Giving & Educating

Visited the exhibition at Nat Library about two greatly respected founding fathers of Singapore - Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian.

They are amazingly generous towards giving back to the society, these made them respected by the community and their influence kept growing. They particularly gave to education.

Tan Kah Kee story - Son asks him to buy something (a gadget or what at that time); refused. School asks for a donation to repair the toilets, he gave $200. That is a huge amount at that time, because even the wealthier people gave $10 at most and the poorer folks gave 20 cents to $1.

There was once his business went into a downturn and he decided to sell his business, at a condition that they continue to give to education and finance the schools. The people who bought his business tried to persuade him to stop financing the schools until the business start to recover. He refused. He said his life is to give back to society and if he can't give to education, he find it pointless to have business. That's amazingly selfless kind of thinking. Although he is very wealthy, he lived very very modestly, almost stingily. He was a little too sacificial, and he left nothing for his children.

A quote from him:"What must not be spent, not even a single cent should be spent for it. What must be spent must be spent, even tens of thousands of it!" (in Chinese)

Lee Kong Chian - the son-in-law of Tan, also gave generously and continued the efforts of Tan.

What I admired about both of them is that they never really do anything for themselves, yet the more wealth they have, the more they gave. They did not just give 10% of their wealth or calculate but their giving is generous. How many of the rich people today are as generous? In Singapore currently? But I know Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's great generoisity.

In the Chinese community at that time, Tan and Lee rose greatly in influence and leadership because they work for the benefit of the people and the society. People supported them as they know they are working for people and not to seek some benefits. They see education as something that will prosper and give the people a good life in the future and they were utmost generous for the progress of it.

I think great leaders love people. Great leaders look after and care for people. That's greatness. Like King David, he has a shepherd's heart. He looked at the Israelites as sheeps that need to be cared for. No matter how many people are we taking care of in church now, whether 1 or 20 or 100 or thousands, this must never change! If it changes, God will not be pleased...

When we truly take good care of God's sheep, anointing, influence and leadership come by God's grace. That's also why we must teach people God's Word and make sure everyone receive it.

We gotta spend on things that lasts more, rather than in just on entertainment for ourselves, which is meaningless at times...