Written piece
Thoughts about Family, State, Peace
Clara JH Mok
Singapore
About this piece
Clara Mok JH from Singapore ponders a Confucious saying and what it is like to be part of the larger community interlaced in the Commonwealth Quilt.
Confucius said:
Cultivating self
Harmonise the household
Govern the state
Bring peace to the world
I am reminded one cannot manage a family well without first improving one's own character. Since we often hear the quote "the family is thread that weaves our lives together", I am amazed to link it all back to self management (Cultivating self). Having crossed the five decade mark, I think of myself being a composed person. Yet, there are times when I lose my temper and I often regret it very much afterwards.
When the conflict involves family members, the threads that bind us together would be thinned or even removed from the negative interactions. Often, we make up the next day, but the friction would result in pesky holes in the removed threads. Unless we make effort to push those woven threads into place, the holes would look glaring and misplaced.
To govern a state well comes before peace descends upon the world. This is so true nowadays in this chaotic war-torn world we live in. The threads running through each nation becomes intertwined with one another. Once war is initiated, it takes a lot of effort to undo these wrongful entanglements.
As a Commonwealth nation, Singapore has done its part as a small island state. Singapore extends its yarn to smaller member nations focusing on climate resilience, cybersecurity, and ocean conservation.
I am proud to be part of Singapore, part of the larger community, interlaced in the Commonwealth Quilt.