To me, the Commonwealth means unity in diversity. I see it somewhat as an amalgamation of different cultures and practices where the best values are picked up from and shared across. While the Commonwealth can be viewed rather negatively given it's past history, I choose to believe that the Commonwealth exists to bring nations together to work towards the better good. Which of the Commonwealth values and principles do you hold as most important to you as a leader and why?
The Commonwealth value and principle I hold as most important to me as a leader is human rights. This I believe that all of us are equals - the privilege and underprivileged. The environment that we are born into should not dictate whether or not we have access to basic human rights such as education, job opportunities, food, shelter and water.
s most important to you as a
leader and why?
6.
Is there anything you would add to the Commonwealth Charter?
Society tells us that leadership is about position, power and authority. To me, leadership to me is about viewing others as equals, walking the talk and championing others.
Steve Jobs once said, “Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
And I can't resonate more. Indeed our time here on earth is limited. How are we going to spend it?
As I sit down tonight trying to pen down my thoughts, I’ve had to ask myself, “why am I who I am today?” Lots have changed over the past few years. I certainly am not who I was 5 years ago when I first started embarking on this journey.
Growing up in a typical Asian family and the youngest of 3, I’ve not always been one who was outspoken, brave and courageous. In fact, I’ve always been known as the girl who was shy, soft spoken and timid. As a kid, I was never sure of myself – I’ve always had the privilege of depending on my older siblings to make decisions for me anyway. I’ve always felt the need to please others around me – to try to fit in. Often, that also required me to give in and go against my stands and principles. Because of that, I spent years trying to figure out who I am really am. For years it felt like a battle of me being against the world. How do I be in the world but not of the world? That internal struggle often left me feeling defeated and discouraged – I struggled for a long time with accepting myself and loving myself for who I am and not who I try and hope to be.
However, the journey of self-discovery started when I was 11 years old. At 11 years old, I came to know Christ at a children’s church camp that my friends had invited me to. Being someone who spent years feeling conflicted and exhausted of having to work towards meeting the expectations of others and myself, it was very much comforting to come to know of a Good, Good Father who loves me as I am. Not for who I hope to be. Not for who I try to be. Not for my accomplishments. Not for my grades. Not for my hopes and dreams. Not for my skills and talents or what I could offer to Him. Nor for my good deeds…but as I am. Broken, hurting, and trying to figure out what life wanted out of me.
Getting to know of a love that erased all the lines and sees the truth was empowering. The years that followed was a much needed season of recovery and acceptance and learning more about the heart of my Father. And in those years, He convicted my heart, taught me to love beyond myself and revealed to me the little ways that He could use me as a little pencil in the hands of a loving God who was writing a love letter to the world. In those years, He also taught me to see beyond myself and my own needs – and be more aware to the people around me. He taught me to have a heart of thanksgiving, to be thankful for what I had – and ask, how can I use what I have now to make a difference to the communities around me? Discovering Jesus did not make me perfect. But it made me learn to work through my imperfections and accept that I was, am not and will never be perfect – and that’s okay. It made me learn that I didn’t have to keep striving to meet the expectations of others. It made me learn to be a little kinder to myself.
And hence, that started me on my journey of learning to love like He does. At 17, fresh out of high school and with a good 4 months in my hands, I decided that instead of working – like what many of my friends were doing, I wanted to experience volunteering.
Being young, naïve and still having plenty of internal battles, I thought to myself, “If I can’t fix myself, let me at least try helping someone. Maybe, just maybe – even if I can fix my problems, I may be able to help others fix theirs.” With 4 months of freedom, the plan really was to spend the next 4 months investing wholeheartedly into a community, make an impact, then leave once I started college. The plan was to go in to teach. To give. To help. I thought that I could do all those because I was more privileged. The society I grew up in taught me that the privileged and less privileged weren’t equals. The privileged was much better off – we are entitled and because of the work of our forefathers, we deserved to be where we are today : not having to worry about when our next meal was ; higher education wasn’t even a question – it was something our parents had to provide for us.
However, the 4 months spent with the kids, getting to know them and listening to their stories left me completely shattered. It was very much a humbling process and I found myself learning so much more than teaching, receiving so much more than giving.
The two most important things that the kids have taught me over the past 4 years :
1.The kids taught me to love and honor.
The language barrier was very real in the communities. They spoke Burmese. I spoke English. But for the first time ever – I truly understood what it really meant by letting our actions speak louder thanyour words. The kids embodied just that – each time I walked into the school, I would see a bunch of kids ready to greet me – a few will grab my bags for me, while the rest would hold my hands and walk into school. They continue to do it week in and out, faithfully – and the joy on their faces showed that it is a privilege to serve.
On one of my first visits into the school, I had already ended class and was packing up to leave when I spotted a shy girl who was barely 7 years old standing in a corner and looking at me. She looked as if she wanted to approach me, but didn’t quite know how to. I then decided to go up to her and talk to her. It was our first time meeting – while speaking to her I happened to glance at her wrist and comment on the Indian bangles she was wearing telling her that it was very pretty. That seemed to have broken the ice. She looked at me – broke into a smile, then looked down at her wrist..and after much careful selection – she passed me one of her bracelets that was free of any missing jewels and scratches, then whispered in my ear “this is for you, teacher. Thank you for everything.” This girl didn’t have much. But she gave me her best.
Comparatively, when I work with the “privileged communities”, I’ve had horrible experiences where a lot of times, charity organizations are used as a “feel good dumping ground”. Often when approaching the new year, families would do their spring cleaning and donate things from the house that they no longer would need. But often, the items donated are in horrible condition – clothes that are thorn, dirty and yellow, used personal care items, closed to expiry half eaten food, toys that were broken – these items are often donated in the name of charity, simply because it’s too much of a waste to throw it into the bin.
2.The kids taught me to hunger for education and opportunities
I’ve never met a bunch of kids who are more eager for education. The schools I teach in are often humid, dark and claustrophobic. Because of the lack of space, we’ll have about 80 kids crammed up into 2 rented flat units. What divides classes are often just curtains. Yet the kids come to school faithfully every day, deal with the noise and lack of space and give their best. They don’t only do just that, they save up money to buy second hand English books to self-study outside of school.
One of my first few students is a girl named *Student H. After a year of studying, Student H dropped out of school to work as she needed to support her family. While working, she caught on to Tuberculosis and was admitted to the hospital for close to a month. Because Tuberculosis attacked her nerves and not her lungs, it took the doctors awhile to diagnose her and treat her. When I visited her, she sat me down and asked me if she could come back to school after getting out of the hospital. I said yes – and 2 weeks later, we saw her back in school. She was still visibly weak and in pain from the nerve damage, yet she came to school every single day – with a cloth wrapped around her hand, just to hold the muscles in place so that she could write. Till today, her determination, strength and grit still inspires me.
