1. 25th May 2012
CROSSROADS
Rotary Club of Singapore Vol. 48 / 43
“Rail Public Transport in Singapore”
Speaker : Mr. Bruno Wildermuth
Lunch meeting of the 23rd May 2012
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Joke of the week !
“It’s true money cannotbuy happiness, but happiness cannot buy groceries”
From the book of Humour compiled by Rewa Mirpuri
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http://www.rotary.org.sg/bookofhumour.html
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2. Introductory remarks Toast
President Tapan Rao opened the meeting and
extended a warm welcome to Guest Speaker, Mr. Toastmaster, Rtn. Suman Aggarwal invited visiting
Bruno Wildermuth addressed the Club on the Rtn. Zoran Zic to address the Club. Rtn. Zoran
subject entitled “Rail Public Transport in advised that the Rotary Club of Zagreb-Sljeme was
Singapore”. a young club formed 5 years ago with only 30
members. He added that his club was striving to
increase its membership. Rtn. Zoran advised that
Audited Financial statements he recently moved to Singapore to cover his
company’s S.E.A. business, and was not often at his
President Tapan reminded members that the club, as he was more an ambassador for his club.
Club’s audited financial statements for year ended Rtn. Zoran thanked members for the hospitable
30th June 2011 were circulated on 11th May 2012 welcome and invited members to visit his club,
for members’ review. He added that no comments even if he was not there, he would ensure that
on the financial statements were received and members receive a warm welcome!
called for a formal adoption of the statements.
Members adopted the financial statements as
presented by a show of hands.
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3. Welcome of visiting Mr. Wildermuth’s talk gave an President Tapan called upon PP Stan
insightful look into the urban rail Low who stated that he was
Rotarians and guests system for Singapore, studies of honoured to be able to propose a
which took place in earnest in vote of thanks to Mr. Wildermuth,
Rtn. Dr. Ekkehard Wiek welcomed 1972. In his talk, Mr. Wildermuth whom he has known for many years.
our guests and visiting Rotarians noted that the decision to go PP Stan also took the opportunity to
highlight and clarify a few pertinent
ahead with the MRT was a
- Guests : points mentioned by Mr.
difficult one and highly debated. Wildermuth in his talk.
Rotaractor Hans Markus He recounted some of his
Luehmann – Rotaract Club of meetings and exchanges which
Munchen-Residenz took place. He advised that the
Mr. Edmund Ooi initial system was completed in
1990 ahead of schedule and
Visiting Rotarians : below its original budget of S$5
PP Terry Ng – Queenstown billion.
President G. Balasubrahmanyan –
Madras Coromandel, He noted that Singapore clearly
S. C. Bose – Trivandrum City, faced up early in its development
Ramesh Daswani – Bombay to the eventual traffic problems
Central, India unlike some neighbouring
Federico Vasoli – Milano Manzoni countries which until today still
Studium, Italy struggled with such investments.
PE James Young – Richmond, USA Nevertheless, Mr. Wildermuth,
Zoran Zic – Zagreb-Sljeme, noted that Singapore today, was
Croatia in a very different situation and
the amount of money being
Speaker of the week spent on new rail lines was
staggering when compared to the
original budget. Yet, Mr.
PP Dr. Oliver Hennedige was
Wildermuth added, Singapore
pleased to introduce the
was facing increasing problems
Speaker, Mr. Bruno Wildermuth,
with the capacity of its rail
whom he heard speak a few
systems, and he highlighted some
months ago. He added that Mr.
of causes.
Wildermuth was very much
Mr. Wildermuth also spoke briefly
involved with the MRT system
about the rail systems in other
and well qualified to speak on
countries in Asia and ended his
mass transportation.
talk by graciously answering
questions posed to him.
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4. Essay : from Sneha Gupta, winner of the NGS 5th Essay competition
Interaction between the elderly and the youth in modern Singapore : The challenges and solutions.
His 72 year-old body slumped solitary on an even older chair, just as every other day,in the alleyway outside his room
of an HDB complex on Marine Parade Road,overlooking the tranquil yet ever changing seaside. The sea brought to his
mind manyideas revolving around human life. He recalled reading somewhere (probably his son’s geography text
book, as he helped him learn his lessons years back) how the sand on the beach has been created by erosion of once
sturdy rocks. Always, however strong or powerful you are, you are always vulnerable and are destined to get eroded
away, he reflected. The jarring sound that emanated from the waves crashing against that stretch of a rocky shore
(sound that was like lullaby to his ears, the only sound that always kept him company) represented for him the
constant conflict and turmoil in man’s life. After a few disconnected thoughts that he engaged in, he stopped thinking
entirely and stared blankly ahead; ahead at an even lonelier, more isolated tomorrow. His only son had left home to
study and then work in the USA, his wife had died years ago and he had no purpose to live on. He was too proud to
ask his son to be taken to live with him, too proud to seek companionship of the always-on-therun neighbours. He
knew survival in modern day society was not without constant battling against time. He did not expect much but even
less did he receive at a time when his body, along with society, had decided to discard him. He still remembered the
line of Willy Loman in the Arthur Miller play he had seen long ago at the Esplanade, "You can't eat the orange and
throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit.” Although, not all old people living in our society have such tragic,
lonely lives, to a very large extent they are mostly neglected and regarded as burdens who need to be taken special
care of. They are more often than not viewed as non-contributing members of society, ones who are of no use to
either the family or society, rather a load who needs to be supported by social institutions. Today, when we broach
the subject of fostering effective interaction between the youth and the elderly, this very gross misinterpretation
needs to be addressed first. The misconception that the elderly are a burden to be borne by the young is the
foremost impediment obstructing the path of the two generations forging a symbiotic relationship: a fruitful,
productive communication between the youth of today’s Singapore and the elderly, the very men
and women to whom we owe the shaping of our Singapore. The present day elderly were the very spirited and
motivated individuals who shared with the pioneering leaders the common vision of shaping Singapore into Asia’s
biggest (size does not matter!) and wealthiest of metropolises. The ones who envisioned today’s thriving society were
the futuristic planners while the ones who brought the plans to fruition, were the mighty executioners. What we, the
youth enjoy today is thanks to the older generation’s relentless hard work. The lamentable part is that not only does
today’s youth fail to acknowledge this fact but has even forgotten the unselfish, untiring and dogged effort and
sacrifice that they have expended to give them the present that they live in. This, in my view, poses as the first major
challenge in the interaction between the youth and the elderly. The denigration of the elderly is an unforgivable evil
of modern day society. It is symptomatic of today’s apathetic generation.
There are two barriers that often prevent communication between the young and their elders. The first is middle-aged
forgetfulness of the fact that they themselves are no longer young. The second is youthful ignorance of the fact that
the middle-aged are still alive. Jessamyn West
The youth has to be presented with the reality that they have much to gain from their grandparents’ stories, their
experiences, and their choices, as the elderly are a primary source of valuable information of past experiences that
shall help them shape their future choices. We must not forget that they have lived our lives and more and are
therefore in the best position to guide us through the difficult stages in our lives and
aid us in every step of our lives.
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5. Sharing their past experiences and talking to the younger generation makes the older generations feel recharged,
excited to play a part in shaping the future generation of this country. The youth must be informed that the elderly
have not lost their worth; they may not be physically active but it would be
gravely wrong to assume that physical inaction is necessarily a reflection of mental inaction. They need to understand
and appreciate that most old folks have a very vibrant memory, active imagination and even if there has been a
waning of intellectual prowess, the residual is rich enough for the youth to soak themselves in.
Many of these old folk whom we pass by without a thought or care, must have crushed their own dreams, worked
ceaselessly to give their sons and daughters a better future. So, is it asking for too much to give them a better
present? In fact, it’s a sorrowful comment on human nature that today we perceive the necessity to ask the youth to
reach out to the elderly. It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;– Khalil
Gibran
However, this is not an easy task. Today’s youth live detached from their environment, in self-created islands. Their
attitude is defined by an ‘I, me, my’ philosophy. Pathos, the most defining human attribute, perhaps more important
than logos, is ruefully lacking in today’s generation. Armed with their iPhone, iPad, PSP, they live in a fortress not easy
to impregnate. This situation necessitates, firstly, a drawing out of the young and then to imbue in them the spirit of
empathy. From an early age children are taught to care for the elderly based on the sentiment of sympathy evoked
for their old age and resultant helplessness. However, this is a very insufficient and weak basis for a thriving
relationship, as it has to be more of an endearing, sustainable and mutually benefiting one. A relationship cannot be
constructive and lasting if its foundation is sympathy. One of the solutions is making children empathize with the
elderly as empathy would help the youth evaluate and understand the elderly, appreciate their contributions, want to
befriend them, get to know them, their lives, their tastes better and take the extra effort to do something for them as
it then it will no longer be perceived by the youth as a duty thrust upon them. What needs to be eliminated is the
artificiality inextricably linked with the term ‘duty’. What needs to replace ‘duty’ is a voluntary desire to reach out.
The advent of nuclear families, the sad reality of both parents working late hours, of kids being left at day care
centers and the old, at old age homes have led to estranged inter-family relationships worsening the gap between the
generations, leading to lesser appreciation and tolerance for one another. Building relationships may pose as a hard
task but it is not insurmountable. What we need to understand is that this empathic relationship cannot start at a
later age but must be ingrained into children from a very young age. All toddlers love listening to stories and the best
way to win the hearts of children and establish a life long
relationship of love and mutual appreciation can be achieved by making the elderly dip into their storehouses of
stories and dole out handfuls of these to the children at day care centers, kindergarten schools, club-houses of
condos, void decks of HDBs. There can be weekly sessions organized by the National Library Board in the
neighborhood libraries. The tales of these raconteurs are no less than those contained
in the books on the racks. In fact, they are more pertinent to the place and society that the children are growing up
in. As these children grow up in the next few decades we may look forward to a future where many of them may
come forward to adopt a grandparent and reverse the process of adopting a child. What we need now is a reversal of
conventions- of always the older taking care of the younger. When the young are capable, they can assume charge of
the elders. What is most important to understand is that the adoption is purely an emotional and psychological one.
The growing migrant society of Singapore has children who are deprived of the company of grandparents. ‘Adopt a
Grandparent’ programme would be welcome to all factions of multi-racial Singapore. It will help the migrants to make
this adopted home a real one and will help in better understanding of the immigrants amongst the locals. What the
young, riding high on their youth and rush of adrenalin, need to open their blinded eyes and awaken to is the truth
that Time does not stand still. Too soon will their youth be done and, god forbid, that they need await the kind
company of a friend like my 72 year old friendless friend outside his room in an HDB flat on Marine Parade Road.
Sneha Gupta
IB Year 1
Global Indian International School, Queenstown
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6. The Guide to Daily Living
MARK YOUR DIARY Before doing the things we COMING ROTARY EVENTS
Birthday celebrants want to do, consider first, the
RC wishes Happy Birthday to precept of the guide. Ask May
celebrants this week: ourselves these 4 questions Community Service Month
June 1st – Gary Goh, Jasbir and act upon them:
First: Have I spent some time June
Koh, Zahidi Abd Rahman
in self-examination? Rotary Fellowships Month
June 4th – Honorary Member, Second: Have I spent quality
PP Tan Boon Chiang time with my family? June 2nd – 1300 to 1730hrs
Anniversary Celebrants Third: Have I given my best to District Vocational Service
RC sends best wishes to my work?
Seminar at Rotary Family
Wedding Anniversary Fourth: Have I given some
time to someone near and Service Centre
celebrants this week
far?
May 29th – PP Peter & Shirley June 27th
The Guide, in fact,
Tan encompasses the 4 parts of Meeting Cancelled in view of
May 30th – Edward &Deirdre the Object of Rotary. the Installation Dinner on
Loy, Ronil & Reshma Sujan June 30th
Next week June 30th
This week
June 6th 2012 Installation Dinner
May 30th 2012
July
Reception Desk duty: PP Dr. Reception Desk duty: PP Stan July 4th
Oliver Hennedige, Kannan Low, Bharat Mandloi 1st Club Assembly for Rotary
Krishnan Sunshine Box duty: Roland Year 2012/2013
Sunshine Box duty: Erich Jossi, Michael Boegli
The Four-Way Test
Vosshage, Philip Kwan Speaker: Our own member, Of the Things we think, say
The Good Samaritan Award Rtn. Rewa Mirpuri or do:
* Is it the truth?
2012 Presentation Topic: “The 4-Way Test – Is it
* Is it fair to all concerned?
Fool Proof?” * Will it build goodwill and
Community Service
better friendship?
Meeting cancelled. Vocational Service
* Will it be beneficial to all
Date: Thursday, 14th June concerned?
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Tandoori Corner, 5 Queries, comments and
Boon Tat Street, S069613 articles request can be
Hosts: Shamin Vaswani, Alan sent to
Tan, Dr. Irina Francken Jean-Philippe Lionnet
bulletin@rotary.org.sg
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