Death and Taxes

there are 2 things in life that you can be certain of: Death and Taxes. and even that, you can't be all too sure of taxes.

Death comes to us all. rich or poor, powerful or miserable, Death is the great leveller. a character in a book that i once read had this fictional exchange with Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan, shortly before his death, told this character, Guo Jing, he (Khan) had dominated all lands, as far as the eye can see. In response to that, Guo Jing drew a rectangle, about 2m by 0.5 meters in the sand. pointing to this rectangle, he said to Khan, "and that is how much land you will take up when you die."

it is an inevitable fact of life that everyone dies. the moment we are born, we are one step closer to our Death. Dr Wee has just passed that threshold that forever seperates him from the living. and as i watch all the tributes to him, one question came to mind. i try not to think about it, but i can't help myself. i would like to write about it, but i'm afraid that it would be misconstrued and that i might get into trouble for it. but i've decided to write it anyways.

what would happen when Mr Lee Kuan Yew passes on? how would Singaporeans react? how would Singapore be like when we realise that the closest person we have to the father of our nation will no longer be able to address us?

i've never known a Singapore without Mr Lee Kuan Yew. i don't think many people have. i'm sure most youngsters would know him, even though he's stepped down long ago, his presence still permeates many aspects of Singapore.

his passing will truly signal the end of an era. his passing will truly mean that Singapore would have to stand on our own. we will no longer have him speak to us in his aggressive tone of voice, so full of conviction. we wouldn't have the pyschological and emotional familiarity of this powerful politician to hold on to.

i remember Mr Lee saying that even after he passes on, should Singapore need him, he will jump from his grave to come to Singapore's aid. we know that that is not possible. so Singapore would have to be ready for that day that Mr Lee passes on. we have to make sure that he can truly go in peace, knowing that Singapore will continue to prosper regardless, that Singapore will become a great country regardless. we owe Mr Lee that much.

xx

i am in no way cursing Mr Lee Kuan Yew. i wish that he would have many more years with us. but it is a fact that all people die. and i am just voicing my opinions of how i would feel when he passes. and how i think our country might feel when he passes. please, if you need to quote me for any reasons, do not quote me out of context. thanks.