LA Mind Map - Vietnam War

Blog Prompts 10 - Does crisis bring out the best in man?

What is the best in man? Personally, I feel that compassion is the best in man but that is too shallow. It is not truly the best in man. The true best in man is altruism. What is altruism? The Oxford Study Dictionary’s definition of altruism is unselfishness. However, altruism is not merely unselfishness. The word unselfishness does not do the concept of altruism justice. Altruism is not just unselfishness, it is putting others before self, it is to put your own life at risk for the good of others, it is to help others knowing that you may very well die in the attempt. Now that we have established that the best in man is altruism, it is time to go back to our original topic. Does crisis bring out altruism, the best in man? My answer, sad is it may be, is no.

Firstly, as demonstrated by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, crisis does not bring out the best in man. It in fact does the opposite. Shortly after the hurricane moved away, residents of New Orleans began looting stores for food and water as it was not available to them through other means. Reports of carjacking, murders, thefts, and rapes in New Orleans flooded the news. ‘Sniper’ fire was even targeted at rescue helicopters, relief workers, and police officers by relocation or evacuation resisters. Of those who choose to resist relocation or evacuation there are two types. Those who are staying because of sentiments and those who are staying for the easy prey.

I (kind of) respect those who are staying for sentimental reasons that I can understand. New Orleans have been their home for so long, from since when they were little toddlers till now. It has been their only home and now they don’t know where to go. On the other hand, their homes are no longer safe and it would be wise to leave. Brutal practicality wins over sentiments for me. The other type of resister, the ones staying for the easy prey, are the ones that I will be using to demonstrate my thoughts that crisis brings out the worst in man. Normally, our society is bound by the laws and rules our founding fathers lay, but in the absence of these laws, chaos runs unchecked and our normally bound ‘dark side’ is unleashed. Things we wouldn’t even consider doing normally is brought to the forefront of our minds when our survival is at stake. Even unnecessary things such as carjacking and rape are done all because of one thing. The removal of laws that keeps order within our society allows man the freedom to do whatever he likes and that resulted in many people doing unlawful things now that they have the chance to do so.

Moreover, when disaster strikes, most people would adopt the ‘every man for himself’ mentality. As proven when a tourist asked a police officer for assistance and got the response, "Go to hell, it's every man for himself.", when people are confused or scared, they would automatically look out for number one, that is, themselves. This mentality often results in selfishness and thus makes any thought of helping others near impossible, much less altruism.

Yes, I do admit that there are rare cases where altruism is demonstrated, like the recent Japan earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis. The nation suffered blow after blow, yet it still stood firm. There were no reports of looting or theft or murders. Despite their need for food, people still lined up for their rations and even gave part of their own rations to others who need it more. However, these cases are far and few between. Perhaps it is that the darkness in the aftermath of disasters calls out to the darkness in our souls that makes us behave this way, but more often than not, crisis brings out the worst in man.

SYF 2011, bring it on...

"It's the results that matter, not the method." That is the Singaporean way, with what better example than our tough exam-based educational system? For the past four months, I've been putting all my effort into learning and mastering the two Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) pieces we are playing, with only the goal of getting Gold with Honors in the SYF Central Judging. For those of you who do not know, I am in Hwa Chong Military Band and I play the flute. The SYF Central Judging for Bands have begun this Monday. Four days have passed, and now it is our turn.

From day one, all the blood, sweat and tears I have put into band has been for the sake of getting that prestigious Gold with Honors, and I do believe that we can get Gold with Honors. I'm not blowing my own trumpet here (ha ha, so funny), I really do feel that we can achieve that goal. Yet today, when my seniors gave us our 'prep talk', one of them said something that floats hauntingly in my mind.

He said,"The journey matters more than the goal. Of course, the goal is still important, but it is the journey that matters." This is indeed true. If at the end of the journey, the traveller has not changed for the better, then what was the point of the entire journey? Sometime during all the hard work that I have put into band, I have forgotten that. I have forgotten that I work so hard, sacrificed so many hours, practiced so many times, it is not just for that Gold with Honors. It is to become a better flute player, a better musician, and a better person in general. I have forgotten that music, like death, in one of the great universal unifiers. Music breaches all racial barriers, transcends all religious beliefs, and sweeps aside all our differences to bring us together as one. I have forgotten all those, but now I remember.

As I look back, to when I first picked up the flute, when I blew my first note, when I learnt my first major piece, when I first performed in front of an audience, when I first played in a concert, when I first started learning my SYF pieces, I realise that I have come a long way since all those 'firsts'. And I know that whatever the band gets tomorrow, I will have no regrets. No matter what we get, I will know that I have improved as a flute player, as a musician, and I will continue to sustain that growth for as long as I live. In this aspect of my life, at least, the journey matters more than the end point. Tomorrow, when I play those two pieces, I play it not for the Gold with Honors, but for myself. I play those pieces to express myself, my deepest thoughts. Music played from the bottoms of hearts will reach out to and touch bottoms of hearts. Four days have passed, and only three bands have gotten Gold with Honors. The bar has been raised, the challenge has been set, Gold with Honors no longer means just a notch above Gold, but we're ready. Let's do this...

Blog Prompts 9 - Should students be given the autonomy to develop their own curriculum?

Imagine a school where students decide what they want to learn, and when. Where students pursue their own interest. Where students learn essential life skills voluntarily. That is the kind of school a school can be if students were given the freedom to develop their own curriculum.

Firstly, being given the power to create their own curriculum, the students would feel more 'free' and this would thus be beneficial to their rate of learning. For example, a student under the impression that he is 'forced' to study a particular subject would perform infinitely worse than a student that feels that he is studying the exact same subject. It is that extra element of the feeling of freedom that brings in that special dimension to learning. This would allow the students who develop their own curriculum to learn much better than those who have their curriculum developed by others.

On the other hand, some people believe that students are not matured enough to decide things such their own curriculum for themselves. However, I believe that if we never let students decide important thing for themselves, then they may never mature. Only through handling great responsibilities does one be come more mature and thus more independent.

On whether we should implement this is Hwa Chong, I feel that we should 'test drive' this experiment among a few students in Hwa Chong first before deciding whether to inreoduce it to the entire school as a whole or just scrape the project altogether.