PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Our Club sponsored a project called the ‘Children’s Wish for Gifts’ on 23rd May. It was held at Bangunan Trauma & Kecemasan, University Hospital in the afternoon. The purpose of this project is to bring cheer to the terminally-ill children by presenting them with gifts that they long for. We reach out to them and to their parents to show them that we care. Our Rotarians were indeed very generous. They spent their own money on the gifts. They bought and donated gifts such as bicycles, shoes, games sets and the things that the children desire. More than 20 Rotarians and Anns participated in this project. In his speech, our President thanked the Rotarians for their generosity and mentioned the caring attitude of our members in responding to such children. On the same tone, the Director of Community Service, who spoke in Malay, also expressed his gratitude and appreciation. We were honoured to meet the Director of Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya, Prof. Dato’ Dr Ikram Shah Ismail and the Head of the Department of Paediatrics, Prof. Dr Fatimah Harun. Apparently, there are categories of children suffering from various illnesses and they are the Childhood Cancer Children, the Paediatric Intensive Care Children, the Childhood Diabetes Children and the Growth Hormone Children. It was indeed a pleasure to see the children smile as they came forward to receive their gifts. My thanks to PDG Dato’ Low Teong and Datin Jackie for organizing the projects.

The SuperCamp was again a roaring success. This time we had 151 Interactors. The four-day camp saw the Interactors undergoing leadership training, team work and fellowship. It was a camp that all of them enjoyed. I would like to thank Rtn Pua, Brian Wong and the Rotaractors for assisting and organizing the camp that has become a golden project.

We need to leave aside emotions when talking about English. Nationalism and the whole lot are utterly irrelevant. It’s now a question of survival. Our students cannot compete internationally if they’re not proficient in English. That’s the bottom line. English is instituted as the language of science, technology and business. Research papers are very often written in English to command a greater audience.

The decision to make English a pass at the SPM level is laudable. Exams are not meant to be an easy ride for everyone. Some pass but others fail. But we need to consider the less advantaged students in the rural areas who are not equally exposed to good teaching in English. There must be ways to reach out to them. Adequate teaching and learning materials. Good and dedicated English teachers. These are the hallmarks of success.

Decisions on whether English should be enhanced or remain status quo do not come from people who have absolutely no idea about language teaching. Least of whom, the politicians. They should indeed be educationists, linguists and English language teachers. Most of the decisions about language are not made by these people.

Let’s do something about English! 

The world for the time being lives on oil. It is the foundation for the plastics and petrochemical industries. This is interesting: What’s made with oil? The ink on this poster, sunglasses, all things plastic, computers, paint cosmetics, telephones, fertilizers, oil and gas for cars, the roads that we drive on, crayons, millions of chemicals, food packaging, synthetic clothing, toys, etc.

Who has the oil? In rank, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Venezuela, Russia. At some point, even the vast reservoirs of Saudi Arabia will run dry. The end of cheap oil will come when demand overtakes supply resulting in large and possibly catastrophic price increases that could make today’s $60-a-barrel look like chump change. Unless of course, we begin to develop substitutes for oil.

The presenters gave a detailed explanation of what ‘peaked oil’ is all about. What are the alternatives? Gasoline, biodiesel and ethanol. Alternative fuels help but … unless we change our lifestyles these new technologies will come to naught.

The last word… The most fundamental change needed is in the way people think. Local policy will be fundamental to the transition to a lean-energy future.

Thank you Rtn Kamarul and Harjono for sharing with us this fear of over-dependence on oil.

Comment by PP Tarcisius Chin … in happy retirement 

There is a subtle but significant shift in our demographics. Much focus has been given to the new generations and to their rising influence on economic and political power. But an increasing number of older generation retirees, educated and experienced, are also becoming a new force. As life expectancies increase they constitute a most valuable human resource, with the competence to continue contributing to the welfare of the nation. There are another 20 and more years of usefulness beyond retirement. Take the case of the membership of the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya. One third of its members are in retirement or semi-retirement. Many endeavour to add years to their lives and life to their years. Here is the reason why. 

Living better longer

As we age our priority shifts from the economic pursuit of accumulating wealth to the challenge of seeking better health and longevity. However, living better longer takes much discipline, lots of effort and sustained commitment simply because it will demand a change in a lifestyle which we have been so accustomed to in our years of indulgence. This is the challenge of retirement. Without good health our usefulness to ourselves and to others is questionable. It is the sine qua non for managing retirement.

Good health is the outcome of proper nutrition, regular exercise, efficient oxygenation, sufficient rest, social connectivity and a sense of purpose. Chronological age is less important than biological age. There is sufficient evidence in studies of centenarians in Okinawa, the Abkhasias of the Caucasus, the Vilcabambas of Equador and the Hunzas in Pakistan to suggest that they are biologically much younger, which accounts for their relatively good health when they reach 100 years of age. In fact, it is distressing for these elders to have to grieve for their children who die before them and more recently to even have to mourn the loss of their grandchildren. The different generations are genetically the same, yet they have different life expectancies. Why should this be the case? 

There has been a generational change in lifestyle. Why the centenarians are so fit is because of a lifestyle of nutritious food, a good deal of body movement, strong emotional bonds and the joy of living. The younger generations opt for processed foods, lack exercise and are deprived of the social and emotional bonds of earlier relationships. Their new lifestyles age them biologically ahead of their chronological years.

All cells die and are replaced by new cells in a continuing process. The rate of regeneration varies from about five days for the cells in the stomach to about ten years for our bones. Our ability to replicate deteriorates in adulthood, again with varying rates of deterioration for our different organs. Imagine making photocopies of a document. The first copy is a good reproduction, but if we were to make copies from the copies, subsequent copies will become blurred. Biologically the ageing process takes hold and our ability to reproduce cells deteriorates. We age and our capacity to perform is reduced. The challenge of good health is to delay the deterioration. Each cell has its set of chromosomes. A healthy chromosome has a long tolemere. The path to biological health is to maintain the length of the tolemere so that replication is still powerful. How then do we maintain good tolemeres?

Ageing smart

First is good nutrition. Biologically fit centenarians live on simple diets that are plant based which are more alkaline, drink plenty of water, avoid fats, sugar and salt and take time to consume food. The new generations tend to consume processed foods that are rich in fat, sugar and salt as well as animal based foods which are acidic, causing blood viscosity which hampers flow to body cells. As we age our metabolic rate decreases and the need for calories therefore is reduced. We should therefore eat less, reserving our major meal for the morning when we are likely to be more active. Traditional wisdom suggests that we should eat like an emperor in the morning, a prince in the afternoon, but a pauper in the evening.

Second is regular exercise. Brisk walking elevates our heart rate and conditions our cardiovascular system; resistance exercises build strength; body movements and stretching enhance our flexibility and balance. Exercise has to be done regularly and for sufficient periods with enough power to yield benefits. When we are physically fit blood carrying the nutrients from the food we ingest circulates effectively through our veins, arteries and capillaries to nourish our trillions of cells to keep our body in good health.

Third is oxygenation. We can live without food and even water for some time. Without oxygen we will die within minutes. As we age our lung capacity shrinks which means we will need more oxygen to compensate. Hence, we need more efficient breathing to maintain good health. We were all born to breathe diaphragmatically, but have lost this art as we became lazy and depended on shallow breathing to supply us with oxygen. We can increase oxygen intake if we breathe deeply and allow carbon dioxide to be completely exhaled before we inhale again. The benefit of ancient arts like qigong and yoga is that the essence of these traditional healing practices is to teach us to rediscover the diaphragmatic breathing we were blessed with in infancy. But it will take much effort to abandon the shallow breathing we have been so accustomed to all our life! The power of efficient breathing is to supply oxygen to all our cells, including to our extremities. In our search for a synthetic magic bullet to kill cancer cells, we have lost sight of the potency of oxygen to destroy cancer cells and yet nourish good cells.

Fourth is sufficient rest and sleep. This is nature’s way for recovery and repair. What is important is sustained and uninterrupted sleep, taken regularly and habitually. It has been recommended that we should follow our body clock and sleep early in the evening so that we can rise early in the morning. We all know of the wisdom of the adage: early to bed, early to rise; makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. But again many of us have chosen to ignore the virtue of simple habits. 

Fifth is the avoidance of stress. When we are economically active and our jobs become demanding stress can be part and parcel of our lives. Some of us are better able to handle stress, but an increasing number become victims of stress, leading to depression, mental breakdown, suicide and stress induced diseases like hypertension, stroke, heart attack and cancer. In retirement life should more relaxed, slower, and open to discretionary options. It is the opportunity for pursuing one’s personal interests and not be subject to the demands of others. Unfortunately, some of us still get caught in silly arguments, hold grudges, are unforgiving and compete for and/or cling on to meaningless influence and power. Stress lowers our immunity and the body’s response to bacterial and viral infections is weakened. As we age our cells deteriorate; hence full recovery from heart attacks and strokes is less assured. We again have lost sight of the adage: prevention is better than cure!

Human connectivity

Man is a social animal. There are two other forces that will keep us alive longer and better. The sixth pathway to better health is to be surrounded by a human network that supports and reinforces our presence. The first is the family, our connection from our past to our future. That is why grandparents are doting because grandchildren are testimonies of the preservation of our own species. The second is the extended family of relatives. Third is the friendship of people we have become close to and associate with on a regular basis, such as a golfing circle, a Rotary club or a voluntary organisation. The human and social network allows us to express ourselves, to help others, to seek companionship, and to be assured that we are wanted and needed. Indeed close relationships give us reason to continue with life. 

Generational change has also altered cultural mindsets. Yesterday’s retirees work to support a family in the expectation that their children and grandchildren would in turn look after them in old age. This has changed as today’s retirees are expected more and more to look after themselves. Therefore planning for financial security in old age from young is important. But the greatest financial strain in old age is not the cost of living as the rising cost of medical care. There is therefore every reason to ensure that we are healthy into old age.

Elixir of life

Twenty years or more of healthy living after retirement is plenty opportunity to make a difference. Many indulge in a life of ease and become victims of early death. People of substance want to be useful and contribute. The seventh and final pathway is the challenge of mental and intellectual stimulation that often prolongs life and keeps us going. This is Lee Kuan Yew’s recipe for longevity. At 85 years of age he is still a Minister Mentor in the Singapore Cabinet! In our own way we yearn to contribute. What is our legacy? How will people remember us? Have we made a difference in the lives of others? Have we left behind an ethical will? Increasingly we see old retirees championing a cause, heading a movement, or creating institutions to serve the community. Datuk Lum Kin Tuck, hale and hearty at 92 years, is still President of the National Council of Senior Citizens Organisations Malaysia (NACSCOM), which he founded in 1990. 

In bygone days there was no need to manage retirement. Our forefathers worked and groomed their children to take over the business or trade. Many die early in their forties or fifties. In fact in some cultures like the Eskimos, when their time was up, they would leave the family, expose themselves to the elements and prepare to die! With life expectancies moving into the 70s and beyond, we need to plan for a life after retirement. And what a life it can be if we plan well financially and manage it to be productive and fulfilling. Confucian philosophy suggests that we learn in our youth, work in our prime and give back to society in our senior years. Much has been discussed and done for the first and second phases of life. We can all benefit much if more attention is accorded to the growing number of educated and highly experienced retirees. The human resource challenge is for individual retirees to learn to manage retirement and for the nation to find opportunities to harness their enormous potential. For the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya there is much opportunity for its more senior members to serve the community. This is already a reality as all the Committee Directors of the Incoming Board, except for one, are Past Presidents of which the majority are also in retirement. 

1st June 2009