How’s this for a positive (not the medical kind) Monday?
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung touched on the good things that emerged from this Covid-19 pandemic over the weekend.
Their key message is this: despite the pandemic and the challenges thrown at us, we’ve grown closer and stronger.
And in the words of Minister Chan: “Never let a crisis go to waste.”
Growing closer
Covid-19 allowed people to reset pace of life and relationships, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
He was speaking as guest of honour at the Dad’s Day Out event held at Palawan Green in Sentosa yesterday (June 19, 2022).
“Regardless, I think the last two years have also been a blessing to us in some other ways, whereby we are able to refocus and rethink our priorities,” he said.
“So never let a crisis go to waste, and I think this is one of those opportunities where we can reset the pace of life and reset our own family relationships.”
The working from home culture also gave families the chance to spend more time with each other, he added.
Growing stronger
Young people in Singapore have shown grit, resilience and social responsibility even though they missed out on opportunities due to the pandemic, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.
He was addressing some 250 students from various institutes of higher learning at the Varsity Voices Dialogue on Jun 18 at NTUC Centre.
He cited the school experiences missed because of the pandemic: Athletes could not participate in the National School Games; overseas trips and internships got cancelled or cut short; there was no proper commencement ceremony.
But this is an article that is glass half full.
“Now, all of you have the honour of being the generation that went through school life during the pandemic. You lost something, but you also gained a lot, in terms of grit, resilience and a strong sense of social responsibility,” he said.
Minister Ong also said he grew closer to his family as he had the opportunity to spend more time with them as social events were curtailed or cancelled.
The health minister then ended his speech with a healthy dose of positivity.
“If you do not know what the future brings, rest assured it is normal. Never believe it when people tell you this younger generation does not measure up to the last. It all depends on what you learn from your life experience beyond the classroom, and what you do with it. So let go of what is lost, live life gloriously and fruitfully and spend time with the people you love.”