The Passing of Knowledge...

Wittingly or unwittingly, as parents we are constantly teaching our children by example, by the type of lives we lead, and by the knowledge we pass down to them. It's such a mammoth undertaking, moulding those young lives, that I'm amazed we don't have to undergo the most stringent selection process before we're let loose on unsuspecting infants, the type to which prospective adoptive parents are subjected.

                                  www.sbg.org.sg/

A beautiful wire sculpture I saw a while back in the magnificent Singapore Botanical Gardens, second only to our own Kirstenbosch, has always stayed on my mind. It is entitled The Passing of Knowledge and is the work of local sculptor, Victor Tan Wee Tar. It depicts a parent with a bucket of clear water, tipping it over to be collected by a child holding a bowl, from which the rest of the water overflows onto the earth. The symbolism is obvious, particularly the use of the flow of clear water, in perpetuity, but I thought it worth mentioning, as it is a thing of such great beauty, delicacy and significance. The cycle of life on earth, the knowledge we glean during our time on this beautiful planet, and what we impart to the next generation...

The sculpture was commissioned by the Rotary Club in keeping with their 4 Way Test, which should consider all the things we think, say and do.

1) Is it the truth?
2) Is it fair to all concerned?
3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

                                 www.victortanweetar.com

Food for thought in our daily lives and relationships. I love the new water to the new generation, who are the new wine after all. Rather reminds me of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's immortal Teach your Children Well  from their Deja Vu  album from the '70s. Now that might date me, but Suzy Q's not afraid of her age, only the afflictions the aging process places upon us, and as usual, nobody warned us!! This bit of knowledge, hmmm, now that I think about it, much like the pains of childbirth, I might just not pass on, hoping that the human race might continue without me frightening off the rest of the crowd on starting blocks at the beginning of the track.

Victor loves his art form as a means of expressing the human form and condition, and hopes to help people have a better understanding of their time here. He touched my heart, and I do hope that if you are ever in Singapore you won't bypass the Sun Garden in the SBG and pause for a moment or two to contemplate this masterpiece.

And hey, all my friends and readers out there, we might not all have lived our lives absolutely perfectly, but I do know that we are doing our utmost to be the best parents we possibly can be, so more power to us all, and good luck to the next generation, may they be wiser for our second hand knowledge. Pass that wisdom down the line!

Teach your children well!

Love Suzy Q