"我们要决定自己的命运!"
-- LKY, sometime in history, during an election rally

These are words I have known for much of my young life, but I felt the meaning was different when I heard LKY say it (in an old video somewhere). Under those circumstances, just after the separation from Malaysia, and during the Vietnam War, it must have felt scary to be in Singapore. And add to that the memory of the Japanese Occupation, and the departure of the British. Hearing those words must have been powerful. If I had been living in those times, and if by chance I had the money, I might well have migrated. I don't know. What I mean is that it probably took great courage and tenacity to eke out a living in Singapore at that time, much less engage in politics in the fledgling nation.

Fast forward to my generation. When I learnt my languages, I thought of "我们要决定自己的命运!" differently. I thought maybe it meant I should have the freedom to drop out of school. Maybe to pursue some alternative life path, to be a hipster musician, or some unidentified cool job. Maybe to have the freedom to travel anywhere I please. I think I was quite pampered and immature.

Now that I've learnt my history properly, and gained some common sense, I think I appreciate these words more. And I want to remember them forever, because they reflect a much truer reality than the reality I knew when I was more ignorant.

There's no place I'd rather be than in Singapore. No one else I'd rather be than Singaporean. Cheers to a great man!

#rememberingLKY