An 'Exploratory', Fictitiuous Conversation With a Taxi Driver

My boss sent to us an article about a conversation someone had during a taxi ride...

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10153595930995576&id=539150575

It was a nice feel-good article but something was gnawing at me but I didn't know what. In order to explore what it was, I embarked on a fictitious taxi conversation of my own....

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I had an instructive conversation with a taxi driver late last night.

"Wah Uncle, you work so late ah... Need to earn money for family is it?"

"No lah, I'm semi-retired already. I'm quite comfortable. But I find it interesting driving a cab. You learn so much from meeting people." He then told me how he had started off as a hawker selling chicken rice. He then noticed that whenever people bought food, they always invariably bought drinks. Hereafter, he started scrimping and at the first possible opportunity, bought a coffee shop. His cash flow improved and he successfully invested in properties with his wife, who seemed to be able to instinctively sniff out gems. "Not as smart as that taxi driver who knows law lah, the one everybody is talking about. Last time I working so hard where got time to read? Read cannot eat one"

"Wah Uncle. I wish I could be like you, no need to study also so good at sniffing out good deals like that. I never liked to study but my parents say must one".

Uncle was silent for a while and said this, "Gary Kaperov can beat Dip Blue.....(silence)... Why so quiet? You don't know meh? The Chess Champion can beat the IBM supercomputer."

"Oh you mean Gary Kasparov and Deep Blue... Wah, and you say you never read some more"

"No lah, my son tell me one. We get information from everywhere, not just from reading. Nowadays got TV, got internet very easy one. What we have to do is to keep alert and to absorb and to know what is good information and how to use it," said Uncle.

"Anyway," Uncle continued, "you know why I talk about Chess? Do you think Gary Kaperov can think as fast, as much as IBM? Dip Blue can think of millions of possible moves in advance in one second. Gary Kaperov at most can think of 10 moves. But he can still win. You know why? It's because he thinks on the spot. He uses creativity. Think about it, if even such a boring and rigid game like Chess humans can use creativity to win, what about something like football? Did Pele and Maradona study the laws of physics? Yet they know how to hit the ball and make it go anywhere they want, If they stop to think of physics when they play then they will be tackled until xiao already...."

He then reflectively said, "I think Life is somewhere in between. You need a good education and good foundation. After that, you need a mixture of determination, luck, intuition and people skills. That's why I insisted my son study hard. Lucky he quite smart la, not like me. Like to study. Lower secondary school join Chess Club and then tell me about Gary Kaperov. That's when I asked him to quit and join track and field."

"You what?" I gasped. "How can you do that? He was doing what he liked! You want him to be macho like you issit? He agreed ah?"

"Ya lor. He was doing what he liked. But I challenge him - I say in life you must be good at doing what you like. But you must also be able to do what you don't like. Because life is complicated one. Almost all the time, in order to get what you want, you must first do what you do not like. I like money but I like to sell chicken rice for 14 hours a day meh? I told my son he was very lucky. Just like some girls are born pretty like models, he was born smart. Just like the pretty girl, he did not have to work for it. In order to be successful in life, you must know how it is to feel hopeless. And he REALLY hopeless at first lor. Always finish last. But I was surprised. He kept training and by the time he finished JC he won a Bronze medal for 400m in the National Schools Championship. I saw him run. . He later said 'Thank you, Pa, for showing me I can get anything I want""

"Wow, you must have been proud," I said. "What did you tell him?

"Damn proud lor. I told him that I didn't ask him to run in order to show him he can get anything he wants. I actually wanted to show him what it means to fail, but he was lucky to have ability. I asked him to always bear in mind that there are some people not so lucky one, no matter try how hard also cannot make it. That he must always show these people kindness and understanding as long as they try their best...." Uncle must have seen me shaking my head when he added. "Not totally for charity one lor. In life, in order to succeed, you always need other people to support you one. If you show off and act like you better than other people then who will like you?

I had to laugh. "Wah lau Uncle. You grooming your son for Prime Minister ah? What is he doing now?"

"Studying law lor. He want to be lawyer, can you believe that?"

"Dun tell me Cambridge hor Uncle. I envious already."

"No laaah. Study Cambridge can come back practice law in Singapore. Study Singapore university also can practice law in Singapore. Study here save money la... Also you know ah... The Ji-Sap Mood, the world famous law student contest, 2013 and 2014 SMU is runner-up one. Beat Cambridge you know?"

I replied, "Jessup Moots issit? That one I know lah. Didn't know SMU did so well. Quite young university right? Must be your son tell you one la. Must be in SMU. Why he go there? Innovative pedagogy--"

"What peda?"

"I mean curriculum. Way of teaching."

"Ya not bad la. But hor. I told him its good to go there because it is in the city. All the big and important things are happening there. The Supreme Court is there. All the big companies are there. Parliament is there. Told him if you are near important things you can feel it in the air one. More important, if you open your eyes you can learn a lot of things. Which are the big companies and big shops there? Why some shopping centres so full others so empty? Learn is from books, from other people, from living life one.... Eh. Here already. $20.80. Aiya $20 can la..."

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I just wonder..... Now when we, a different generation living a more privileged life, if we are to believe the government's ever clarion call to inject more dynamism and entrepreneurial zeal into our economy, ponder the options for our youths.... What type of scholarships, what lessons, should we best give them so that they would stand confident of success, be right at home in this brave new world, as they seek to redefine Singapore's role in the global knowledge economy of today and tomorrow.