The Right Thing
I was a guest at a party hosted by a friend of mine who had just given birth to her first child. I met her husband, who also happens to work in information technology, some executives working with a Singapore-based Australian firm, as well as some neighbors and friends.
A few of my high-school friends and I were hanging around the kitchen, sipping on glasses of wine when Uncle C entered the conversation. A retired executive from a manufacturing firm in Singapore, he has travelled all around Asia and the Asia-Pacific regions on business trips and executive meetings.
Upon learning where we were from, he commented, “You guys have got that thing going on there, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean, uncle?”, I replied, not exactly sure what he was trying to say. In Chinese culture, younger people usually refer to their elders as “Uncle” or “Aunt”, regardless of their relationship.
Andy had this look in his eye which said, “What the hell is this old coot doing here?”
“Well, when I was there, I observed that when it was time for work to end, almost everybody was able to drop whatever they were working on and just forget about the office.”
“Yeah, well…”, I responded sheepishly. Among the circles of first-world big-shots, people from my country are generally regarded as being lazy and incapable of pulling their own weight.
“No, no! I mean I envy them!”, He continues, made aware of the way my eyes turned downward in defense of my nationality.“They are able to have fun! They take off their work clothes, go out, get something to eat, have a few beers, go to nightclubs and such. It’s so much different from Singapore. Out here, everybody’s just too busy looking to get rich.”
His words make me look up. “Perhaps that’s the reason Singapore’s economy is booming.”
“You have a point. Working hard is not evil. However, I believe that no matter how hard you work, no matter how close your deadlines are, or how full your schedule is, you should never forget to live.”
This guy has got my full attention now. I have always regarded myself as an advocate of “living life to the fullest”.
He then proceeds to relate how his career was one long climb to reach the top of the corporate ladder. “… and it’s only now, when I’m retired, that I come to realize the things I have missed. I have a lot of money now, but I missed seeing my children grow up. I missed the best years of my youth. I lost track of everything that ever mattered.”
Everybody else was silent. I had neither the credentials nor the courage to even pretend to know what he was talking about.
“Despite all the dirt, all the violence, what do you see in the streets of your country?”, He presses on. “Children. That’s right! You see children playing, with smiles on their faces! What about here?”
His hand rises, index finger pointed at the lone kitchen window.
We all look out on a playground, devoid of life on a saturday afternoon.