The NEW S.I.N.G.A.P.O.R.E.A.N.

The ugly Singaporean is one who is:

1. kaypo - he is interested in the latest, hottest ongoings of his neighbour/colleagues/friends (existing and the long lost ones) and goes around regurgitating them to willing listeners, recounting the lives of others like a soap opera (wait wait, havent finish...);

2. kiasu - he sets his eyes on what you have that he doesnt and makes sure he gets more/better that what you possess; he also works just-enough for his dollar (don't be stupid! why do more?? this is not my job.); and

3. kiasi - he is afraid to stand up for what he believes in and simply goes where the wind blows (what principles? not worth a cent. don't be smart-alec and invite trouble lah!).

But thank God for Christ - the anchor of our hope! Yes, there is HOPE! You can be renewed in your mind to be transformed, as larva (that does nothing else but eat) to a butterfly (beautiful and free in spirit), into the NEW S.I.N.G.A.P.O.R.E.A.N. (sermon Jan14, 2007). That is, one who is:

1. Socially-responsible - this is about making decisions and taking actions that would enhance the general welfare of our environment (further read: Wikipedia) e.g. volunteering activities in the neighbourhood districts; participating in corporate philantrophic/charitable activities etc.

2. Innovative - we are created in the image of our Father in Heaven and so aer empowered with creative abilities. Dare to dream and make dreams real...

3. Nett Giver - we are receiving something from someone or the government all the time. Let's make it a point to be a blessing i.e. to give more than we would receive.

4. Globalised - widen our horizons through travel, reading of books and papers, watching of documentaries, being aware and alert of things going on around us and around the world!

5. Advanced - there's never a time we stop learning. Everything is on the move and so progressing. Those who do not progress and are resistant to learning will find themselves living as modern cavemen, disconnected from the world in which they live.

6. Problem-solver - Knowledge in available in abundance. Having knowledge and not knowing how to apply them is emptiness. See a problem and solve it, not ignore it. The fact that you saw it indicates that you have seen beyond others and so have the potential to breakthrough it!

7. Opportunity-seeking - Watch for the gaps to fill; that's where new products and services may be created!

8. Resilient - Perseverance or the ability to bounce back is what differentiates a winner from a loser. Everyone meets with obstacles but it is he who overcomes them in spite of the odds that grows and gains!

9. Educated - The importance of education cannot be undermined. It is both about increasing know-how and expanding one's mental capabilities. Things may be theoretical but you can't den that ideals set the mark of perfection for us to work towards!

10. Adaptable - Flexibility is key! Routine is necessary to establish the core activities/life but it is flexibility that is required to emerge through new situations and circumstances.

11. Nation-conscious - Like it or not, we are all part of a larger identity. Just as the letters of the alphabets are meaningless on their own, no man is an island. Our purpose is realised when we are part of a family, a school, a corporation, an industry, a church, a country! There's a place we all fit into from birth through death.

The fabric of society is made of an amalgation of individual beliefs and practices. In order for us to penetrate the marketplace, we have to influence our societal and corporate cultures. This entails asserting our belief system in our place of work, neighbourhood, schools and families! The betterment of our culture is dependent on the progressive (and positive) changes that we experience individually in our own belief systems. There is a symbiotic relationship between us and our environment/social infrastructure that we cannot deny or shun away from.

The cultural mandate from God says that we are to "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." The kind of input determines the kind of output. For the cycle of fruitfulness and multiplication to be continuous, it is evident that we are to fill the earth with what is positive and good!

God's blessing over us was never meant to be an end but a means. We are not called to be mere receivers of God's blessings but rather, are appointed as channels for the blessings of God to flow through! The new S.I.N.G.A.P.O.R.E.A.N. is one who would sows and reaps for the good of self and others.

2 Corinthians 8:13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." #nelle#