The Story of My Life

After celebrating the success of some 30 families who participated in Muis Empowerment Programme Scheme (EPS) and performing the Zuhr prayer, I left Sultan Mosque for One Fullerton to meet a group of students from SIM who are also EXCO members of the SIM Malay Cultural and Muslim Society. These students wanted to meet me for sometime now, but delayed due to my travels and their exam periods.

My mind was occupied with possible talking points for the meeting, to ensure that it will be worthwhile for the students, during the ride on the MRT train from Bugis to Raffles Place. I was prepared to talk about my observations on what would be necessary and useful issues for Learning the Future - which I mentally summarised as the 3-world reality: a) A Sustainable World, with its attendant issues of climate change, and its impact on energy policy, tourism planning, food security and water resource, b) A Multipolar World, with the rise of China and India, a new Europe, the turbulent Africa and the opening of Central Asia as well as the emergence of ideologies and its nexus with geopolitics and, c) A Hyperlinked World, through globalisation and issues of national identity and human migration.

It all began when Sis Nadiah, the President of the newly formed society, attended the TMSN camp at An-Naeem Mosque in March during which she invited me to meet her EXCO members for a sharing. Last Wednesday, my family and I happened to meet her and her peers at Downtown East, and to my surprise, she happens to be Muslihah's Chemistry teacher at Al-Maarif. She has taken up a part-time teaching post at the madrasah while studying for the University of London degree at SIM. Certainly her time are well spent and her commitments, exemplary!

Soon after all five students had their seats at Starbucks-One Fullerton, I was asked to share what I have done in the past, the motivations and my aspirations for the future.

On reflection after the meeting, I thought I had shared the story of my life and signposted major decisions that may have led to where and who I am today. I had never entertained this thought or attempted this task, partly because I do not believe one can be absolutely objective and accurate with autobiography. But since there may be learning points for them, I obliged and tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but aware that a 40-plus years of life history cannot be summarised in an hour without losing many of the episodes which are also significant to make the account complete and accurate.

I began with experiences of being the eldest in the family, the upbringing I had, the influences that shaped and developed my worldview, the challenging days of working-in-the-day and studying-at-night after dropping out of secondary school, right through overseas education in the UK and fulfilled my ambition to be a University lecturer.

The students listened attentively while I consistently tried to be succint and factual. It reminded me of the days I sat at the feet of (late) Prof Stafford Beer, who supervised my doctoral work when I visited him at his cottage in the valley in Mid Wales. A world renowned cybernetician, Stafford was multi-talented and a true polymath. He was conversant in English (of course), French, Latin, Spanish, Sanskrit and Hindi (which he picked up during his stint in India when he led the Gurkha contingent). He was a poet, painter, philosopher, a carpenter and taught veda and vedic yoga to his students.

But unlike Stafford who was a Guru and almost a sage to his students, I shared the story of my life with the hope that it may inspire them to discover their talents, realise their potentials, chase their dreams and break new frontiers.

I hope they too will inspire others to greater heights (and heavens)!