by John Chung
Each one of us I’m sure can name at least one or two people who have exerted a positive influence on our lives. Their shining examples serve to encourage, motivate and inspire us to better ourselves.
Whether they take the shape of our parents, teacher, pastor or full-time worker or, for that matter, anyone whose life we find captivating, they share one thing in common: their impact on us. They possess and exhibit certain traits and qualities that make us want to emulate them.
In Soul Survivors, award-winning author Philip Yancey profiled the lives of thirteen remarkable personalities who have shaped his spiritual journey. Coming from a diversity of backgrounds, they include extraordinary individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, G.K. Chesterton, Frederick Buechner and Henri Nouwen.
Yancey’s intention in writing his tributes was in order to explain to others a roomful of exceptional people whom he cannot, and have no wish to, get out of his mind – all of whom had, either directly or indirectly, made a difference in his own life.
I too have my own list of people who have impacted my life and shaped my thinking.
In my four years of engagement in politics, I have had the occasion to meet many selfless individuals who have dedicated much time and energy towards the cause of social justice and good governance. They comprise both Christians and non-Christians. And I have always asked myself what makes them do what they do.
One person who has inspired me greatly is Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang. Having had the opportunity to work alongside this extraordinary man, I am given an understanding into the real person behind the public persona.
I see a simple but brilliant man of extraordinary courage, dogged perseverance and unswerving dedication to work for the good of the nation, whether in season or out of season. Even after a long day in Parliament, one can still find at his work desk in his office, working away through the late hours of the night.
Many a times, I have wondered what keeps a man like him going all these decades since being in the Opposition brings little prospect of reward and recognition; only the threat of persecution by the government in the form of detention without trial under the dreaded ISA!
Moreover, Opposition MPs’ contributions towards nation building often receive scant acknowledgment. Not infrequently, they are maligned as anti-national if, for instance, the government perceives them to be overly critical of certain official policies as the case may be.
When I posed the question to Kit Siang while we were having breakfast one morning, his candid answer was, “Out of duty and a sense of need.”
Having observed his life so closely, I cannot help but be inspired by his passionate and untiring efforts in championing issues that affect the Malaysian public, be it calling for greater transparency and accountability in governance or exposing corruption scandals and instances of abuse of power.
I could only wish that I, and hopefully more of my peers, could play our own small part in demonstrating a little of the same commitment and concern towards issues of public interest, for the common good.
For reflection:
1. Think of three people who have impacted your life in some significant way.
2. In what ways have they shape or influence you?
3. How can you similarly be a source of positive influence in the lives of others in your own circle of influence?
Each one of us I’m sure can name at least one or two people who have exerted a positive influence on our lives. Their shining examples serve to encourage, motivate and inspire us to better ourselves.
Whether they take the shape of our parents, teacher, pastor or full-time worker or, for that matter, anyone whose life we find captivating, they share one thing in common: their impact on us. They possess and exhibit certain traits and qualities that make us want to emulate them.
In Soul Survivors, award-winning author Philip Yancey profiled the lives of thirteen remarkable personalities who have shaped his spiritual journey. Coming from a diversity of backgrounds, they include extraordinary individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, G.K. Chesterton, Frederick Buechner and Henri Nouwen.
Yancey’s intention in writing his tributes was in order to explain to others a roomful of exceptional people whom he cannot, and have no wish to, get out of his mind – all of whom had, either directly or indirectly, made a difference in his own life.
I too have my own list of people who have impacted my life and shaped my thinking.
In my four years of engagement in politics, I have had the occasion to meet many selfless individuals who have dedicated much time and energy towards the cause of social justice and good governance. They comprise both Christians and non-Christians. And I have always asked myself what makes them do what they do.
One person who has inspired me greatly is Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang. Having had the opportunity to work alongside this extraordinary man, I am given an understanding into the real person behind the public persona.I see a simple but brilliant man of extraordinary courage, dogged perseverance and unswerving dedication to work for the good of the nation, whether in season or out of season. Even after a long day in Parliament, one can still find at his work desk in his office, working away through the late hours of the night.
Many a times, I have wondered what keeps a man like him going all these decades since being in the Opposition brings little prospect of reward and recognition; only the threat of persecution by the government in the form of detention without trial under the dreaded ISA!
Moreover, Opposition MPs’ contributions towards nation building often receive scant acknowledgment. Not infrequently, they are maligned as anti-national if, for instance, the government perceives them to be overly critical of certain official policies as the case may be.
When I posed the question to Kit Siang while we were having breakfast one morning, his candid answer was, “Out of duty and a sense of need.”
Having observed his life so closely, I cannot help but be inspired by his passionate and untiring efforts in championing issues that affect the Malaysian public, be it calling for greater transparency and accountability in governance or exposing corruption scandals and instances of abuse of power.
I could only wish that I, and hopefully more of my peers, could play our own small part in demonstrating a little of the same commitment and concern towards issues of public interest, for the common good.
For reflection:
1. Think of three people who have impacted your life in some significant way.
2. In what ways have they shape or influence you?
3. How can you similarly be a source of positive influence in the lives of others in your own circle of influence?
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