It was remarkable how many talks I gave last week: 6 talks in 6 days!
On Monday, it was with a Cru group at the National University of Singapore, on Tuesday it was at the Annual General Meeting of the EDB Society, on Wednesday it was at the Institute of Policy Studies Corporate Associates Breakfast, on Thursday it was at U@live at the National University of Singapore for NUS students and alumni, on Friday it was the Straits Times Big Read Meet at the National Library Board Building for the general public, and on Saturday it was at the Annual General Meeting of the Association for Early Childhood Educators (Singapore).
While the approach and contents of my talk were different for each audience, one important common underlying point was about how we approach inheritance.
There are three ways we can handle inheritance.
The first is to say, “Wow, I am really lucky! My grandfather left me this inheritance. I will spend it and enjoy myself.”
The second is to say, “My grandfather left me this inheritance. It is so precious. I have to lock it up and make sure no one steals it.”
And the third is to say, “This inheritance is so valuable. I need to work at keeping up its value.”
Of course, the best is to benefit in all three ways. And it can be done: Invest to keep up the value, Invest in a way which is safe and secure, and Invest to yield ongoing income that can be enjoyed.
This approach to inheritance can be applied to material inheritance – money, valuables, property, and so on. But it can just as well be applied to intangible inheritance – the environment, law and order, education, sound organisation, good leadership, critical values and principles, as well as a culture of honour as the foundation for the peace, harmony, stability, and well-being of Singapore.
To honour does not mean to always agree or to support blindly; to honour is to love, respect, esteem, value, and care for others in the spirit of integrity, other-centredness, and responsibility.
May we all have the wisdom to choose well, and the courage to do right!