PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

October is Vocational Service Month. There’s a fine difference between ‘vocational’ and ‘community’ in the contexts of the avenues of service in Rotary. One way to look into the difference is to incorporate good works into our business or service. There are some approaches: sponsor a youth sports team, donate goods or services to a charity, offer leadership training to our staff, organize a fundraiser for a local non-profit organization or create health-minded incentives for employees. These suggestions are added values to our business that can boost commitment and loyalty for our employees.

In the RCPJ, we recognize our workers every year. There are workers out there that are left unrecognized. Their dedication to duty is often taken for granted. It’s time that we tell such people: We appreciate your good work, thank you. We’ve recognized barbers, nurses and a host of ordinary workers who have sacrificed so much for our community by looking after our needs. This year, we’re going to do the same for such selfless people.

This week’s evening meeting was really awesome. At least 7 tables were taken up by Rotarians, Anns and guests. Perhaps it was a topic on ‘Anti-aging & the prevention of illness’ that was a pull factor. Nevertheless, it was indeed great and heart-warming to see so many people mingling from table to table. It reminds me of the fun and joy in Rotary. I wish to thank our Club Service Director, PP Rupert Goldman for organizing such a successful evening.

Next week’s luncheon meeting is a business meeting. It is an important meeting when two matters will be discussed: the CLP and the marketing kit for our fund-raising dinner show. We are fully committed to these two significant developments in this Rotary year. I appeal to all members to try their best to be present. We need your support.

Passion. Teachers then had this quality, sometimes so ruthless that fear permeates from them. But they were not sadists. They taught with conviction and made sure that work was done, otherwise all hell would break lose. We learned with fear most of the time but at the end of the day, there was a lot of character training that unfortunately was not evident when we’re young. Today, we appreciate it.

Our teachers today seem to lack the passion. This attitude is very sad: If you don’t learn, it’s your business. But our teachers thought otherwise: If you don’t learn, it’s our business. Passion is not equated with money or benefits. Earning a monthly income of RM370 in the sixties was nothing to shout about. Passion is the inherent fire that we have in making people understand even though it takes hours to do so. Passion is the way to educate.

Could we have passion back in our teachers?

Dr R. S. Dharan, an experienced and highly-qualified clinician in the area of anti-aging and the prevention of illness, took our Rotarians, Anns and guests through a journey of healthy living: the right food, exercise and food supplements. Dr Dharan asked a pertinent question: Are we maintaining our health by chance or by choice? Certainly by choice. We choose to make an effort to develop healthy living and age in good health. We have two types of age: biological and chronological. We can be 70 chronologically but 40 biologically.

There are theories of aging. They are:

Eight principles are suggested to fight anti-aging.

1. Breathe properly
2. Drink water
3. Eat food
4. Sleep adequately
5. Exercise regularly
6. Relax
7. Connections (good relationships with people)
8. Laugh – have fun and enjoy yourself

I absolutely agree with Dr Dharan that we cannot let fate or chance determine our health. We have to determine what kind of health we want. This is in our hands. Even though diseases can be passed on to us genetically, we can still control our health by living sensibly. Gene expression can be changed through lifestyle.

It was indeed an informative talk that could be a wake-up call for some of us.

Prof: So you believe in God? 

Student: Absolutely, sir. 

Prof: Is God good? 

Student: Sure. 

Prof: Is God all-powerful? 

Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? 

(Student is silent.) 

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good? 

Student: Yes. 

Prof: Is Satan good? 

Student: No. 

Prof: Where does Satan come from? 

Student: From....God... 

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world? 

Student: Yes. 

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct? 

Student: Yes. 

Prof: So who created evil? 

(Student does not answer.) 

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student: Yes, sir. 

Prof: So, who created them? 

(Student has no answer.) 

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God? 

Student: No, sir. 

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God? 

Student: No, sir. 

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter? 

Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't. 

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him? 

Student: Yes. 

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? 

Student: Nothing. I only have my faith. 

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has. 

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat? 

Prof: Yes. 

Student: And is there such a thing as cold? 

Prof: Yes. 

Student: No sir. There isn't. 

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.) 

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy . Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it. 

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.) 

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness? 

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness? 

Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light.....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you? 

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man? 

Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed. 

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how? 

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey? 

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do. 

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? 

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.) 

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? 

(The class is in uproar.) 

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? 

(The class breaks out into laughter..) 

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir? 

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.) 

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son. 

Student: That is it sir... The link between man and God is FAITH . That is all that keeps things moving and alive. 

NB: I believe you have enjoyed the conversation... and if so... you'll probably want your friends/colleagues to enjoy the same... won't you?.... this is a true story, and the student was none other than..... 

DR. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former president of India.