Our society must widen the definition of success. And success has to go beyond just economic or academic success. We cannot expect everyone to be equally successful, or successful in the same way. We should have room for many different paths to success. If we stick to a narrow definition of success, we will sure lose our idealism and vitality.
On one hand, we have to cheer on Singaporeans who have the aspirations and the willingness to venture beyond the proven and tested routes.
But on the other hand, we have to be empathetic to those who have tried but failed. An important part on the road to success is not about “not failing” but rather it’s about how you pick yourself up after failing.
Secondly, while we work hard and work smart to stay ahead of competition, Singaporeans should also loosen up and play hard as well. It may sound contradictory, but we should be disciplined enough to set aside time for fun. There will be more vibrancy if we can be less serious minded at appropriate time, easier on ourselves and laugh at ourselves from time to time.
Humour adds vibrancy and builds resilience within the society. During wartime Britain, in the face of adversity, the country continued to instill humour and raised the morale of the people.
So, what is humour?
Humour is defined as the quality of being amusing or comic. The natural result of a sense of humour is laughter. Although it adds no value to our survival, researchers have identified that humour and laughter can reduce stress and help in relaxation.
Humour involves a three-step process:
arousal; problem-solving; and resolution.
During arousal, the individual focuses on cues, eg symbols, twinkling eyes, or a smile, that make the situation humourous.
During the problem-solving stage, the individual makes sense of the information and anticipates the punch line.
Resolution occurs when the individual hears the punch line, understands the joke and reacts to it.
I think that every single person who has ever walked this earth, no matter what their faith or nationality, can agree on one thing; people are different. I'm different from my next-door neighbour, who's different from her teacher, who in turn is different from his bestfriend. At the very least, all human beings are physically different, but we also have psychological and emotional differences in how we function, how we react to the world, and how we think.
