
    Well, he is still a useful individual.

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  7. Interesting article Datuk. In fact, just had similar philosophical discussion with some friends. My opinion is that true happiness is attained when we are free to choose our own life and path. A fisherman and farmer may not be happy if he felt trapped in his own life and felt useless if he thinks he cannot provide better for his family. It would be different if he chose to be a farmer or fisherman to be close to his family even though he can be earning a bit more but sacrificed time with his family.

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  8. I am from Kuching. Indeed, people there are straight n simple. Very friendly too. They emphasis a lot in relationship. I just had a vacation with my Kuching family in Bali, can see my 75 years old mum very happy even I dont book a five starts hotel for her and my sister & nephew. Urban n materialistic life will change the family life and relationsip. However if we can balance it, it might strengthening it. Eg, we work hard but reward ourselves with family. I know Datuk dd spend a lot of time and energy for your daughter wedding not long ago. This is a good example. I hope I will do it for my son in the future. Cheers....

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  9. Btw, u had seen some Kuching folks life, there is a group Kampung people need some help. https://dapmalaysia.org/donate/ (Disclaimer: I am not a DAP member but entrust this party will deliver the money to help the poor)

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  10. Just saw your vote at the left hand site. I vote 4. MCA is serve people. Not money making machine n making porn movies.

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  11. the problem in our politics all lies in umno, the divide and rule, and the biggest problem
    is created by some of the pseudo malay like the power crazy ex pm. an indian malay, second generation and was originaly from india and son of kutty. these power crazy false malay worries that the real malay would not support them, so fan racism to get support, and the power crazy real malay joins in the racism when they lose out to the false Indian/Chinese/Indonesian whatever malay.
    after decades of such racist politics by umno, the malay begins to become racist. God saves Msia, with souless in power and demonising theinorities.
    and the recent umno youth head of penang, racist remarks on pendatang, he is an indian too from india.
    you have to sale your soul to the devil, before you can sale your race. we are all malaysian, politics is about how to better the livelihood of the populace, not about race and religion. race is genetics, religion is about after life.

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  12. Life is something to miss only found something to treasure about. There is always a common throught. "If everyone in the world
    think like me , the world will become better or even happy ever after " the human greedy always accompany with an empty soul. Greedy motivate the life go on but making human becoming souless machine.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Life is something to miss only found something to treasure about. There is always a common throught. "If everyone in the world
    think like me , the world will become better or even happy ever after " the human greedy always accompany with an empty soul. Greedy motivate the life go on but making human becoming souless machine.

    ReplyDelete
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