Reflections on Global Focus Asia Leadership Training
September 24, 2008
In July 2008, I chanced upon a group of young adults eating at the food court of Suntec Convention Centre and a young lady who is an old friend, by the name of Magdalene, invited me to join them and so I did. Over dinner, she updated me of her fascinating adventures, as a lawyer by day and a social activist by night, organising young people for overseas community services in China. She had organised a team of like-minded young adults who have devoted themselves to serving the poor in the villages of southern China and they have recently just placed a full-time volunteer on location there too.
Mag did take responsibility for all the inconveniences she had caused in the lives of her friends who were living happily within their comfort zone till she came by. However she also apportioned some blame to me, for inviting her on a trip to China six years ago which got her hooked on international volunteerism. She also attributed to me her development of the conviction for a long-term commitment with a project. I was amazed at her vision and persistence which augurs well as it signals hope for our activistic young Singaporeans.
Over the past year, I have also been privileged to meet with businessmen who have taken time in the midst of busy schedules to come together over lunch to discuss how they can pool funds and resources to touch young lives in Asia. Asian Journeys have benefited from the fellowship of these hard-nosed entrepreneurs who were eager to help make the world a better place for children and youths in Asia, battered by social injustice and civil conflicts. They take trips and get personally involved, beyond financial giving.
The growth of faith-based social enterprises and NGOs to participate in innovative projects and creative programmes point to the growing realisation that faith must result in deeds, in practical actions beyond the superficially constructed edifices of religious institutions into the larger community, into the deep spiritual spaces of wounded men and women, children and youths.
When office-bearers in religious or social service organisations fail to lead, content with managing the busy activities which may not impact lives or meet the needs of clients, practical men and women with moral courage and spiritual fibre, keen to make a difference, will therefore spring into action and attempt to bridge the gap. Faith becomes real deeds, values get enfleshed and resources are channeled into places where lives are touched and a little difference is made.
A medical doctor who has a nose for opportunities and a heart of compassion, and has been active linking hands with other medical professionals in and around Asia, told me of a fundraiser last weekend in a neighbouring country where business leaders got together and raised over 9 million dollars. In a week which saw the financial meltdown and stock markets plunge. Resources abound and a signal is all it takes to remind people where true and lasting investments ought to be made.
Last September, Derrick Lau, MacDaniel Phillips and I attended a week-long training course in Atlanta, Georgia to be equipped as Trainers for Global Focus Asia. Leaders from the States and some Carribean nations like Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago were also present, as we sat together learning about strategic thinking and how to coach and consult with community leaders who are keen to make a difference in their organisations for the long haul. We benefited from the teaching of two volunteer trainers, a dental surgeon and a medical doctor, both of whom had taken a week off their personal practice to come share their journeys in organizational planning and strategic alignment with us.
These are examples of active citizens, as are all the individuals mentioned above, committed to their local community, but curious about the globalized world, and wanting to participate to make a little difference. In this globalized age, it is possible to get connected in many ways.
Where organizational leaders fail to provide visions and opportunities to tap these human and social capital, these talents will easily drift away…towards places where their passions and compassion coincide, towards places where they can make a difference. In an age of globalization, where the world is flat, influence and not position indeed, dictates the effectiveness of leadership.
by Lawrence Ko, Executive Director, Asian Journeys and Int’l Facilitator, Global Focus Asia
Bianhe the Jadesmith
September 19, 2008
Heshibi…a story from ancient China
This is a story of a jade craftsman who found a treasure in the form of a priceless jadestone and how it transformed his life and destiny. In seeking to share it with his fellowmen in the kingdom of Chu rather than keeping it for himself, he sought to present it to the King of Chu.
His gift was unfortunately rejected by the king who failed to realize the worth of the jade. As a result, Bianhe the jade craftsman was severely punished for attempting to present a fake stone by having his foot cut off. Dejected Bianhe went home as a man crippled in body and soul.
When a new king ascended the throne, Bianhe was adamant in presenting his priceless treasure to the new king. Again his gift was spurned and he was deemed as mischievous, attempting to deceive the king. He had his second foot cut off and was left very much a tragic figure.
Just when he thought his life would be thus wasted, news arrived that a new king who had ascended the throne. There he went again, determined to fulfil what he deemed as his life’s mission.
His persistence was finally rewarded when the new king finally realised the true worth of the jade and duly accepted his precious gift. His vindication was his desired due reward. Thus was the origin of the sory of the famous Heshibi in chinese history, the priceless jade named after Bianhe the jadesmith.
The story of Heshibi is a truly story of courage and conviction of a man who truly believed in his vision, his conviction, his mission in life and how he persevered to the very end, bearing the stigma of his deep belief and his life pursuit. He was eventually vindicated and richly rewarded for his convictions despite the apparent tragic consequences.
This is a story which raises the questions concerning the meaning of life, of success and failure, of what is true and what is false in life, of what is futility and what is true fruitfulness and a worthy legacy which outlasts one’s life.
It reminds us who are living in an affluent society paranoid about material and economic success disguised as survival needs, that human beings are more than bellies needing to be fed and animals needing to be led by the noses. We are really spiritual beings with the capacity for transcendence and the hunger for a deeper meaning of life, and it is only when we are living lives with a spiritual purpose that our humanity is truly recovered.
Thankfully, since time immemorial, there are the Tao Yuanmings whether in ancient China or the Socrates in ancient Greece, who had lived their lives in demonstration that life’s ambition must certainly transcend the pursuit of shelter, sex and food.
by Lawrence Ko