In the book, the following website - Journey of Mankind, was mentioned. In this interactive map, it shows us our origin and how mankind spread out and took over the known land. In particular, we see that we spread out from a single point, and finally 'meet again' after thousands of years as we take over more land. Then political and social pressure will mount, aka inter-state and inter-racial, and definition of sovereignty might even take on a new meaning.
While reading 论语, it laid out a road map to learning and constant renewal. Singapore loves to talk about 'skills upgrade' and 'technical upgrade'. However, witnessing the staff in my dad's office, i think that improvements and learning must be internally driven and not forced up by others. It pains me that while learning opportunities abound, many of them choose to stick to what's comfortable (and turning obsolete) then to just walk over to the other person and ask "How is this done, why?". When the next downturn comes...guess who will be at risk of being retrenched?
I love this line "学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆" 。baidu's explanation as follow: 一味的读书，而不思考，只能被书本牵着鼻子走，就会被书本所连累，从而受到书本表象的迷惑而不得甚解。所谓尽信书则不如无书。而只是一味的埋头苦思而不进行一定的书本知识的积累，进而对知识进行研究推敲，也只能是流于空想，问题仍然不会得到解决，也就会产生更多的疑惑而更加危险。只有把学习和思考结合起来，才能学以致用。
南怀瑾谈到这段，说了以下让人反思的话，“少年教育的问题，首先要注意他们的幻想，因为幻想是学问的基础... ...学问、事业... ...都建立少年时期这一段。一个人的一生，也只是把少年时期的理想加上学问的培养而以，到了中年事业就是少年理想的发挥。... ...思想没有学问去培养则‘殆’，危险。”
Watching NDP 2010, there was a video clips of kids telling Singapore their dreams and aspirations. I told my dad that there were only kids in the clip cuz if you interview the elderly, they'll tell you they dream that their ankles will not ache, if you interview housewives, they'll tell you they dream that their kids come home for dinner and show some appreciation. And if you ask most people in their 40s is this the life they thought they'll lead when then they were in their youth, most will tell us no.
Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)
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