Saturday, May 22, 2010

Interesting post by Lim chong

Read here.

There is a story by Edward Debono in his introduction to Lateral Thinking. In it he talks about a guy who digs a hole looking for oil. After he has put in so much effort he continues to go deeper and deeper. But there is no oil there. The oil is 1000 meters from where he is digging. And so he labours fruitlessly.

There is another story of a dog that barks at a tree, and the owl that wants the moon.

It makes alot of sense to search somewhere else; to not want what is impossible just because you feel in your mind that things should be the way you want them to be. You want the World and MCF to change to suit you. A much more effective way is to change the way you look at the problem.

And it can be done without offence. What do you Lim Chong know about what is going on in the Asean initiative? Aren't the Asean players being trained by GM Ziaur enabled by our sponsor? What exactly is your beef? Muddled thinking based on imagined assumptions is not going to help.

Look deeper at the source of the problem. The answers are there but you have to open up your mind. Try not to use the same failed thinking that have crippled us for years. There is no solution there. It has been tried for years.

A suggestion, try to come up with one idea that makes a small difference towards improvement. Then take the initiative to go out there and implement that.

Do, dont just whine and criticize.

Then you'll understand more and be able to contribute something substantive.

5 comments:

  1. I read both your column as well as articles written by Lim Chong. I understand where Lim Chong is coming from. What he is saying that there is lack of long term commitment and plans from the national federation. He probably overlooked your massive efforts getting the juniors proper care and training for the ASEAN players.

    In the past there has been GMs who have come to Malaysia to give training to the juniors. There was a Russian GM who was paid and was supposed to help out the Olympiad team prepared but alas, that turned out to be a big failure.

    GM Gufeld training stint was a better situation but it lasted only too briefly for it to make any big impact.

    GM Ziaur is contracted only for a year and that may seem long but again it's a short term thing.

    Your efforts, Raymond, to maximise Ziaur usage while he is still here is commendable and is supremely a good thing. Please do continue and look for ways of sustaining our junior training plans.

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  2. I see where Lim Chong is coming from. He too sees reality. From the half empty perspective.
    http://firstgm.blogspot.com/2010/05/perspective-and-old-cup-story.html

    From that perspective he wont be able to see much.

    Also he fails to recognise that all things is a process. A process of quatitative additions before there can be qualitative change. He first needs to develop his personal judgement and put his efforts towards change but in the right direction. As we both know change can move in two direction. Forward or backwards. Or where we seem to be now. Going round and round. Identify the direction, then apply correct effort in that direction. Then change will be in the direction of development.

    Another useful concept is one of critical mass and catalytic change.

    But whining and baying at the moon is not helpful. I hope both he and you can join the effort too and in the right direction if I may add. Yoy appear to be a fence sitter if you dont mind me saying.

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  3. As said by other anon, your effort is commendable and lots of similar effort have been tried by various positive people in the past 20 years. You may not have realise how far they went on their effort back then.

    Off course, you may label it as moving around a circle because you only see the present environment. Even that at your current assessment on Malaysian chess, you cannot even see the present strength is simply better than 1980's and 1990's but just pass off remark that we are running in a circle.

    Say 5, 10, or perhaps 15 years from now another group of people may just pass the same remark on your effort (which again they may not know ur effort or how much effort u put to change things) since it still end up in the same circle if your effort has ended with no significant impact in Malaysian Chess from current level.

    Think positively is good but the question is "Can we move a mountain?" with limited resources.

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  4. My advice is to concentrate the road map with your son and enjoy the success that comes alongside with it. If you can reach the end of the projected road map, congrats but again do not expect that the same process can be duplicate on other people children. Why? You will know the answer yourself eventually.

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  5. Thank you for your comments both anon. It would be good if one day you feel you can identify yourself. That would be a small milestone. I'll answer both of you here.

    First, I do not see my son's progress as isolated from the rest of the community. He is part of the community and where the community is will also set limits to what he can achieve. I am not seeking to duplicate the same process on other children. I am adding my efforts to help set conditions where each child and parent can find their own path but aided by vibrant organisations that will be helpful instead of being impediments.

    As for the other anons comment on moving mountains on limited resources. I suggest we look at how we can get more resources. Why are the people with the resources not aiding us? How we can be more attractive to them?

    Results need to be measurable and not based on perception which is not reliable. If I am to fail, my wish is the the next group of people that is trying to move chess forward will do an accurate post mortem on my efforts and learn from where I went wrong. There are no guarantees in life except that we will fail if we make no effort.

    In my mind there is no dishonour in failing if you have given it your best shot to the best of your understanding. But there is dishonour in not even trying.

    There is much more which you have said. I will cover it in future postings.

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