Straits Times Oct 10, 2007
Richard Seet Eng Tiong, PHD
Surely, there is a problem with young people today. At 35 they think of slowing down, complain about stress and question “the purpose of their lives and careers”.
I am 58 and still studying all sorts of interesting things – bio-robotics, medical diagnostic imaging systems, telecommunications, electrical power, medical advances and poetry, to name a few and enjoying classical music.
When I was 35, I was being trained in Japan in machine tools. I was also mugging for a first degree, followed by a second and a third, . Even now, I attend conferences all over the world ( from New York to London to Pisa) to keep up with the latest that technology has to offer.
Young people should be showing great interest in emerging events, relishing the surge in available knowledge and developing their scientific curiosity. Slowing down would be disastrous for the global economy, because young people are the driving force with their enthusiasm and youthful strength.
Exercise, both physical and mental, is needed for health. What those in their 30s should enjoy is a healthy lifestyle.
They should think of taking up a hobby, if they have lots of spare time. In this way, they have their minds occupied. If not, idle minds make the heart weary. They soon get weary of their jobs, whereas in their earlier years, their aim was to maximize their chances in the hope of making it good in their careers.
What young people lack is the realization that they still have a long way to go before they can relax
They should not be self-satisfied with their achievements and consider slowing down at age 35, or retire early, resigned to a sedentary lifestyle. That is unhealthy and is the result of seeing laziness being lauded as the trend of the new age.
Instead, there are over more challenges. The young should take up these challenges to enrich their lives. Not only will struggle improve their performance at work, but they will also reap the rewards from year to year with a typical “learn, unlearn, relearn” mindset.