I had completely forgotten that it was yesterday. Since she had informed the school she wasn't attending, so we have not been impolite. It was when she showed me some Facebook photos of her classmates who had also received prizes that I remember.
I told both of them that the real prize are the things you do for others that helps them and is often permanent. As a student she had helped classmates who had difficulties with their school work. What they had gained last a lifetime. As for receiving a prize for academic excellence, what is the big deal? The school is a small pond, the country is still a small pond....there are always higher mountains. People strive for such honors but they are perishable laurels. Also you can often find a bigger pond where you soon realize your achievement is no big deal.
But we don't give prizes for giving to others, we honor those who achieve often for themselves. We cannot change the world, but we can sometimes choose not to cooperate. This is one of the secret of happiness. In this sense, the prize was too expensive.
Service not Glory.
Top schools do not talk of service. They produce "leaders" infused with the philosophy of meritocracy. Another word for that is "you get what you deserve". Trying to shoehorn notions of service into them after they achieve leadership positions in government and public life is major surgery and often less than successful. Think of Ng En Hen as an example. This is the source of man problems for us.
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