This is an after thought to my earlier entry – Lazy Morning with an Inspirational Read dated 18 Aug 09.
I re-visited A Singapore Taxi Driver’s Diary and found 88 comments within 3 days to Dr. Cai’s last entry on 17 Aug.
Some expressed their sympathy and empathy; some urged him to find a better job. Some offered job opportunities; some wanted to interview him. A few even suggested returning to his mother land and teach in one of those top Chinese Universities. So I guess I won’t contribute to the sea of comments.
But I do have some thoughts and I’ll write them in my own blog instead. If Dr. Cai reads them, it would be my honour.
I think Dr. Cai does have some ideas of what his wants. He wrote about changing to a better taxi company and spend more time writing his blog. I have this hunch that some plans are brewing in his mind.
While I am not be 40, 50ish as Dr. Cai may be and of course I do not have his gold plated credential) I do find myself at a phase in life where I don’t mind being less ambitious. That said, I meant taking on a job that demands less commitment, more freedom so that I may develop other aspects of my life, doing things I never had chance to do when I was busy being ambitious.
No doubt, this comes with a price. And the price is usually is a lower income. But to me, this is a smaller price compared to regretting at the final leg of life, counting down those What-I-Should-Have-Attempted-But-I didn’ts.
So, driving a taxi is in fact not bad an idea from that perspective. It is a business you can run quite independently and if managed well, it fetches ok income. More importantly, it gives one flexibility of time to work on the other aspects of life. Afterall, Dr. Cai has spent a life time of researching in other people’s labs. It’ll be good to be exploring and experimenting his own life for a change.
Personally, I feel that driving a cab should not seen as beneath one’s dignity - not even for a star-studded Phd - if one knows how to make the best out of it.
So Dr. Cai, it’s your call. What’s really on your mind?
Caption: Besides receiving 88 comments (as of 9+pm) within a span of 3 days, AsiaOne has 3 articles published about him recently (click images for links to the respective AsiaOne reports).
While Dr. Cai may be unfortunate, I personally think that there more unemployed people out there walking their lives on a thin thread.
I sincerely hope those who extended a helping hand to Dr. Cai will also keep a look out of other tough luck souls, if it’s within their means.
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