Learn to live with the cobra

Of late I am thinking quite a bit about the law of "unintended consequences" be it in individual actions or government policies. It appears to me unintended consequences seem to be present everywhere. 

One example was what I gathered from the podcast "Revisionist History". In 1954 the US Supreme court ruled that it was unconstitutional to have racially segregated school which was the practice in some southern states. At that time it was felt that the schools for the black children were at a disadvantage due to lesser funding and were less equipped. The intention was to offer equal opportunities for all children. As a result schools were forced to integrate resulting in the closure of some schools formerly catering for black students. Thousands of black teachers however lost their jobs because white parents were reluctant to have their children under a black teacher. It seems that to this day black and other minority teachers are still under represented in the teaching force.In addition studies have shown that black children do not fare as well under a white teacher than a black teacher, which partly explains decades of poor performance by black students.

Back home our "stop at two" campaign rapidly reduced the fertility rate among the Chinese and the more educated. By 1980 the fertility rate was below replacement level. Since this policy reminds me of LKY, I can not help but wonder how the law of unintended consequences relates to the recent strife in the Lee family. With the best of intention LKY wanted 38 Oxley demolished, but because of this wish, a struggle so intense arose in the first family. Surely it was not a consequence he had envisaged.

Even in our personal lives we would never imagine how certain things turn out. For example we may spur our children to pursue the highest education possible and to chase after their own dreams so as to live a more fulfilling life. The unintended consequence is when they choose to invest time solely in themselves rather than with another person. They develop a insatiable desire to learn and experience more things and simply not prepared to start a family.

Anyway the funniest unintended consequence must be that of the "Cobra effect".
"The British government was concerned about the number of venomous cobra snakes in Delhi. The government therefore offered a bounty for every dead cobra. Initially this was a successful strategy as large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward. Eventually, however, enterprising people began to breed cobras for the income. When the government became aware of this, the reward program was scrapped, causing the cobra breeders to set the now-worthless snakes free. As a result, the wild cobra population further increased. The apparent solution for the problem made the situation even worse."

I guess there will always be the good and bad arising from every action no matter how much prior planning and thorough thinking. If even the most visionary people can not escape from it, we just have to be more zen about it then, ie. learn to live with the cobras.

Thinking aloud about the famiLee strife

In April last year I lamented about the sibling squabble in our first family made public . The squabble has now taken on a new dimension such that I can describe the split in the family as tantamounting to that of hated enemies. All Singaporeans can now access through facebook the accusations and grudge between both parties. I was attending a course on Resolving People Problem and the lecturer made reference to this family conflict when introducing new points and topics. Some of his perception seems appropriate although I don't quite agree with all his conclusions.

He alluded that all the siblings in this family are strong headed and are driven by the need for 'Power'. In this respect I may temporarily agree subject to much deeper thoughts. Now I do not really know the true intention of the 2 younger siblings. Is it just as many people believe to attack the elder brother for victimizing them or is it with a nobler intention of alerting a clueless and indifferent nation to the fatal consequences of the abuse of power in the government machinery.

 If it is the later then I lament that they did not strategise properly and did not seek the skill of a communication expert to put the message across succinctly. Instead the random blasting of accusations has backfired to some extent making them appear a bit like tantrum throwing kiddos. It did not help that they have all along been described as weird and impulsive. It makes me feel that how we normally carry ourselves in daily life is important and will affect us when we need support from others in critical moments. I also feel that if indeed their accusations are true (which is not really a big surprise given that most governments have this weakness to some extent), then I feel that it is a great opportunity lost because no one who knows these cracks can expose it as much as they can  without dire consequences. No one could have arrested it as much as they could have if done skillfully.

On the other hand if the accusations weren't true (mind you the younger siblings are also leaders in their own field) and they are just hitting back in vengeance after their wishes or 'principles' were curtailed by the 'all powerful' brother ie. their concern for the country is secondary, then I think there may be deeper psychological issues. The 3 siblings are offsprings of a benevolent, no nonsense, all powerful visionary leader. I can not for once imagine what it is like growing up in this family under an almost godlike figure. Do the children have a sense of inadequacy? Would this sense of inadequacy be more pronounced if the child is often not on the same page as the father. Could this then give rise to anti authority and establishment traits in them? As for the child who seemingly live up to the father's expectation, would he be on an infinite quest to uphold that image?

I am just thinking aloud

Borrowed life

When I  was meditating a few days ago something suddenly dawned on me. I am not sure whether it was a feeling, a thought or both. It occurred to me that we may be born into this world on a 'rented' body, something like an agent. The short term lease comes with conditions that will shape us. The life we have to live out will affect people around us from the closest within our family to the people we pass by in our daily routine. Perhaps part of it is destined but we are supposed to do the best as an interwoven thread of a big piece of tapestry. Perhaps we are 'tasked" to be this person's daughter, that person's mother and another's boss or subordinate and for some a leader of some sort. We then have to carry out our roles to the best we can. However we have no power over how others live because each thread is of a different shade and colour. Likewise we have no control on the outcome of our actions despite the best intentions.


What leads me to this thinking is probably the idea that one can not be too attached to one's role or identity. I have been attending a class on "Resolving People Problem" and in one session the discussion centred around parents trying to resolve their children's problems. Someone mentioned Kahlil Gibran's quote:

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you."


 The lecturer also alluded to the fact that below the tip of every people problem is the issue about self identity, the stuff that ego is made of. Hence my conclusion that we cannot hold on too tightly to the self but instead treat it as a borrowed life to perform a role, a thread in a huge tapestry.

Below is the full text of Kahlil Gibran's poem on children:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Give the brain a workout

In the article "Reading gives brain a workout" (ST 6 June 17) there is mention of the concept of 'schema' in psychology which is 'organising the world inside your head, according to the patterns you have learnt in your everyday life'. This includes what you pick up from reading.

Professor Annabel Chen, a neuropsychologist at NTU said "It is likely that the novel transported the reader into the body of the protagonist, thus tricking the mind into thinking it is doing something it is not, a phenomenon also known as embodied cognition". I can relate to this statement. Reading an engaging novel can sometimes make me dream about it at night wherein I was one of the characters. This was especially so in my teenage years. I was a Han Su Yin fan and loved her books where the setting is China in the early 20th century. The historical turmoil described was so real to me that I often wondered whether my past life was in China.

Prof Chen went on to elaborate that reading requires visual imagery amongst other things and can provide a 'short escape' from our daily routine depending on our 'level of suggestibility'. I think for me this level is pretty high. Even now as I conduct story telling sessions for the children at the Library words and drama come to me quite spontaneously to spice up the stories. This is because as I tell the story I seem to be able to visualise the story rolling out like a film in my mind.

Coming back to the discussion on 'schema' it is therefore important to read more widely so as not to be stuck with a biased or narrow framework upon which we understand the world. For instance  Han Su Yin was a leftist who was very prejudiced against the KMT and Chiang Kai Shek. I was so influenced by her and not having taken the trouble to read any material from the KMT's perspective I have an aversion towards Taiwan and deferred visiting the country for a long time. (Lame right?) Personally I also feel that knowing the teachings of just one religion is dangerous. Education in school should provide basic concepts of major religions so that people are equipped with a framework to understand the world around them.

This is especially so for people like me whose level of suggestibility is high. If I had bothered to acquaint myself to the positive deeds of the KMT I would not have missed all the great things that Taiwan has to offer. The part of my brain that stores the schema on Taiwan needs a workout!