TIME CAPSULE – HISTORY REVISTED

This month marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of our Rotary time capsule. A project undertaken by our Centennial Governor Dato’ Jeff. One decade has passed and so many things have changed. But one thing has remained constant – our love for Rotary and for those who have distinguished themselves by Rotary service. 

Time capsules are placed on purpose and intended to be opened or accessed at a particular future date. It is an attempt to capture a moment in time and provide input for future generations about the past. Our Rotary time capsule is such an attempt at providing a snapshot of Rotary at the turn of the second millennia for future Rotarians.

It is common place for time capsules to be lost due to thievery, secrecy or poor planning. Our own time capsule is in urgent need to maintenance and refurbishing. Which is why the efforts of RC KL DiRaja is commendable. Our time capsule will enrich posterity by assuring that the voices of this generation of Rotarians are heard in the future.

There are any number of famous time capsules “buried” over the years. The 1939 New York World’s Fair time capsule was created by Westinghouse as part of their exhibit. It was 90″ long, with an interior diameter of 6.5 inches, and weighed 800 pounds. Westinghouse named the copper, chromium and silver alloy, “Cupaloy”. It contained everyday items such as a spool of thread and doll, a Book of Record (description of the capsule and its creators), a vial of staple food crop seeds, a microscope and a 15-minute RKO Pathe Pictures newsreel. Microfilm spools condensed the contents of a Sears Roebuck catalog, dictionary, almanac, and other texts. This first modern time capsule was followed in 1965 by a second capsule at the same site, but 10 feet to the north of the original. Both the 1939 and 1965 Westinghouse Time Capsules are meant to be opened in 6939. Guess none of us will be around to see it!! Unless you believe in reincarnation!!!!

The Crypt of Civilization (1936) at Oglethorpe University, USA, scheduled to be opened in 8113, is generally regarded to be the first successful implementation of a modern time capsule, although it was not called a time capsule at the time. George Edward Pendray is responsible for coining the term “time capsule”.

NASA has sent snapshots of earthling culture on interstellar probes out into space. The Pioneer Plaques and the Voyager Golden Records have been attached to spacecraft for the possible benefit of spacefarers in the distant future. Another time capsule, the KEO satellite, will be launched in 2012, carrying individual messages from Earth’s inhabitants addressed to earthlings around the year 52,000, when KEO will return to Earth.

An international consortium is in the middle of placing time capsules under the surface of Antarctica, which, of course, leads one to think alarmingly about a time when the polar caps will be history themselves.

This Sunday, 13th June 2010, we will all be commemorating the 10th years of our Rotary Time Capsule at Dataran Merdeka at 11.30am. It is particularly momentous that Y Bhg To’ Puan Juriah will also be there. It will be great to see her after all these years. I can remember what a great first lady she was, kind and always affable.

We must all thank Pres Elizabeth Yam for all her hard work in putting this event together. She was then DG Dato’ Jeff’s secretary, but today she is a Rotarian herself, no doubt inspired by his example. She herself is an example to all of us, she could have been content to enjoy her retirement by doing the things that bring her selfish gratification, but instead, she is one of us. Battling each day to leave the world a better place then when she found it.

Let me end this piece by sharing her rousing words,

“You served as club presidents, assistant governors, secretaries & district chairs in RY1999-2000 under the late PDG Jaffar Mohd Ali. Many of you today still have wonderful memories of that year, the Millennium. Rotary Theme: Act with Consistency Credibility Continuity and many of you don the theme jacket with such pride  even today; many of you still chose to do so.”

 

 

LONG LIVE ROTARY D3300!!!

“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” – John M Richardson

Life Begins. Life Ends. What’s all the fuss in between about?

What is the earliest memory you have of anything? How far back can you remember? What are your earliest childhood memories? Take a moment and reminisce. Then come to this realisation – human memory is short, life is fleeting and death inevitable.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet made the impassioned plea ”To be, or not to be”. Oft quoted and oft misquoted. To Hamlet and to the majority of people, who generally treasure life and fear death, the question of what happens after death is both intriguing and terrifying at the same time. Sharon is Chinese and for her the mere mention of death is taboo. So you can imagine the trauma I cause her. I find that strange because as a Hindu the dicussion of death in everyday discourse is normal for me. At the temple we place the holy ash on our foreheads as a reminder of this and of the need for humility. Not that all Hindu’s are profound and humble, certainly not me. Age and experience of course, is causing me to reflect on things differently.

The Spanish American philospher George Santayana once said, “There is no cure for birth and death other than to enjoy the interval.”

That is certainly what I had resolved to do from a young age. Lao Tzu prosed,

A man is born gentle and weak.
At his death he is hard and stiff.
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.
Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.

These two aphorisms exemplify for me how life should be lived. Enjoyably and with kindness and moderation.

All men are born to die, and life is merely a journey from womb to tomb. Regardless of the journey, the destination is the same. So what’s all the fuss about? No matter what endeavours one might make, everyone succumbs to mortality within a certain time span. Nothing can be done other than follow the natural process from birth to death, just as grass sprouts in spring like the essence of youth and withers in autumn like the onset of old age.

The founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu said uncompromisingly,

Man comes alive into the world

And goes dead into the earth.

Three out of ten will live long.

Three out of ten will live short.

And three out of ten will strive for long life

But meet premature death.

And for what reason?

Good to have a good hard think about that.

Life is only worth living and preserving if it benefits the general welfare of mankind. A life well lived is one in service to our fellow man. While we can all come to this realisation, in practice, it is very difficult to implement. This is because we all have only a limited sense of altrusim. Human personality is defined more by self interest than the interest of others. This is what makes Rotary’s enduring motto both inspiring and ridiculous – SERVICE ABOVE SELF. This is the the very epitomy of a highly evolved and civilised society but reality bites. My experience of Rotary is mixed bag of good and heartwarming experiences set against the backdrop of petty bickering, sycophancy and political strife. But we must all soldier on because the ideal is worthy and great. Fight we must, all hypocrites and villains, who masquerade in a Rotary mask for personal gain. Fight to liberate the ideal of SERVICE ABOVE SELF. Sometimes, it’s a fight against ourselves. And the diminishing aspect of our own character, this is what I have found.