Sunday, August 11, 2013

Lee Kuan Yew's "One man's view of the world".

Without a doubt, Lee Kuan Yew is the founding father of modern Singapore. National day was 2 days ago and Mr Lee appeared to be frail, and I was feeling a bit concerned for him. I read Straits Times' article on his new book "One man's view of the world", and I had 3 key takeaways:

1. Discipline

Mr Lee is extremely discipline (a common trait among highly successful people). He exercises daily (jogged 3 times a day and swim daily) to maintain good health, even now at the age of 89 years old. 

2. Practical

He signed the Advanced Medical Directive, which means that he would not be put on life-support equipment if he is very sick beyond any hope of recovery. 

He did not believe in God (at least not in the Abrahamic Faith sense), and cited Darwinism, but he did not totally reject the idea of God or afterlife. 

3. Meeting New People 

He mentioned the importance of meeting people from different backgrounds (diplomats to ordinary people). This keeps his views of the world updated and balanced. 

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I wrote these down to remind myself that the importance of instilling self-discipline, being practical and taking the initiative to meet new people. 
  

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