My dad called me to the kitchen today right after I came home from work. With his usual solemn face, he told me he had just quit his job after his boss threatened to reduce his pay by half because of the recession. I didn’t really know how to react to this confession, except to ask him if he is okay and what are his plans. He just shrugged and said he’ll take a break first, before returning to his orange juice.
This world is hardly fair to my dad and his peers – modest folks born in the 50s with minimal education, yet chased the singapore dream with all their heart. There was a time when they were all in their prime, working proudly for their companies. Some made it big and bought big fancy cars; others make do and provided adequately for their families. They were wearing suits and ties, flying round the world selling this fledgling country to the world. It was an era of opportunity, a brave new world of riches. Everyone was chronically fatigued but there was sometime that kept them going – the belief that your job defines who you are and you are obligated to give it your darn-est effort.
It was sweat out of every pore kind of days.
Yet somewhere along the line the appliances gone berserk and they couldn’t keep up any longer. Looking back now, that inevitability was so obvious – something which burned so fervently is bound to burn out sooner or later. They ran so fast they were bound to fall.
Even as a kid then I could feel the pride my dad had when you received his awards from his company’s annual dinner and dance. Everyone in the photos looked drunk and happy to be dancing round their office siblings who they actually spend more of their waking hours with then their real families. Sadly those days have passed on and now they only occasionally run into each other in the old coffee shops they once claimed their own, exchanging updates on which upstart company they are working for now.
I don’t think my dad has left anything to regret. Despite his humble beginnings, he managed to work for big multinational companies in his hay days, was responsible for numerous subordinates and travelled all over the world. Far more significant is that no matter the climate and which way the world turned, he was always there providing, giving my brothers and I the life and education he was never privileged with. Decades and a few companies have come and pass but my dad has never stopped being a fighter, in a world that has let so many followers down.
You are right dad, it is time to take a break – but this time onwards, please to pick your own battles to fight. Because you know you deserve the best. You are the best.
