What is the value of mathematics? The minimal objective in schools in most countries is to ensure that leavers, somewhere in their teens, are both literate and numerate. And while teaching methods have changed and in some ways advanced in recent decades, where the traditional...
Work is the only route to happiness. The ideal put forward to young people has, traditionally, been ‘mens sana in corpore sano’, and this implies a proper balance between work and play. Yet to achieve happiness, that coveted but elusive state of total fulfillment, requires...
Would you rather be virtuous or happy? The quest for a happy life engrosses every human being. But every- one tends to define happiness in a distinctly individualistic fashion. Philosophers and thinkers have attempted to define a happy life. The Hedonists have a simple notion...
Youth on the move In the old days, youth played a secondary role in society. They never assumed any responsibility nor was it offered. The elders played all the important roles and the youth was made legally responsible only after they attained the age of...
Juvenile delinquency The problem of juvenile delinquency has assumed alarming proportions in most modern countries today. Towns and cities from the USA to South Africa, suffer from teenage hooliganism and lawlessness, drink and drug-taking have increased everywhere; gangs of youths, male and female, attack the...
Keeping fit A recent health survey indicates that lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and certain types of cancers are on the rise. Bulging waistlines, obesity, and clogged arteries are becoming more common as the Chinese continue with their unhealthy lifestyles. Our preoccupation...
Kindness begets kindness When I was young, I lived in a small village in Melaka. Mine was a terrace house in a row of shophouses. The spirit of neighborliness was very strong then. There was no such thing as locking the doors of our houses...
Laughter is the best medicine ‘Laughter is the best medicine. No one can attest to the fact better than my grandfather. At the ripe old age of 92, Grandpa is a picture of health. Even though Grandpa’s life was often filled with misfortune, he never...
Leadership Ours is an organized society and any organization, for the accomplishment of its objectives, requires efficient leadership. Efficient dedicated leadership and resources, both natural and human, are requisites for a nation to develop and progress. The days when people could be driven are long...
Legends of my country A legend is a traditional story and it is not historical. As with other legends, the legends of my country need not be true. These stories have been handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth and what we...
