To Be

The Greek sea god, Proteus, was (like the sea) capable of changing form in an instant. In order to get any decent information out of him, you had to grab him and hold on tight while he went through his various forms — lion, wild boar, snake, tree, running stream — it wasn't easy.

 

The verb “To be” is said to be the most protean of the English language, constantly changing form, sometimes without much of a discernible pattern.

 

The inspiration came from sermon at Church yesterday - Be Holy. To the non-initiated me, the message I took from the homily was the kind of life I would like to lead and hence – TO BE. The homily on “Be Holy” highlights the life a Christian should lead, which according to the preacher is one that others would want to emulate. (It follows on as a way to increase the number of Christians following the report that Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in Singapore)

 

What I do not want to be has been uncomfortably glaring in recent days. From demands that the lift service company comes immediately to retrieve a bunch of keys dropped into the lift shaft for free, to doors being slammed at one’s face, to intellectually minded blogs lamenting on policies in Singapore has only screamed – an unthinking me first attitude.

 

A recent discussion with a friend brought up the definition of a successful woman. We were trying to draw references on women we know that I would consider successful. Power women, 45, successful career and two district 10 properties. Successful? Girl, 30, associates. Successful? Lady, 28, married, kids, successful? I had a hard time assessing the different scenarios. He brought up the name Ho Ching – CEO of Temasek, Ranked 3rd by Forbes in 2007 in the list of most powerful women in business. My initial response was that she is probably highly connected to be the wife, and hence the powerful women she is now.  I contemplated, thinking if she would be who she is if she was not as connected. A quick Google search revealed little about her family background or her career prior to her marriage. She was a President scholar and married LSL 9 years after graduation from university.  Perhaps, she is the successful woman I want to be. Even without the PM as the husband, she would still be successful in my perception. To sum it all, a successful women has to be equally established at work and at home.

 

How many people out there do I know that I want to be? The Ratress is still taking stock at the time of publication.

 

To Be: Successful, inclusive, thoughtful, harmonious life, appreciatively happy yet logically critical for improvements.