The Miracle Tree

When Pak Joni MS came to see me on 15.1.2008 morning, I felt very happy when he told me that his book on “Kelor” or the "drumstick tree" (Moringa olcifcra) has finally been published. The book was co-edited by Pak M Sitorus and his wife, Bu Nelly Katharina.

We have Moringa trees planted in Bukit Indah Estate in Jambi Region and I was told by Pak Hendra Sugianto that it was our Agronomy Consultant, Mr. Chiu Sheng Bin, who introduced it. It was Pak Tan Peng Hoo who downloaded all the information on the botany, method of cultivation and its great nutrition value and encouraged them to translate into Bahasa Indonesia.

Moringa tree is well known as “The Miracle Tree” because its leaves and pods can be an extremely valuable source of nutrition for people of all ages. Our intention is to have many Moringa trees planted near labour quarters in our plantations as if we are growing multi-vitamins for our workers so that they can have Moringa leaf powder and pods in their daily meals.

Do get hold a copy of this book. It’s on sales in bookshops in Indonesia. By the way you can get more information when you visit the website of www.treeforlife.org

Friends, Pals & Buddies

On 8 January 2008 morning, I was waiting for Pak Chiu Sheng Bin at Sun Plaza, Medan. We had an appointment at 11.30am to have lunch at Super Kitchen Restaurant on LG floor. He was taking 1350 flight to Penang. While waiting, it came across my mind that those people passing by in front of me were all strangers to me. None of them was my friend until Pak Chiu arrived. Then I suddenly realized that the friends I have are actually very few in number.

Even though we may claim to have a thousand friends but if we feel that we have none to spare, then the thousand in number is still inadequate. We have to make new friends in areas of our residence, our workplace and marketplace and ensure that they keep growing in number. Nevertheless, we will have to choose our friends wisely. Select those who are with us and not against us.

Obviously, birds of feathers flock together. We choose friends of same dream and same vision. We select friends who have same purpose in life and are going in the same direction with us. We are able to click closely with friends with same hobbies and share more on same interests. Make friends with those who can give us constant support and big hope and are able to lift up our spirit. These are the people with whom we want to expand our relationship.

Mix with the right type of friends. Truly, it pays to keep the right company. Spend more time with friends who have the same philosophy and discipline like us. They are able to influence us to move on and change our way of thinking with positive words and encouragement. They are able to help us to achieve our goals in life.

Gather a group of people as our friends or advisors who are able to assist us along our career path. They should include teacher, lecturer, doctor, dentist, accountant, engineer, banker, lawyer, tax consultant, insurance agent and of course, fellow planters. Do make friends with mechanics, plumbers, electricians, air-conditioner technicians and other handy men. How true it is that “a friend in need is a friend indeed.” We never know when we need their service and assistance.

In Proverbs 18:24, the word of God teaches us that “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Be friendly all the times and there are surely some close friends whom we can call “brothers”.

However, God warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33,” Bad company corrupts good character.” Disassociate ourselves from people who are not right for us.

Happiness is….

• receiving an unexpected phone call from a childhood friend
• receiving sms from good friends during weekends
• receiving emails from many friends
• receiving a postcard from a close friend on an oversea trip
• looking at photographs of old pals
• drinking coffee with buddies in a kopitiam during weekends
• reading comments posted by friends, pals & buddies in my blog

Postive & Negative Words

A man, who was unhappy in his work, unhappy with his family and unhappy with life in general, decided to escape to get away from it all. He joined a mute monastery, where he took a vow of silence. He could say only 2 words every 5 years.

This is perfect, he thought. No stress, no one to bug me, nothing but silence.

So he stayed there 5 years without uttering a syllable. At the end of that time, his superior called the man into his office and said,”You have 2 words you can speak. Would you like to say anything?”

The guy nodded his head and said, “Bad food!”

He went for another 5 years without uttering a syllable, and again his superior called him into his office and asked if he would like to say anything.

He nodded his head and said “Hard bed!”

Another 5 years passed, and his superior called him in and asked him if he would like to say anything, and the guy said, “I quit!”

His superior responded, “Well, I’m not surprised. You’ve done nothing but complaining since you got here!”

Something to share……

This story reminds us of someone who might have complained in silence for years since started working in plantations. “Bad boss”, “Hard job” and finally “I (bag and) go!” What’s a pity! He just could not make it to become a practical planter.

Negative words such as “I can’t”, “No way”, “What for?”, and “So what?” are damaging and could even pull us down and make us becoming failures. It is not surprising that people with negative thinking always find excuses not to do the possible!

Whereas positive words such as “I can”, “No problem, “Why not?”, and “Let’s try” will lift up our spirit to accomplish our job assignment. People with positive thinking always find ways and means to do what others cannot do!

In Proverbs 16:24, it was written, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb. Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

Words of encouragement such as “Do your best”, “You can make it” and “See you at the top” can fill us with burning desires and motivate us to act fast with full commitment.

Every one of us is seeking happiness in life. Someone says, “I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.”

When employees are valued, appreciated, and treated with proper respect by their employers only then they feel happy to work in the organization. However, to most employees who desire of being rewarded with annual increment and bonus, I believe that the real happiness in them is getting job satisfaction when they also hear words of praise such as “Excellent”, “Well done” and “You’re great!” We will surely feel proud of ourselves when we know that we have contributed towards the achievement of the organization’s goals.

The Bibles teaches us that in regardless of which company we work for and who we serve, we are actually serving our heavenly father. As written in Colossians 3:23-24, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Once we understanding this, there bounds to be happiness and joyfulness in serving as we give our very best to do what needs to be done with all our heart.

Max Anders teaches us that “The surest road to happiness is living for God, placing our ultimate hope in the next world, and learning to be grateful for the small things that come our way in this world.”

Friends, give a thought about it.

When To Retire?

The hard-working late retirees probably put too much stress on their aging body-and-mind such that they are so stressed out to develop various serious health problems that forced them to quit and retire. With such long-term stress-induced serious health problems, they die within two years after they quit and retire.

The late retirees are small in number, tend to die quickly after retirement and disappear from the population of old people beyond the age of 70.

On the other hand, people who take early retirements at the age of 55 tend to live long and well into their 80s and beyond. These earlier retirees probably are either wealthier or more able to plan and manage their various aspects of their life, health and career well such that they can afford to retire early and comfortably.

These early retirees are not really idling after their early retirements to get old. They still continue doing some work. But they do the work on the part-time basis at a more leisure pace so that they do not get too stressed out. Furthermore, they have the luxury to pick and chose the types of part-time work of real interest to them so that they can enjoy and love doing that “fun” work at a more leisure pace.

However, when you get older, you should plan your career path and financial matter so that you can retire comfortably at the age of 55 or earlier to enjoy your long, happy and leisure retirement life into your golden age of 80s and beyond. In retirement, you can still enjoy some fun work of great interest to you and of great values to the society and the community, but at a part-time leisure pace on your own term.

On the other hand, if you are not able to get out of the pressure-cooker or the high-speed battleground at the age of 55 and “have” to keep on working very hard until the age of 65 or older before your retirement, then you probably will die within 18 months of
retirement.

By working very hard in the pressure cooker for 10 more years beyond the age of 55, you give up at least 20 years of your life span on average.

Something to share…..

My colleague, FN, used to tell me, “Before 55, it’s working time. After 55, it’s overtime. After 60, it’s extra time. After 65, it’s anytime.”

I am thankful to God for his constant blessing on me for staying healthy and able to work extra years and walk extra miles (as a planter) well passed my age of retirement at 55. Like many other cheerful retirees, I would like to spend quality time with my dear wife so that we have our free time to travel and visit our children whenever we feel like to.

I did plan to retire in December 2007 as I have just passed 60 and it’s extra time for me. However, in obligation to my boss’ request, I will stay on for a while till my youngest son’s graduation in June 2008. I look forward to get out of the high pressure cooker on the day my boss agrees to release me.

Retirees of my age will certainly like to enjoy long, happy and leisure retirement life. God goes to these people who have past retirement and He recharges them so that they will age gracefully and live like Bob Hope who passed away at the age of 100. Continue giving and sharing......

A woman's Touching Speech

There were 10 men & 1 woman hanging on to a rope that extended down from a helicopter. However, the weight of 11 people was too much for the rope. So the group made a decision that one of them had to jump off.

However, there were no volunteers from the men. Finally, the lone woman volunteered. She gave a touching speech, saying that she would sacrifice her life to save the guys, because women were so used of giving up things for their husbands and children.

When she finished speaking……….all the men started clapping.

Something to share……

Hi guys. We may have a good laugh of the joke but that’s the high price we have to pay when we loss our focus and divert our attention from what we are doing.

In a crucial situation, we must have the discipline to ignore distractions and reject bad influences that might put us in a very risky position.

Nonetheless, concentration requires discipline and plenty of practice to acquire the art of focusing our mind and energy on what we are doing. Don’t ever get distracted! A person must always stay focused and concentrate on what he/she does in order to achieve the best results (or to survive).

Once we let go our hands, that’s the end of it. We FALL and we are DEAD!

A Nice Chrismas Story

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments. One snowy Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived. They were to talk about Jesus' birth. She asked him to come, but he refused.

"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!"

So she and the children left, and he stayed home. A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window.

In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside.

But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them. The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.

"Why don't they follow me?" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"

He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.

He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn -- and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety.

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us.

As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer:

"Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"

Something to share….

To the children, Christmas is the day they receive gifts from Santa Clause.

To some companies, Christmas is the day of exchanging gifts among the employees.

To the working people, Christmas is just another Public Holiday.

To all Christians, Christmas is the day to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem 2000 year ago. It’s about God’s love for this world that he gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

“Christmas isn’t Christmas
Till it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside you
Is where Christmas really starts
So give your heart to Jesus
You’ll discover when you do
That Christmas is really Christmas
……..For you!”

MERRY CHRISTMAS 25 DEC 2007

“THREE WISE MEN CAME FROM COUNTRY FAR
TO SEEK FOR A KING WAS THEIR INTENT”

“CHRIST WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM
MANY YEARS AGO”

“JOY TO THE WORLD!
THE LORD IS COME
LET EARTH RECEIVE HER KING”

“HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING
GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING”

“CHRISTMAS ISN’T CHRISTMAS
TILL IT HAPPENS IN YOUR HEART

SO GIVE YOUR HEART TO JESUS YOU’LL DISCOVER WHEN YOU DO
THAT CHRISTMAS IS REALLY CHRISTMAS….FOR YOU!”

Wishing you a blessed Christmas and a Happy 2008 New Year!

It's The Incorrect Answer That Decides!

Two planters applied for a GM post in a plantation company. Both of them had the same qualification. The firm gave them a test to determine which one to hire. Each missed only one question.

The MD called the first candidate and said, “Sorry. We choose to offer the other applicant.”

“Why? We both got 9 questions right,” queried the one being rejected.

“Yes, but our choice isn’t based on the correct answers. It’s on the question you both missed,” the MD replied.

“How could one incorrect answer be batter than the other?” the applicant inquired.

“Simple,” said the MD. “For question number 5, the other guy put down, ‘I don’t know.’ You wrote, ‘Neither do I.’”

Something to share….

The above joke tells us that no matter how brainy a person cheats, somehow the truth will reveal. To cheat is no better than to steal. Both actions are dishonesty.

In Proverbs 10:9, it was written, “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.”

For my fellow planters who had worked with Mr. Tony Chew Kong Yoon, can you remember the two important words he used to remind us? O Yes. If you do recall, our "Xifu" had taught us to build a solid reputation of HONESTY and INTEGRITY while developing a good working knowledge in plantation management.

A planter who is sincere, straightforward, reliable and trustworthy in his job will achieve his career advancement in plantation industry in years to come. He will eventually reap the fruit of being recognized and appreciated from the seeds of honesty and integrity that he has sown over the years.

Right Decision/Experience/Wrong Decision

During an interview, a reporter asked the CEO of a Plantation Group of Companies for the secret of his success.

“Two words.”

“And what are they?”

“RIGHT DECISIONS”

“How are right decisions made?”

“One word.”

“What is that?”

“EXPERIENCE"

“How do you get experience?”

“Two words.”

“What are they?”

“WRONG DECISIONS”

Something to share…….

Do not worry of making wrong decision for a decision made is better than no decision made. However, do not be fooled by someone who tells you that by not making decision is also a decision made. How do you feel about a person who says,” I’ve decided to make no decision.” Absurd and ridiculous, isn’t it?”

In life, you have to go through the progress of making many wrong decisions or mistakes in order to gain experience. Do bear in mind, not repeating the same mistake is of paramount importance.

I once heard, “Knowledge comes from experience and experience comes with age.”

In Proverbs 10:14, God says,” Wise men store up knowledge.”

How true it is that as we grow older, we have gathered a lot of experiences by making mistakes through many failures. Nevertheless, we must dare to fail to gain experience. Once we have acquired sufficient experiences, then we become wise and knowledgeable and are able to make right decisions.

A wise man once said, “I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decisions.”

Another wise man said, “It’s the confidence of making right decisions that separates the men from the boys and what separates the achievers from the non-achievers is the success of making right decisions.”

No doubt about it. Successful people (or achievers) always make right decisions!

Root Cause of Problem

A man feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem. The Doctor told him there was a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the Doctor a better idea about her hearing loss.

Here's what you do," said the Doctor, "stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response."

That evening, the wife was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He said to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens." Then in a normal tone he asked, 'Honey, what's for dinner?"

No response.

So the husband moved to closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeated, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Still no response.

Next he moved into the dining room where he was about 20 feet from his wife and asked, Honey, what's for dinner?"

Again he got no response so;

He walked up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Again there was no response.

So he walked right up behind her. "Honey, what's for dinner?”

;

;

;

;

;

;


"James, for the FIFTH time I've said, CHICKEN!"

Moral of the story:

The problem may not be with the other one as we always think, could be very much within us..!

Something to share…….

Talking about problem solving, very often we are confused of the real root cause of problem. We tend to point finger to others, forgetting that there are three fingers pointing back to us. By the way, this coincides with Confucius’ saying, “Think thrice to act!”

The Plantation Manager always thinks that the unsolved problem lies on his Field Assistant, but the main problem could be that he just knows how to delegate but fails to follow up and follow through to see that along the way he not only needs to monitor the whole situation and progress, but also needs to make further decision for remedial action to be taken in order to turn the situation around so as to get the problem solved.

How true it is that the root cause of problem could be the Superior who just knows how to talk and tell others what to do without him being totally involved in the operation to solve the problem!

Tale of Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and 4-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.

But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp words when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with pieces of scrap wood on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"

Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work..

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Something to share….

What have you learned after reading this Wooden Bowl tale, my young friends?

Do you remember how much your dad and mum had cared for you when you were a little child? How many suffering and anxiety your parents had gone through while bringing you up from childhood? How much love they had given you to see you through into adulthood? How much hope they had put into you when you finally got settled down to have your own family?

Don’t you think it’s your turn now to care and love them when they attain old age?

Don’t ill treat your aging parents who have sacrificed so much for you for there may be wooden bowls waiting for you too when you grow old.

Please be reminded of God’s warning in Proverbs 20:20, “If a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.”

Thus, it is wise to bring joy to your father and don’t be foolish to despise your mother(Proverbs 15:20)Be dutiful to your old age parents while they are still alive! God says,“ Parents are the pride of their children.” It’s too late for you to act when they are gone from your life. You will miss them and feel regretful in the rest of your life!

Law of the Garbage Truck by David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly he/she can get back her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab.

Here's what happened:

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally.

You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.

So this was it: The 'Law of the Garbage Truck.' I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, 'I'm not going to do it anymore.' I began to see garbage trucks. I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best.

Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses.

Teachers and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here's my bet. You'll be happier.

So.. Love the people who treat you right.
Pray for the ones who don't.
Believe that everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance , TAKE IT!
If it changes your life , LET IT!
Nobody said it would be easy...

They just promised it would be worth it!

Something to share……

How true it is that whenever we are driving, we always think that we are better drivers than others. When someone is overtaking us, we curse him as “hell driver” and somehow we tend to accelerate our speed wanting to overtake him. Perhaps this is a “Kia Su” garbage truck law in us?

On the other hand, when a car in front blocks our way when we want to overtake, we used to condemn this kind of driver as “kopi O license” driver. As usual,long before approaching, we have flashed the head light warning him to give way and move to the left. How impatient, annoyed, irritated and intolerant we are? Worst of all, the anger keeps boiling inside us!

We have heard of so many cases of law-abiding drivers being beaten by “road bullies”. These are sad cases of people being controlled by anger, a powerful emotion inside us that could take over our thoughts with violent force. It can strike us any time while we are driving, and it seems uncontrollable at times. When people turn to be “road bullies” and become violent because of anger, it will ultimately bring hurt and injury to others who are just strangers to them.

Just like the smiling taxi driver in New York City, we have nothing to loose being humble and apologize first even though we know we have observed traffic laws and not on the wrong side. This will somehow cool down the other driver even he has been blinded with anger. This is the best way to avoid a violent incidence when we have encountered a missed accident. I had come across several incidences like this and I used to say repeatedly “I am sorry, I am sorry” as soon as I came out from the car. So far it worked without any unpleasant incidence happened to me by being apologetic to the other driver.

Always remember, my friends, “FORGIVENESS” (by being apologetic) is surely the greatest remedy for calming down a man of anger.

Oh yes. Don’t ever let the garbage trucks run over us!

In Ephesians 4:31 & Colossians 3:8, God wants us to throw away all garbage in us, such as "bitterness, wrath, anger, malice, clamor, slander, evil speaking, abusive speech and filthy language.”

Are you ready to let go all garbage (also include hatred, nastiness, cruelty, wickedness, mischievousness, uproar, yelling, screaming, shouting, insulting, defamation, jealousy, envy, greed, resentment, offensive, assault, suspicion, distrust, unpleasantness, hostility, fury, rude, impolite, vulgar, abusive, bad-mannered, ill-mannered, etc) in you?

Heavan & Hell

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.'

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, 'I don't understand.' It is simple' said the Lord, 'it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

Something to share……

I remember my friend, Pak Chuah, once told me this story when we first met and he had shared with me his thought from the management aspect. "As a leader, we must share our past experiences with team members unselfishly so that they are well guided while going through hands on training from A to Z. We can’t build up a team if every one of them is only thinking of oneself without love, concern and care for others in the group."


How true it is. By just putting a group of people together does not necessary can form a team without the true spirit of working together and learn how to cooperate with each other. Nevertheless, when they are able to work together, each team member will surely become more initiative, innovative, creative and productive.

As a team member, you are a part of the team you are in. By having the spirit of sharing and care, then you learn to contribute while helping other team members to grow. Moreover, whenever you learn to share with others in your team, you will also receive more in return. Then every team member will eventually become contributors in playing his/her part to build a super and solid team.

A wise man once said, “Coming together is just the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is SUCCESS!”

The spirit of TEAMWORK has been well documented in the Bible. In Ecclesiastes 4:9, God put it very clearly, “Two are better than one. Because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls. For he has no one to help him up.”

In other words, two persons can make up a TEAM and can accomplish more than one person, with much better results in work performance. If one person falls and fails, then the other person will give him encouragement and motivation to lift up his spirit to keep on trying until he succeeds. However, if a person is alone and when he fails, he will fall into deep trouble and will never rise up again for there is no one to care and help him up.

NEVER INSULT ANYONE

This is just a joke downloaded from forwarded email. Nevertheless, the massage is clear. “Never insult anyone”

An American and a Japanese were sitting on the plane on the way to LA when the American turned to the Japanese and asked, "What kind of -ese are you?"

Confused, the Japanese replied, "Sorry, Sir, but I don't understand what you mean."

The American repeated, "What kind of -ese are you?"

Again, the Japanese was confused over the question. The American, now irritated, then yelled, "What kind of -ese are you...Are you a Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Javanese or other kind of -ese?"

The Japanese then replied, "Oh, I am a Japanese."

A while later the Japanese turned to the American and asked what kind of 'key' was he.

The American, frustrated, yelled, "What do you mean what kind of '-key' am I?"

The Japanese said, "Are you a Yankee, donkey, or monkey?"

Moral of the story:

Never insult anyone if you don’t want to be insulted!

The terminology that people often used to call other races based on their skin colour usually appears to be very sensitive, offensive and insulting, such as the followings:

In Hong Kong (after being colonized for 100 years), the Hongkee called the British and other westerners Kui Loi (“ghosts). The Singaporeans called them Ang Moi (red hairs). In China, they are politely called Lao Wye (foreigners).

The Indonesians called them Bule (Indonesian-English Dictionary: white skin people) just as the blacks are known as Negro (Indonesian-English Dictionary: a black – esp. in colonial period) to the Americans. In Malaysia, the white men are known as Mat Salleh to the Malays.

One has to be humorous about his skin colour and feels great about it :

One pastor from Ambon joked about his skin colour saying that he’s a “Hitachi”, meaning “Hitam tapi Cina” Well, well, well. He told us that he was born in a mixed marriage family of a Chinese father and an Ambonese mother.

If you are born in a mixed marriage family, you are just great!

I remember I was having lunch in a Chinese restaurant in London in 1972. A family of 3 generations walked in. Guess what I saw? The elder of the family was a Punjabi with a Chinese wife. Their daughter-in-law was an English lady. Obviously their grandson was having Punjabi, Chinese and English blood and a grand good-looking fixture of 3 great races!

When you travel out of your country, you may be white, black, brown, yellow in skin colour, but you can be Americans, Australians, South Africans, Brazilians, Cubans, Koreans and so forth depending on which country you are citizen of.

During our recent trip to Beijing organized by CTC travel in Singapore, there were 33 of us from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. All of us are of Chinese origin (whether we are keturunan Cina or suku Tionghua). The Chinese Immigration Officers at Beijing International Airport recognized us as Singaporeans, Indonesians and Malaysians. That’s because we were holding passports of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia and we are citizens of the respective countries. Undoubtedly, we are all proud to be Malaysians, Indonesians and Singaporeans when we were tourists in Beijing,China.

BEIJING TOUR 12 - 19 OCTOBER 2007

It had been my childhood dream to visit Beijing since I learned about Great Wall of China when I was in primary school, way back in the 50s. I wanted to climb the Great Wall of China long ago and, thank God, I had finally made it, together with my wife, during our recent Beijing tour from 12 – 19 October 2007. The Beijing Chinese put it this way, “You are not a (good) guy if you don’t climb the Great Wall of China.” We felt so great about it that we wish to share our photos with our children, relatives and friends.

We also visited other tourist spots in Beijing such as the well-known Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace), the Ming Tombs, Yiheyuen (Summer Palace) and Daguanyuan (Grand View Park). In Chengde, we visited the Imperial Summer Resort and Little Potala Palace.

The trouble with joining a tour was that our time was totally controlled by the local Chinese tour guard though we could visit many palaces as arranged in the tour itinerary and at the convenience of traveling in a comfortable coach. He was well versed in China history and whenever he stopped, it was good listening to him as he briefed us the related historical events. However, he had skipped the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall where the preserved body of the late Chairman was displaced for tourists to have a quick look. It was certainly regretful for many of us in the tour group because his excuse was merely of not having sufficient time for us as we need to queue up for hours to get inside the Memorial Hall. On the other hand, many of our time were wasted by taking us to places where we were expected to buy jades, silks, Chinese medicines, Chinese teas etc. Mind you, the pricing was not cheap though the buyers could get some satisfaction out of it on bargaining. Many of us ended up buying costly Chinese medicines after a free lecture on health and free diagnosis by the so-called highly qualified sinsehs in Tongrentang, a famous China traditional medicine shop with a 100 year history.

Besides climbing the Great Wall of China, there was a lot of walking when we visited the about tourist attractions. A free foot reflexology section had been arranged on the 4th night after dinner to release our pain and aching on our legs due to too much of walking but we were asked to tip them. That’s fine but some of our tour members ended up buying Chinese medicines again!

We were also disappointed at Shimao Tianjie known as Beijing Xin Tian Di where we were supposed to enjoy our shopping spree and keep our heads up to watch the 4D undersea movie shown on the long screen under the roof. Instead, we were given 5 minutes to take some photos just to show that we had been there. There was no such show on the roof screen as we arrived there at the wrong timing!

Nevertheless, we did enjoy the grand Ice Skiing and Colourful Dancing Show after the wonderful spa at Beijing Tianlongyuan Hot Spring. The Old Peking acrobatic show brought us back to the memory lane. They used to performance on the streets during the good old days in Peking and we had watched them many times in Kong Fu movies. The evening cultural show Golden Mask Dynasty was very grand after we had spent the whole afternoon in the Happy Valley Theme Park. Well, only the children in our tour group were having happy hours in the 6 theme zones.

The slogan of “One World One Dream” was everywhere. It’s all about Beijing Olympic Games to be held on 8.8.2008. However, our coach just stopped by the roadside for us to take photos of the still under construction “Bird’s Nest” Main Stadium for Beijing Olympic 2008. We also came across many authorized shops selling Beijing Olympic 2008 souvenir when we were brought to shopping malls to purchase other Made in China products and gifts for friends and relatives.

If you plan to visit Beijing in August 2008 coincide with the Summer Olympic, you may have to pay much more than what we had paid for joining the tour, hotels and foods. But if you can afford, why not? It’s once in a lifetime opportunity, right?

I and my wife are planning to visit other places in China, may be Shanghai or Jiucaigoa. We hope our children can join us in 2008. But we will keep reminding ourselves, “We'll go there as tourists, not as sick patients. So there will be no more free diagnosis by sinsehs and no more buying Chinese medicines.”

PARENTS & CHILREN

A simple man tells how his booking an air ticket for his father, his
first flight, brought emotions and made him realize that how much we
all take for granted when it comes to our parents.

My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never traveled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on MAS.

The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen.

He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.

As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him.

When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me.

But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life.

As a child how many dreams our parents have made come true. Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for football, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have satisfied to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes?

Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us?

Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young, it is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.

Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments.

Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care need to be given to our parents and elders.

Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes. Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR PARENTS!!!

Something to share...

I am very grateful to my late parents for their decision sending me, their eldest son, to further my studies in Taiwan in 1965 and to England in 1972. My late father was a tailor and he hired other tailors in the rented shop in Kuala Lipis, Pahang. My late mother was an ordinary housewife but she had to cook meals not only for our family but also for the tailors in the shop. Later, they also sent my two younger brothers to study in Australia.

I always feel proud of them for the sacrifice they had made to provide me the opportunities of higher education abroad despite of the difficult financial situation they had to face at that time. Without their strong determination and commitment, I wouldn’t have the chances to study in foreign countries and later became a planter with my Agriculture degree from National Taiwan University and MSc degree in Advanced Plant Sciences from Wye College, University of London. Just like our parents. I and my wife also committed ourselves by sending all our five children to further their studies overseas; 2 in America and 3 in Australia. Praise The Lord!

As parents we do not expect much return from our children. Nevertheless, as we are aging, gracefully of course, we do hope that they can be more patience to us and never forget to be tender, love and care for us as we grow older and older….

God says,” Listen to your father, without him you would not exist. When your mother is old, show her your appreciation.”
– Proverbs 23:22

Warning from God,” If you curse your parents, your life will end like a lamp that goes out in the dark.” – Proverbs 20:20

A TRIP TO TEMBILAHAN, RIAU

My wife was supposed to take Mandala airlines from Jambi to Batam on 29.8.2007, ETD 1510WIB and the ticket was purchased on 28th and confirmed. However, something unbelievable and unexpected happened. On 29th morning @ 0900WIB we were told that the flight was cancelled and there would be no flight to Batam till 12th September. Accordingly, the plane was grounded for thorough checking and repair. The flight has not been resumed at time of publishing. As told, it has been postponed to 25th September.

My ticketing staff after checking with the travel agent told us that my wife could take Batavia flight to Batam via Jakarta but seats were only available on 1.9.2007. Since I was going to Pekanbaru to meet up my VA on 3.9.2007, it was decided for her to take a flight from Pekanbaru to Batam taking the opportunity to visit her cousin sister who was married and settled down in Tembilahan. It is a costal town in Riau Province about 88km from Rengat, mid way to Pekanbaru.

My wife and her cousin sister grew up in Sumpat of Pulau Bintan. Their grandfathers were brothers. In the 70s, her cousin sister was working in Tanjung Pinang and my wife went to work in Batam, where we met and fell in love. We were married in June 1975 and settled down in Segamat, Johor, Malaysia. Her cousin sister was married the same year and settled down in Tembilahan. Since then, both of them have not met each other for the past 30 years.

The trip to Tembilahan was, indeed, meaningful and quite emotional for my wife. She was very excited for making the trip though the journey took about 8 long hours of traveling. The road to Rengat from Jambi was winding and our vehicle was slowed down by trailing behind big trucks and buses. The road from Rengat to Tembilahan was narrow and houses were built so close to roadside that our driver had to drive very cautiously with extra carefulness and alertness. To our astonishment, we had to cross for not less than 100 bridges before we could enter Kota Tembilahan.

With the address given to us, it was not difficult to locate their shop house along Jalan Jendela Sudirman. Nevertheless, we had to call her several times to make the right turn as we came into Kota Tembilahan. We left Jambi @0730WIB and arriving Tembilahan @1630WIB. We stopped for lunch at Rengat @1400WIB for about an hour.

When they met for the first time after not seeing each other for the past 30 years, there was so much excitement and joy with tears. They talked for hours, full of happiness, all about their good old days until we had to make move to check into the hotel @1900WIB. The conversation resumed when we went for dinner @2000WIB until we went back to hotel @2230WIB.

I wish our children after reading this amazing incidence will remind them that somehow “blood is always thicker than water”. They must value their brotherhood and sisterhood as they get married and having their own families later on. Always get in touch with each other. Whenever there is an opportunity to meet, don’t call. Call only if cannot meet but don’t just sms to save cost. It is much closer to hear each other voice than to read short messages. I used to call my late mother every night. I call my wife without fail whenever we are not together. I also call my 2 younger brothers and my only sister quite often when they don’t call me after some time. Life is full of joy and happiness when we always love and care about our dear ones. Indeed, this is God’s blessings on every family. Praise the Lord.

TODAY NOT TOMORROW

When I came across this signboard one day in Kuala Lumpur, some inspiration went straight into my mind and I felt that I could use it to make a powerpoint presentation to motivate my plantation management staff in Indonesia. So I took out my camera to snap a shot of this signboard.

Whenever my old pal, JM Tan, emailed me, he used to remind me of all the favourite songs we used to sing along during our good old time in Clifford Secondary School, Kuala Lipis, Pahang. "TODAY NOT TOMORROW" reminds me of Elvis Presley's "IT'S NOW OR NEVER". This has to do with TIME MANAGEMENT.

GOD is good and fair. He created 24 hours for one day, not a second more nor a second less for everybody. So we have 8 hours to work, 8 hours to rest and 8 hours to sleep, and that's very ideal for everyone. Of course there are people who work more than 8 hours a day, but there are also people who sleep more than 8 hours a day!

For an workaholic, he always feels that he has insufficient working time. So he works and works and keeps on working for hours, forgetting that he needs a break to rest. Worst of all, he expects others to have same working attitude like him. But there are also people who dare not leave their offices after working hours just because their bosses are still around.

There is nothing wrong in working hard, but it's better to work smart as well, meaning that we have to optimise our available working time. By working smart, we can actually get work done on time if we really focus and dedicate ourself to "DO IT NOW" instead of wait and see. Very often, we are wasting our time by slow action or no action at all.

A job well done is able to finish our job "TODAY NOT TOMORROW" because there will be new job waiting for us to do tomorrow. "IT'S NOW OR NEVER" is a positive attitude as far as TIME MANAGEMENT is concerned. Pak Sungkimin, one of our Senior Plantation Managers, used to wear a cap with a phrase "TOMORROW WILL NEVER COME" stitched on it. I praised him for his positive thinking in TIME MANAGEMENT!

Just for joking, an I.D.I.O.T. is " I Do It On Time". Surely we are not idiots if we can do our job done on time! Hahaha.....

HONEY CURES

It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. A famous magazine named Weekly World News published in Canada dated 17 January 1995, had given a list of diseases than can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists. Honey can be used without any side effects for all kinds of diseases. Scientists of today also accept honey as Ram Ban (very effective) medicines for all kinds of diseases. Today’s science says that, even though honey is sweet, if taken at the right dosage as a medicine, it will not harm diabetic patients.

Arthritis

In a recent research done in Copenhagen University, the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of 1 tablespoon honey with half a teaspoon of Cinnamon powder before breakfast. They found that out of 200 people treated, 73 patients were totally relieved of pain within a month. Most of these patients could not walk or move around freely, but after the therapy, they started walking with less pain.

Make a paste of 1 part honey & 2 parts luke warm water and a small teaspoon Cinnamon powder. Massage itching part of body slowly.(Pain should recede within 15 minutes!)

Drink 1 cup of hot water mixed with 2 spoon of honey + 1 small teaspoon of Cinnamon powder everyday. (Can cure chronic arthritis!)<

Bad Breath

1st thing in morning gargle with 1 teaspoon honey + Cinnamon powder mixed in hot water. (Breath stays fresh throughout the day!)

Bladder Infections

Drink 1 teaspoon honey + 2 tablespoons Cinnamon powder in a glass of luke warm water. (It destroys germs of bladder!)<

Cancer
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully.

Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should take 1 tablespoon honey + 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder 3 times a day for 1 month. Continue with Oncologist’s treatment. (No Harm Lost!)

Cholesterol

As per information received in a Medical Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

2 tablespoons of honey + 3 teaspoons of Cinnamon powder in 16 ounces of tea. (Can reduce cholesterol level in blood by 10% within 2 hours! As for arthritic patients, if taken 3 times a day, it lowers the cholesterol level.)

Colds

1 tablespoon honey in luke warm water mixed with ¼ teaspoon of Cinnamon powder for 3 days. (Can cure chronic cough, cold & clear sinuses!)Fatigue

Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful than detrimental to one’s body strength. Senior citizens who take honey and Cinnamon in equal parts are more alert and flexible.

Take daily before brushing ½ tablespoon honey in a glass of water sprinkled with Cinnamon powder. Drink another glass in afternoon around 3 pm. (Can increase vitality within a week!)

Hair Loss (even suffers from baldness)

Apply before bath a paste of hot olive oil + 1 tablespoon honey + 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder. Keep for @ 15 minutes. Then wash Hair.

Heart Diseases (improve blood flow)

In America and Canada, various nursing homes had treated their patients successfully with honey and Cinnamon, improving blood flow.

Make paste of honey & Cinnamon powder. Apply on bread. Eat regularly for breakfast. (Relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heartbeat.)

Immune System

Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

Daily use of honey and Cinnamon power strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks.

Indigestion

Sprinkle Cinnamon powder on 2 tablespoon honey. Take before food.

Infertility

A couple in Maryland (USA) had no children for 14 years and left hope of having a child of their own. Both husband and wife started taking honey as stated below. The wife conceived after a few months and had twins at full term !

For impotent men: before sleeping, take 2 tablespoons honey.

For women who do not conceive: take a pinch of Cinnamon powder in ½ teaspoon honey. Apply on the gums frequently throughout the day (slowly mixed with saliva enter the body)

Influenza

A scientist in Spain has proved that honey that contains a natural ingredient which kills influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

Longevity

4 spoons honey & 1 spoon Cinnamon powder in 3 cups water. Boil to make tea. Drink ¼ cup; 3 – 4 times a day. (Can keep skin fresh & soft. Also arrest old age!)Loss of Hearing

Take honey & Cinnamon in equal parts daily (Restore hearing)

Pimples

Make paste of 3 tablespoons honey & 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder. Apply on pimples before sleeping. Wash with warm water next morning for 2 weeks. (Can remove pimples from the root !)

Skin Infections

Apply honey & Cinnamon powder in equal parts on affected parts can cure Eczema, ringworms & all types of skin infections.

Stomach Upset

Honey taken with Cinnamon powder releases gas & pain in stomach, curing stomach aches & clear stomach ulcers from the root.

Toothache

Make paste of 5 teaspoons honey + 1 teaspoon Cinnamon powder. Apply to aching tooth 3 times a day till aching stops.

Weight Loss

Drink honey & Cinnamon powder, boiled in 1 cup water, every morning, in an empty stomach. Drink again ½ hour before sleeping.

Something to share….

Many of us in Jambi Regional Office have started taking pure honey taken from the pokok sialang quite close to our BPE kebun. The purchase was arranged through estate management of PT BBIP at Rp 30,000.00 per 1 liter bottle and its pureness has been guaranteed. I and Pak Leong KH were cheated once of buying honey mixed with brown sugar and egg white. We can buy a bottle of 35g Cinnamon (Kayu Manis) powder @ Rp 5,000.00 in any supermarkets or malls in town.

Honey is good for us. As it was written in Proverbs 24:13a & 25:16, God said,” My child, eat honey; it is good.” However, he warned,” Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit.” This has been explained by Dr Elizabeth Subrata, an Indoneisan Christian doctor, in her book “Rahasia Umur Panjang” (Secret of Long Life) that honey contains substance than will prohibit the intake of honey more than required to avoid the increase of glucose level in the blood.

She further talked about the benefits of honey:

• Honey contains several types of enzyme, minerals, 18 amino acids and vitamins which help in digestion, absorption and assimilation.

• Honey possesses more nutrients than other sugar products.

• Honey is able to destroy bacteria & other microorganism.

• Honey contains several natural antibiotics which have effective function of healing the infested open wounds.

Always replace white sugar with honey for health’s sake. No more soft drinks or syrup drinks. (Accordingly, a can of soft drink contains 6 teaspoons of sugar. This is harmful to the body especially for those people having high sugar content in their blood.)

Decision Making

The story given here is quite interesting and really gives us an insight into DECISION MAKING

Which one will you choose?
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.

The train came, and you were just beside the track interchange. It was not possible to stop the train but you could make the train change its course to the disused track and saved most of the kids.

However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Alternatively, would you rather let the train go its way?

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make...

Analyse the situation………….

Think and reflect…

Decided your answer!

Now … go ahead

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. To save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.

However, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.

This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are.

The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. In addition, in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

To make the proper decision is not try to change the course of the train because the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens.

If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe.

If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! In addition, in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one. "Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."

Something to share….

Making an impulsive or a hasty decision is not the real decision to be made. An impulsive decision such as diverting the train can turn into a disaster in not only killing one child but also putting all train passengers at great risk of being killed and wounded too.

At times, we used to make ad hoc decision just to find a way out at the critical moment of time or during crisis management. However, such an impromptu decision may not be applicable to all circumstances. Nevertheless, we need to keep making decisions according to different issues and circumstances. A decision made is still better than no decision made!

Whereas some people just can’t make decisions. They will wait and see what is going to happen. Indecisiveness is, in fact, their real problem!

A right decision may not be a popular decision. So what? How could one make a popular decision but not a right one?