Social Mobility

After all that has been said about competitiveness in Singapore, I came across a real life story that shows that it is possible to recover from setbacks and mistakes in life.

After a long break, we received a phone call from P. He had been released from jail after a minor misdemeanor. Despite not completing even his 0-level, or other professional courses, he had quite a few job offers. While these are not office jobs, they pay him a decent wage for an honest day's work. His employers are willing to provide training for him, and I trust that when he picks up the technical skills, even he can build a career in his own way. 

Parents are terrified that their children would miss a crucial chance in their education, and want to ensure that they do not take a single wrong step. But maybe it is easier and healthier to think that there are possible u-turns and alternative routes even in our society. Even if a child does not take the fastest and easiest route to success, he still has opportunities to reach a reasonably comfortable place in life. 

I think bouncing back from errors is more important than avoiding errors.  No matter how hard we try, we cannot completely remove setbacks and disappointments. But resilience can see us through all that happens.

Am reflecting on my own recent experience actually...but don't feel ready to share about it now. Another day, perhaps.