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Thursday, October 6, 2011

A tribute, a wish and a (very mini) rant..

"We should so provide for old age that it may have no urgent wants of this world to absorb it from meditation on the next." ~Pearl S. Buck

Steve Jobs died yesterday. During his lifetime he's been described as a visionary, a genius... a pioneer in the fields of technology, innovation and design. Much of what he has conceptualised and created is in use today.. and will further be developed as the world changes. He was one of those few that can look at our world, envision something so different from the norm and then bring it into being. The news of his passing brought with it a wave of sorrow, for a life that is gone, and appreciation, for one that was well-lived. We must now strive to discover what we can contribute and in what ways we can change the world as he has.

I learnt of his death through Twitter (using the Twitter for iPhone app) and was able to share the news with my parents instantly. My dad has to admit now that there are some advantages to my constantly being on the phone. Both of my parents are older than Steve Jobs... and one of them has cancer. Whilst we know of persons that have passed on that were younger than my parents, it's always a bit of a shock... a realisation that any time may be their time. It may be that my time to die comes before theirs but somehow I think we expect that as they are older they would pass on before my brother and I. Whatever time they have left here I wish that it's filled with joy... good times... less pain, more happiness. Beauty and wonder and reverence. Easing in to a time of life where they can maybe slow down and appreciate and experience whatever they missed out on when they were younger... working hard... raising us... I would just like their lives to be filled with happy... in whatever form that takes. 

I'd like to think that other children want the same for their parents/persons-that-raised-them/elders. I'd like to think that knowing that one day we'll be in their positions would make one appreciate or at least try to understand what they're going through. It's hard to hold on to those thoughts when faced with the reality of the systems we currently have in place. Did you know that to receive a government pension you must let them (the Treasury) know that you're alive? Twice a year - April and October. As far as I know the only place one can do this is in Port-of-Spain (if anyone knows better - please share!)... Did you know that to get to the building in which one must state that one is still alive one has to manoeuvre the lack of parking space, uneven side-walk and steps into the building? Now picture an elderly person... not-sprightly at all... having to do this. Or a non-elderly but somewhat physically challenged individual. It's a bit frustrating... as is the fact that a lot of buildings, where the elderly/challenged people may have to do business, do not have the infrastructure that would allow for an easy time. It's not just physical infrastructure... it's a whole system that needs to be adjusted. 

Am hopeful for the future. There may be new inventions that may help with all sorts of things. People may realise that it's not just about the inventions but the people behind them that are important. Just like Steve Jobs, each one of us leaves behind our own legacy... made up of moments of discovery, creation and joy. Am hopeful. 

peace,
Ren

6 comments:

Lilandra said...

My mother says you don't have to go in person. You can go to any district revenue or warden office.
However there are too many horror stories of the form getting lost.

She says what she does is have someone attest to her being alive and that person signs the form.

Then she gets somebody she trusts to drop it in POS for her (somebody who working in town nah).

Mom doesn't actually go.

Now with regards to your parent ((((hugs)))).

Unknown said...

Thanks for the hugs..

So apparently my mom knew that you can get someone to attest to her being alive - she has a problem with asking ppl to do stuff for her :s Good thing my brother and I don't have that problem. We'll probably do that and I'll get someone to drop it in.

Do you know if that works for NIS too? Cuz she has to go there twice a year as well.. Lol.

*sigh*

Lilandra said...

I was sure you could do it for NIS because how all the "foreigners" does do it? And I sure I dropped off my aunt's and somebody else's at the couva office....but sometimes they don't tell you. Your parents just say park here...go there..

I will double check with mom.

Asking people for favours is hard.

Anonymous said...

legacy can be a double edged sword

Anonymous said...

Group projects in your MBA programme.
As a teacher I am thinking about setting one of these for the term.
The thing is as a student, I hate them.

Describe your experiences good and bad.
Should I let them pick their group or random well sort of random selection.

Team leaders ?

Average mark, one mark...

Sigh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Unknown said...

oh I <3 that video.. have seen it before :)

From my experiences I'd say let them choose their groups and appoint a leader. What do you mean one mark? Individual marks? I think individual marks for group projects are best cuz when a person chooses their group it doesn't necessarily turn out as great as they may want it and individual marks mean that they're accountable for their own contributions.

I've never really had 'bad' experiences.. some 'frustrating' but they all turned out ok. I think it teaches a lot about individual strengths and teamwork.