About Me: How I Become a Writer
For people who don’t know me, my name is Winston and I am from Singapore.
Pre-1970s, Singapore was still pretty much a city-state comprising many kampongs and colonial settlements. It was in the seventies that Singapore embarked on its transformation. By the nineties, the country had become one of the world’s most prosperous nations, with a highly developed free-market economy and strong international trading links.
I once considered tracing back my roots but the kampong lifestyle became extinct in Singapore after the nineties. Even the place I used to stay when I was a child has changed so much that I can hardly recognise it these days, let alone the hope to soak in the sense of nostalgia.
The house I used to stay in or the neighbourhood kids I used to play with, are like the sandcastle on the beach, washed away by the waves of time, all gone without a trace.
Growing up in such a rapidly changing and competitive environment is much like a mouse in a cage, and all I do is run at the wheel in exchange for a chance to live. It wasn’t a bad thing, though; at least I got fed with the best feeds the world could offer. Still, I am a mouse that has a past that is not relevant and a future that is uncertain. I get lost from time to time, questioning my purpose in this cage.
I chanced on writing, which triggered my interest to find something different to pursue in life. The first thing I wrote was a poem questioning my own being.
Who are you? A simple question it seems.
But before you give the answer, let me tell you what I am not asking of you.
I am not asking for your name.
I am not asking about your family.
Not your relatives, nor your background.
I am asking who are you?
Don’t answer with your business card, with your accreditation and not with your institution because I am only interested in who you really are.
It matters not if you are a doctor, a lawyer, a scientist, a homemaker, a student, an artist or a writer, because those are what you do for a living, they are not what you are living for.
So, again. Who are you and why are you here?
Begin and don’t stop
I was lost then, guided only by my passion for writing and my constant questioning. I find myself going back to this question to reflect upon my whole journey. I have also written a phrase that I constantly draw my strength from. It is something I find guided me well throughout my career, especially at times when I feel weak and do not know if I should do what I want to do.
We don’t always have to begin with the end in mind, the most important thing is to “begin” and “don’t stop”, because so long as you are living a life not for yourself, it would still be a life worth living for, even if it ends with nothing.
Recognise your weakness… and recognition will follow
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