I came across an interesting term in a letter in another newspaper about Ms Feng Tianwei's Olympic medal win. But no definition was given. I presume that the term "true-blue" might come from "blue blood".
According to my dictionary, "blue-blooded" means from a royal or noble family. I doubt there are many, if any, citizens here who descended from a Singapore royal or noble family.
If we take liberty to define a true-blue Singaporean, then perhaps one of the following may be appropriate: (a) one whose ancestor was the first human living on this island; (b) one who was born here; or (c) one who is a Singapore citizen.
If we pick (a), there would be very few true-blue Singaporeans. If we say (b), the question is how can one be true-blue if one's ancestor is not.
And if the contribution of a "non-true-blue" Singaporean is not as good as that of a true-blue one, it would demean our ancestors' contributions.
We talk about reviving the kampung spirit in modern Singapore. This spirit does not include demeaning the contributions of someone who just moved to the kampung. Contributions by citizens, whether born here or not, should be given the same respect.
To excel in school, work, sports, arts, etc, one must be talented, passionate and resolute. One needs to put in time and effort, to endure and overcome pressure and the disappointment of defeat. Support from one's family and fellow citizens is important.
In any sport, it is rare to have a player with all the qualities above. Most, if not all, coaches would give more time to nurture that player irrespective of his/her background, gender, race and so on.
Successful talents in their respective fields can set an example to other Singaporeans, and local players could learn a lot. It is not easy to succeed but one has better chances if one devotes oneself to it.
If we do not yet have more Singapore-born citizens winning Olympic medals, we must find out the reasons, not point fingers.
Chan Wing Kin
TODAY, 8 Aug 2012
Chan Wing Kin
TODAY, 8 Aug 2012
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