MM Lee’s Yin And Yang

I recalled in a dialogue session between MM Lee and the students on the topic: “Government Takes Decisions That Benefit Majority” It that was reported in the local newspaper, Straits Times On the 4th of November, 2006.MM Lee used the yin and yang symbol in response to a question: “If you have too much of the yang, highly effective, your society will have a certain amount of friction. If you have too much the yin, you lose your drive.”He thinks that in Singapore’s case “we’ve got to keep on moving the balance… At no stage do we take away from the high performers too much, so that they decide ‘I’m not going to perform, I’m going to migrate.’ Then the music stops.” (MM Lee, 2006).My Friend Benny expressed his opinion in his blog about the above topic. Benny said that, “focus ONLY on the issues affecting most of our citizens too much of “Yang” and less on ‘Yin”? It can not be consider as “balanced” if this is the case. Again, why should we wait till the ’small issue” snowball to the size of the “issue that affecting most of our citizens” before it would be look into? (well, some “small issue” is not “small” enough in your perception. So how “small” should it be?”.

We have frequently used Ying and Yan as a analytical tool describing a change and a way of seeing the rhythms of our life . The process of change is not just from yang to yin or yin to yang. It does not mean that we are helpless in a meaningless cirle of change. We can use Yin and Yang to descibe the individual lives in accordance to the changes in our living environment. We are continuously in sync with Nature, for we are also part of Nature! In my opinion, if we understand the fact of change, we will be able to accept the fact of such changes. Our life will be able to flow seamlessly and the journey will be smooth.

Teeguarden (1977), gave an analogy about the journey of life is like driving a car. She mentioned that if we jerked the wheel to the right, and then to the left, we were using to much effort to keep the car on the road. In relation to that, should we turn the steering wheel slightly to the right, and slightly to the left, we are able to get a smooth, pleasant, effortless and joyous ride.

Reference:

MM Lee (2006,Nov 4),Dialogue Session Between MM Lee And The Students On Government Takes Decisions That Benefit Majority. Singapore. Straits Times.

Teegauarden, I. M. (1977) Acupressure Way of Health: Jin Shin Do. Japan Publicatins, Inc.


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