Who We Work For

My Dept Head recently shared with us over e-mail that his Mum has a weak heart & needed to undergo surgery to place a pacer in her heart. The last time I heard that was when I was in the Army, where I heard a ‘joke-cum-rumor’ about my camp’s most disliked Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). Then again, it is rather normal that an RSM is disliked by soldiers, just like any typical school’s Discipline Master (DM) is disliked by its students.

Anyway, this RSM was rumored to have had a pacer placed in his heart & the joke was that he can’t go near any magnet, coz it would affect the proper functioning of the pacer inside his heart. I thought this joke was rather funny then, but recalling it now, it isn’t funny at all; though it is not to say that I like this RSM.

Thank God, my Dept Head’s mother is now recovering from the successful surgery. I really admired his ability to handle this situation, while committing his usual long hours to his work. He may not say that he’s worried & it would be odd to think that he isn’t, but if I were him, I would definitely be very worried. I would even take leave on that day of the surgery to make sure my Mum is okay after the surgery.

Through this experience, my Dept Head shared that it is important to know who we are working for & we should not be working for our boss or supervisor, but instead for those who are closest; those whom we love & are loved by us. Coz at the end of the day, it is the closest people that will mourn our lost / demise.

Although this mindset isn’t exactly new to me, I totally agree with this, but I was surprised to hear it from my Dept Head. From that evening when I went home, I felt a more human side of him; a soften side that reveals who he views the fragility of life.

For me, I respect life as a gift & opportunity given by God to live an experience. I work because it is intended by God to be a part of life. I also work because it is maturity & a sense of responsibility to earn a living to support myself, my family, my future wife and our new family.

Bills aside (though one can’t run away from this fact), through the struggle of work duties and stress, I also realize that it is important to appreciate what we do as work in our life. ‘Appreciate’ is not an easy word when the going gets tough. But when we actually take time to sit back & reflect, this is what really pushes us on, each day when we get up to prepare & go to work.

Lastly, I thank God for bringing me out of StarHub, for if I had stayed, I would have definitely not gained as much exposure, learnt & done as much as I have already experienced in my past 3 months in this job. May the grace of God see me through as I continue in my career path at SNEF.