Sadness

i don't even really know him! and i only got to know that little bit about him recently. what i do know about him, i only know through second, third hand accoutns, through what i read and what i see on tv.

yet... this morning, as i read that article in the paper, i felt a great sense of sadness.

Mr S. Rajaratnam, one of the founding fathers of Singapore, has passed away. but he has left his mark on the . as that article said, so long as Singapore exists, so long as Singaporean school children recite the pledge each morning, Mr Rajaratnam's legacy lives on.

watching that 'special' on Mr Rajaratnam's life, seeing the way he speaks, hearing the passion in his voice, learning about what he has done for Singapore has left me in utter awe and respect for him and his peers. Singapore was a miracle created from thin air by Mr Rajaratnam, Dr Toh Chin Chye, Dr Goh Keng Swee and LKY. as each one of them passes on, it reminds us of how long we have come, how hard our forefathers had to fight to give us all that we have today. do we have that same resilience, that same passion, the same ability to rise to the challenge of bringing Singapore to greater peaks?

i wonder whether school children today know the significance of the pledge they recite every day, whether they know the significance of why the flags are flying at half masts today, whether they are ready to fulfill the pledge that they take everyday.

our forefathers have done their job. it is now our turn to do ours, to not let them down. we must let them know that they have left Singapore in good hands, that they can leave peacefully, fully assured that their legacy will live on.