Reflections at the Midpoint of Semester

 

Scenic view over a bridge in Paris

Its been about exactly 2 months from my last post and I have gone through 6 weeks of school with a break now. I think its a good point to jot down my reflections in various parts of my life.

Spiritual and Personal: I think I have settled down much more completely after the initial ‘aftershocks’ from arriving in Singapore. But somehow I know and feel a little different than before, and such a change within is permanent. I am much more in touch with my inner emotions, not so freely willing to cast it aside and continue the drive through my work. I am learning how to balance this though, because it can possibly tilt too far in one direction to cause slight and unnecessary fluctuations. I don’t expect too much in this season, and I want to focus on what is basic. Reading the Word, studying deeper into it and learning lessons from the Lord has continued to be a source of joy and peace to my heart, keeps me anchored amidst the waves of changes around me.

I have been learning to have ‘malleable’ heart, a word the Lord has spoken to me very recently. I know it to be from Him aside from the peace, but because ‘malleable’ is such a chemistry term and no where in the world will I think of such a word by myself in my daily routines of life! Checked it up on the dictionary, it means:

- (esp of metal) able to be worked, hammered, or shaped under pressure or blows without breaking
- able to be influenced; pliable or tractable                                       

It also has the synonyms of mouldable and flexible.

I think it is interesting to think of metal as something hard and strong, yet being soft enough to be shaped and moulded to a desired shape. I think it is both an assurance and preparation for myself in how things will develop in my life. Assurance because it is another confirmation along a line of affirming words the Lord has spoken to me. Isaiah 45:9 from the Message version talked about how the clay can talk back to the potter asking, ‘what are you doing? What clumsy fingers?’. I find myself asking that in this season of my life. In fact, I asked the Lord the question ‘what are you doing’ way back in Copenhagen, on one cool evening when I was strolling along a park outside my apartment. The Lord has finally answered me this question in the first CGM I was leading – He said and is saying to me that He is shaping and moulding me to be more and more like His Son Jesus Christ, depositing ‘treasure in earthen vessels’ like me which is really the ‘the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Cor 4:6,7).

Oh Lord

Dear God,

I sometimes feel like giving up the assignment bestowed by you upon my life. I feel as if sometimes you have something else for me to contend with. I know with certainty my calling before you, but Im not certain of the location of that assignment. It's tough my Lord, feels like thorns of flesh stinging upon my spirit now and then. I feel like I'm not needed, and I may be of greater service to you elsewhere. It could be that I'm still adjusting back, but the pain is too painful at times.

By your tender mercies oh Lord, please give me the grace, the peace and comfort. You know my heart more than anyone else on this earth, and I want to lean on your strength more and more, day by day.

Lord, all that you have spoken to me, I ask that these words will accomplish your will. I'm just a clay pot carrying your message and fragrance to whom you have send me to.

Thank you Jesus my Lord, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve your kingdom. Please help me to be like how you were to your disciples.

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Exchange Reflections Part 2

 

Above: Happy (Chinese) New Year Greetings from some unnamed mountain along Flam, Norway

明けましておめでとうございます! Happy new year! Ar… I know I am slightly late but this being my first post of 2011, I just can’t do without having a customary greeting. It is going to be close to 2 weeks since I returned to Singapore after the exchange. I think I am beginning to settle down back into the routine, but it was not a process that was completely smooth. Sometimes it seems that my body is in Singapore, but my soul and spirit is stuck somewhere between Denmark and here. It seems I am suffering somewhat from a condition known as the reverse culture shock. Been reading up on the net some articles on this issue, and a phrase that defines this condition was exactly what had been floating in my mind – the feeling of being ‘out-of-sync’ with your home social environment. I think I have managed my expectations and accepted the fact that people around me would not be as interested as myself in talking about the exchange experiences. Its not something to be blamed on others (unless you feel that others should be understanding to your needs). But yet at the same time, I don’t want the memories to just disappear, and so this blog has been surviving its immediate purposes of capturing my thoughts from the whole exchange process.  I have not completed my first part of my reflections about recounting the people I have met in Copenhagen, and my mind moves faster than my willingness to do a blog post. Usually at the back of my mind are several posts-in-waiting, but I feel a little lethargic to do it because blogging to me is something quite intense. Anyway, I will continue the people part in subsequent posts.

In the closing days of my exchange, to be specific the last week of it, I have really quite ample free time. And how did I spend it? Consuming Japanese popular culture in my cosy little room. Really, I think the Lord has kind of blessed me with a more mature and penetrating outlook even when I’m engaging what could be apparently senseless entertainment.

And so it goes, in a matter of a 24 hours, I watched all 9 episodes of this drama called Q10. One big pulling factor was of course Maeda Atsuko of AKB48 portraying a cyborg who was sent from the future to sort of capture memories and encounters of Heita (portrayed by Sato Takeru from Kamen Rider Den-o). It is not your usual high school romance drama, because you are looking at a love relationship developing between a human and the cyborg. The cyborg, in her ignorance often asked certain pointed questions about humanity (like people should be helping others amongst others) and ironically acts as a moral conscience for the rest of the human characters. I quite liked the drama, there is no fanciful, far-fetched idolised stuff in Q10, and the characters are mostly down to earth, vulnerable with their own set of problems.

It has been a LONG time since I felt ‘weakened’ in awe of the cuteness of an actress/idol. Aachan as she is more known among her fans, put up quite a good display of a robot with her high pitch robotic voice and silly/cute antics. Not that I have became a wota, but I just can’t stand her cuteness.

                This was how Q10 expressed her shyness –_-‘’

This is the most memorable thing Q10 did in the series. Coincidentally Q10 (kyuto) is also a katakana way of saying cute.

All these aside, the eventual plot development stirred me into some reflection and even went to the extent of making the vision I have received from the Lord clearer. Even though all these happened in the last few days of my time in Copenhagen, it was definitely one of the highlights for my life.

Over the course of the series, the purpose for Q10’s existence on earth was revealed. She was actually sent from the future by Heita’s future wife all the way in 2080 (or somewhere around this period) when she was about to die but wanted to relieve some youthful memories. Heita’s wife was I think 80 plus years old when she sent Q10. Initially I didn’t think too much about this point but on the second last night when I was just lying on my bed I began to think about myself when I am 80 years old (which is in 57 years time). Wow I can’t even really fathom what kind of me I will be at that age. Will I even live past  80 years? And even if I do so, I highly doubt I can live past 95 years just an example?

I have vaguely thought about such things in the past, but never did I quantify outrightly the length of time I think I will be alive till. It was quite scary to think of that! I was then reminded of a quote one of my fellow Singaporean exchange student made when we were travelling around Europe. She said that death is the equaliser of all men. Isn’t this true? Two men side by side, one is ultra-rich and the other is ultra-poor, but both will meet the same fate – death. It led me to another observation – that we are all walking on this road called life, and at the end of this road waiting for us is, if you want to personify it, a person called death who will take you away from this earth. But to where?

That question aside, it means that for every breath we take, every decision we make, everything we do, we are walking closer to this destination (Final Destination anyone? I hate that series of movies by the way.) The urgency to lead a fulfilling life dawned upon me on that snowy, cold night.

I then began to think about the Japanese and my vision and there was just a great stirring of thoughts in my mind. I was thinking about the actresses and actors in the drama, and all the popular artistes in the entertainment industry. They are people who weld great influence on the society. I also recall from watching Jaeson Ma’s 1040 movie that one Korean professor that he spoke to commented that in terms of giving influence and instruction, parents belonged to the pre-modern culture, teachers to the modern culture, and pop idols/stars to the post-modern culture. I thought about all the talented singers who have produced wonderful songs that have coloured my life in a way of another. And at the end of their lives, the end of the road, they may well meet death and for an eternity not meet the good Lord of all. For a moment I thought I felt the heart of the Lord, as if I felt His heartbeat, burden and pain for the Japanese people. It was excruciating and I felt so heavy in my heart.

And then within my mind there was a linking of all these thoughts and I felt there was a leading towards the vision that I received from the Lord way back in 2008. I understood what it was, but on that night I began to see the details of that vision was beginning to unfold – the who and the where began to emerge. The Japanese, Japan, these two words were popping up in my mind and my spirit and my heart began to beat, like a sense of excitement of having known something deeper about what you have always wanted to know. I trust in God’s providential timing, and I know that when the Lord knows I am ready, He will reveal more of Him to me, or put me through a higher level of trial. There was no doubt a sense of resolution and relief in my heart for having the tugging for the Japanese people, but there was also some doubt as to whether this was just wishful thinking or if it was really something from the Lord. But like what Mary did when Gabriel spoke to her about Jesus, I kept it in my heart until after I returned when shared with my dear. I hope I didn’t divulge it prematurely!

But if there was any slightest form of confirmation of what I received on that night in Copenhagen was from my good Lord, it had to be the very first service I attended during Christmas. As usual, copies of City Newspaper from the church laid unassumingly on the extreme side seats to be distributed to the congregation. I took one copy and began to turn the pages to see what’s inside. And am I pleasantly surprised!!!!

The headline for the feature article on the second and third pages was as follows: God Loves Japan. God loves Japan!! He allowed me to experience His burden for that wonderful nation just a few nights before, and revealed more details of that vision I received 2 years ago. Now this must be some confirmation! How will everything turn out? I seriously don’t know. Will I be a long-term missionary to Japan? I don’t know. Or will I work in some company which will send me to Japan on a long term basis and from there I begin some outreach? I don’t know. But I want to make my life count, and no matter how far-fetched or ridiculous everything seems to be, it’s my life and His as well. I can’t afford to let this conformity culture of Singapore restrict myself.

What a roller-coaster ride just watching a high school romance drama can bring you when you are open to the leading of the Lord?

Over the past 2 weeks since I have returned, I have been doing some research about Christianity in Japan and even missionary work. Below were two interesting pictures I found out (both from www.tokyomango.com).

This manga from 2008 is called Saint Young Men, and its about how Jesus (on the left, don’t he look cool?) and Buddha would have lived in modernity (and in Japan of course). I would love to read the manga and see how the manga artist brings out interactions between the two of them.

This is a super creative poster to remind the Japanese to take their umbrellas home with them, because there is a tendency to leave them (which are quite cheaply available) lying around everywhere when the rain stops.

Well, that’s all for now I think. More to come up as I chronicle my thoughts on exchange. Have a blessed week everyone and to me of course. Thank you Jesus for everything so far!

Exchange Reflections–People, Activities, Places in the Last Week (Part 1)

 

Above: Park outside Hotel Invalides aka French Army Museum during Autumn

It has been a good 11 days since I last blogged. I have since returned to Singapore (which was accompanied by both reluctance and relief) and settled alright back at home. The main thing I have been doing is to clean up my house, with 2 more weeks before the new semester starting. I intend to maximise the free time I have, meeting people, reading books and doing some exercise. I have indeed gained some weight, and I want to shed off those excess kilos!

Today, after spending a good 8 hours throwing, washing, rearranging, wiping, sweeping, I finally have the time to resume blogging. I made it a point to meet the people who had defined my time in Copenhagen and to take photos of them as a form of remembrance. I hope to maintain contact with the international friends made during this exchange, and probably visit their home countries (with free stay as well if possible!). Below are some pictures of the people whom I have met during the exchange:

- Guys from United Copenhagen –Love Living, Live Loving!-

This was a picture I took with Jin (extreme left), Johannes (left) and Jonathan (centre) at the Christmas gathering on the weekend just before I left.

Johannes is the leader of the Copenhagen branch of United Church based in Malmo, Sweden. I have not spoken to him many times, but every time I had a chat with him, he has the ability to ‘transfer’ his enthusiasm for God’s kingdom and revival in Denmark into me. I find myself listening more than speaking when conversing with him. That’s not nagging or being longwinded at all, because I feel he was sharpening my perspectives on issues of Christianity in the supposedly God-forsaken country of Denmark. One of the things he pointed out to me about the current state of affairs is the lukewarm attitude Danish Christians have towards evangelism and service. He was probably being both sarcastic and blunt when he said Paul Scanlon and a Hillsongs pastor openly declared their disappointment at the lack of hunger of the Christians there. He also recounted an incident when a pastor he was serving wanted to leave the conference in Denmark because people were not responsive and not putting effort in serving men of God (e.g. using plastic plates, forks and spoons for refreshments when something of a higher quality could be used).

He works as a intermediary between the government and wayward youths, teaching young people some skills on mechanics and being a positive influence on these people who have been involved in crime and gang activities. He is just one of the many humble servants of God all around Denmark and Europe, which is one of the most secular regions on the face of this earth. I believe his church will grow and multiply in Jesus name!

The Christmas Lunch was at this Park Cafe and it was pretty much in the Danish tradition of hygge or coziness, i.e. people seating around, drinking gløgg (mulled wine) and eating æbleskiver (apple donuts) [see below] and doing small talk here and there. Gløgg is consumed by Scandinavians and Germans during Winter to keep them warm, although any alcohol would pretty much serve the same purpose. But it’s Christmas time, so there must be something more than the usual Carlsberg or Tuborg.

 

After some chit chatting, Johannes shared the word and was followed by a time of worship. Good ambience I must say!

Jonathan, my friend from Australia who is studying Law and intending to specialise in Human Rights. He is someone who has strong convictions on social justice, partly (or perhaps mainly) coloured by his Christian convictions. Whereas things are pretty clear cut in Singapore (I  seldom have discussions with others mixing politics and Christianity or religion in general because they are kept wide apart by the government), in the US, or even in Australia, one outrightly pursues certain political ideals on the basis on certain Christian beliefs. Jonathan is someone who opened me up to talking about issues of politics and human rights from a Christian perspective, and pitting such perspective against ambiguities in the world around us. I can’t recall clearly any anecdotes to share, but I think when I read news now on which is not obviously religious in nature, there will be a nudge inside of me to reflect it as a Christian.

The brother on my right is Peter. He often leads in our men’s fellowship meetings along with Thomas. Besides being passionate about discipleship and evangelism as well, I have experienced some of the best Danish sarcasm from him. They don’t mean to offend anyone, and neither am I, but I’m a bit too much of a straight person to shoot back something equally sarcastic haha.

Thomas! If Johannes is my pastor during my time in Denmark, Thomas is definitely my cell group leader. I have to thank him loads for sharing with me about Danish culture and society. I’m thankful for his guidance and efforts of always including foreigners like me into the group. Scandinavians are known to be reserved, but he has proven me otherwise with his hospitality and friendliness. I have also been to his house a couple of times, watching soccer, drinking, eating, sharing our thoughts on God, society, soccer, girls and just about anything else.

Thomas shared with me about the Jante Law, which I thought was a ‘total gem’ for a sociology student like myself who wants to ‘dig out’ what defines particular societies. It is something deeply ingrained in Danish society and very similar to Singapore – the contempt of those who are rich. But Singapore in some sense goes a step further, i.e. as long as you are different from me, there is a little scorn and displeasure, be it someone inferior or superior than me. Thomas also talked about his ancestry, with his grandparents being Germans who came up to Denmark to be potato farmers. We had a rather ‘deep’ talk following that when Martin (on my immediate right in the picture just above) and Jonathan both shared how the Holocaust claimed the lives of numerous of their grandparents and relatives. Its scary to think that, after 60 years, the memory of this massacre still left a strong impression on the people today. Just to realise that it happened in the 20th century, not in 10th century, speaks of the tragedy of the human race. 

I have much more to share about, but I will leave them to future posts. Sometimes, I find myself more as an anthropologist rather than a sociologist. I really hope to understand the Japanese as how I did to the Danes, but the fact I only know something so personal to the Danes (the Jante Law) in the last week in Copenhagen (after spending 4 months there), tells me that to fully understand the Japanese is easier said than done.

A lone postman cycles through the snow-ridden streets of Copenhagen, faithfully discharging his duties in the cold weather. Respect!

Dancing will help me shed some weight

 

Look at how these girls from SKE48 are dancing (okay don’t worry there is no sexy seductive dance here) as they perform their latest single. How do they get all this energy man!? If I could learn and dance with 20% of their effort, I think I can shed off some weight I gained in Copenhagen.

It’s a bit blur, but the main focus is the hyper-ness they are displaying. Give my hats off to them

Purpose of this Blog

Picture: Myself along the Fjord of Norway

Hi there! For whatever reason that has caused you to chance upon this space, I welcome you to my blog space! I have previously started out on this blog at the end of 2008 but it fell into disuse due to my laziness and lack of commitment to update the posts. Well, after 2 years, in the end of 2010, I decided to restart my blog partly because I have some free time to spare before I return to Singapore from my exchange programme in Denmark.

I have been deliberating on the exact purpose of me doing blogging. One problem I face has been thinking what exactly I should include in each of the post. How personal should I go? Am I doing blog for a public audience and not so much for myself? I needed a resolution so that I can blog in the future with some boundaries. It will be great if you could read through what I have to say, so that you can see all my posts in perspective. 

FOR WHOM: First and foremost, this blog is for my personal development. Since resuming my blogging activity, there have been instances when what I typed in one post could stir up other thoughts or cause me to examine/scrutinise my own trend of thoughts, often leading to some deeper reflection which has been personally satisfying. I can say that the main audience I am interested in is – myself. I’m not being narcissistic here, I just see this space as a place where I can develop my ideas/thoughts. Of course, if you come to my blog, there is no way I can stop you from viewing, and inevitably my private/personal space is also somehow public. Now this leads me to WHAT I think I will usually post about.

WHAT: With the freedom of access in the internet, there is a high chance that someone who is reading through my posts may have completely opposing views from myself. I am not someone who likes confrontations, but I welcome conversations if you wish to discuss what I post. However, I think that sometimes differences can be irreconcilable, and my stand is that if that is the case, conversations don’t have to degrade to something nasty. Once again, I have to stress that this space is first and foremost a place for personal development of ideas, so it is impossible for everyone to agree on everything I have written.

I would emphasise so much on the above because in my posts are doses of religion, society and (popular) culture mixed together, issues which could be sensitive to some, if not all of us. I’m in a process where I am trying to make sense of the world around me, and I do so as a human like anyone of us, but also as a Christian. I very much enjoy Japanese popular culture and can go at lengths to describing certain phenomena, but I do not hold back from talking about these issues from a Christian perspective. May I hope the posts, while not fully agreed by any of you, will nevertheless enrich you by offering different perspectives.

As such, I doubt this blog is a ‘I ate sandwich in the afternoon for my lunch’ blog. That is not to say I will not talk about my daily dealings of life, but I think these are of secondary importance.

That’s all I have to say just to frame my blog in certain boundaries. As I said, I like Japanese popular culture very much, and I try to include videos of songs I’m currently listening to, so here is one, with an interesting title of Toilet’s God (I think it is something like that =/). Its a song about a grandmother and I guess the simplicity of her love for her grand daughter. The song seems to be a big hit in Japan, with more than 5.1 million hits!

Some (Okay, its quite a lot actually) Thoughts on Private Sector and Culture through a short review of フリーター、家を買う

Picture above: Morning in snowy Copenhagen

I have been pondering on my concluding comments from the previous post regarding the lack of social critique on Singapore TV. On a second thought, our local shows are not detached from reality, and there are a few shows such as Renovaid and its Chinese version on channel 8 which are focused on the plight of marginalised individuals. But the way these shows are produced seem to individualise the problems and even with the help given by volunteers and producers (like finding benevolent employers willing to give them a chance of work) one is left feeling a bit powerless as to the real possibility of the individuals having any substantial improvement at the end of the show. While individual problems are consequences of individual circumstances, more often than not, they are the symptoms of structural/societal problems which only structural/broader-level solutions could help these people. Till then, for the help rendered to these individuals, even though they may not be far-reaching, they are still something we should appreciate and be thankful for. Not to do anything is worse right?

The variety show that is perhaps closest to Jack Neo’s movies in terms of portraying social satire is none other than The Noose (I encourage you to look up on youtube for its videos). The mockery on authorities is quite obvious, and I wonder how MDA has approved for the series to be shown on national television.

Now going back to my thoughts of フリーター、家を買う. One of the strongest points put across through the series is how not to write off or despise people who are working in physical labour jobs such as construction work, because of a lack of education or due to other unfortunate circumstances (In Seiji’s case, he had to urgently earn money to cope with family expenses and later to save up to shift house). The writers and producers behind the series have put this point across by elevating the non tangible qualities exhibited by these construction workers, values such as teamwork, caring for one another – in essence, casting these people as humane, real, as people whom you will experience warmth with – in contrast to those from the corporate white-collar world who are cold, where not much emphasis is placed on relationships etc. While I could not show you the clip, but the above observations are almost exactly mentioned in one scene when Seiji explained in an interview why he has been working for so long at the construction company (he said how in office, interactions are not genuine, and going to gatherings amongst colleagues was painful, but in the construction site, people are genuine and treat each other with dignity). I was so agreeing with him when he made those comments! Well, it is a bit hard to hide my contempt for the corporate culture as you may have suspected.

I am also at a crossroads as I decide my future career path. I’m thankful for the results I have received, and I am optimistic about my future prospects. But what route should I take? Should I go public sector or private? My girl friend has been sharing with me her experiences in work which largely confirms the above observations. She recounted how her manager was surprised when she just asked for his drink preference so that she can, in the future, buy that out of a polite gesture. His surprise could perhaps reflect his ‘resignation’ that he does not expect that kind of respect and treatment from fellow co-workers in the office because such good-will gesture is non-existent in the first place?

While I can be quite an idealist, I also know the need to be practical (I mean, being practical is what Singaporeans are well-known for right). At this moment, I am more inclined to go towards the private sector, maybe in corporate communications or human resource. Sprouting out these terms don’t necessary mean I know what they involve, but I think working with people and just being involved in planning or strategizing is my cup of tea and these areas fit the bill. But one thing I know for sure is the culture that I will be confronted with – a corporate culture.

One thing I have learnt in Denmark is that culture is necessarily created. Our society’s tendency to fear losing out and competing incessantly does not just exist since 1819. It was created by, or rather more precisely a result of, what the state has done to our education system (this maybe a generalisation but it nevertheless is true to a large part). What is second nature to us as culture does not emerge independently from nature, but has been moulded by fellow human beings, often those in positions of power. While not all elements in Singapore’s culture is negative, some are. I once attended this workshop by a very senior human resource director from GIC who claimed he has scouted and recruited many of the world’s best talents to GIC. He said that the culture of any company is determined by the policies set by the leadership, especially policies of reward and promotion. He gave the example of Shell, of how a new CEO decided to make job rotation a compulsory feature in the corporation, meaning that no one can stay in the same position for more than 4 years, and after one term, one has to reapply to the company as if he is a new employee. I understood that this strategy helped to push up productivity and profits, but I can’t imagine the emotional and social costs incurred with the anxiety, competition and insecurity.

So, culture is created by people, period. And people themselves can also create a counter-culture as a form of resistance to unhealthy forms of prevailing culture.

I think this is what Jesus Christ has came to do and is continuing that work through His Body, the church. He taught a way of living that is counter to his time, especially regarding acceptance and inclusion of those marginalised (I have more to say on this as I deliberate on my reflections for Christmas) rather than degrading judgement. Since culture is created by people, then really, the underlying conflict between cultures (there is a popular academic term for this called ‘culture wars’ ) is one based on power held by people of opposing cultural values. Whoever is more powerful can exert or impose their cultural values over the wider group. As Christians in a corporate environment with our own culture which can run contrary to that of the office, what power do we possess? What and who are we fighting against? Is the conflict against our superiors who seem unreasonable to us?

Perhaps some of you (if not at least me) know where I am leading to. Ephesians 6:12 ‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places’. I think we are tempted to fume at the injustice we may receive or perceive from superiors and bear grudges against colleagues who have unfairly treated us. But there could be something deeper than what is seen (As Optimus Prime from Transformers so often reminds us, there is more than meets the eye).

The conflict may well be in the spiritual dimension. Yes, superiors have power and authority over us, and the overall corporate culture perhaps is spread through such power channels. And God also exhorts us to submit to authority. But as believers I think we need to discern between what is godly and what is not as we subject ourselves to authority (which many a times is secular as the example of Caesar by Jesus show) and deal with the consequences of being subjected to that authority. I think as believers while we live in a prevailing culture which is not fully godly, we need to carve out a space where we assert godly cultural values. And that no doubt requires conviction!

I don’t want to keep on going on, but as a concluding comment, I want to share from Matthew 7:12 : ‘Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets’. I was reading a commentary by Pastor Chuck Smith on this chapter, and realised the above verse is also known as the Golden Rule. Many of us will also know that many religious and great moral teachers have taught about this before. Individuals like Confucius and Plato (I think, but definitely one of the Greek philosophers) have talked about it. But what is really surprising is that when they talk about this, they frame it in a negative way, i.e. Don’t do to others what you don’t want to be done unto you i.e. passive stance. But Jesus my good Lord has framed it in a proactive, positive way – do to others what you want to be done unto you. It’s not passive, its taking the initiative, that first step, and seeing how the ‘boomerang effect’ run its course, just like that gesture my girl friend displayed towards her superior.

While saying the above, I have this fear that in such a culture of the office, gestures of goodwill will be preyed upon by vulture-minded people and they would think you are naive to be made so easily vulnerable. That’s why I think to take the initiative to help another, at the expense of your time to do your own work, needs conviction and confidence in God. Once again, culture is created by people, so it implies that it is not static but dynamic. While we don’t have the bureaucratic power to effect much changes (unless you are the boss!), we possess spiritual power in our good Lord Jesus to resist, rescue and redeem culture from the clutches of the enemy.