By KK Aw
Peninsular Malaysia is to celebrate its 59th Independence Day on August 31, 2016. When we achieved our independence in 1957, it was a time to celebrate as Malaya was then free of its colonial masters, becoming politically independent.
The country then had its own administration and could chart its own course. It would be responsible for its own future.
Unfortunately, few people are aware that independence is a transient state. It is not the desired end state. We have to move “progressively on a maturity continuum from dependence to inter-dependence.”
When we are young, we are entirely dependent on our parents or caretakers for our well-being. As adolescents, we crave independence, the freedom to do what we want.
When we do achieve independence, we may realise the gravity of it. We are now responsible for our own well-being, actions and decisions. Whether we become an upright citizen or a tramp is up to us.
As Steven Covey said succinctly: “Certainly, independence is vital. However, the problem is that we live in an inter-dependent reality. Our most important work, the problems we hope to solve or the opportunities we hope to realise require working and collaborating with other people in a high-trust, synergistic way — whether at home or at work.
“Having an inter-dependent mindset, skills and tools are vital, especially now as we work through challenges unlike anything most of us have ever seen in our life time.”
To be inter-dependent, we need to develop our own capability, capacity and competitive edge. We need to choose the arena that we want to operate and compete in. This applies not only for Malaysia as a country but also for us individually and for our community.
National unity has been a major issue in Malaysia since the early 1970s. Many programmes and initiatives have been implemented to promote unity, but it would appear that the issue remains unresolved after so long.
Could it be because our mindset is still based on independence? The independence mindset is exclusive, and can be divisive with many unintended consequences.
Unlike independence, however, the inter-dependence mindset is inclusive. As Covey has said, we live in an inter-dependent reality.
So, unless we change our mindset, we may be stuck with our current difficulties.
Happy National Day 2016, Peninsular Malaysia.
KK Aw is an FMT reader.
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