Words of Wisdom from LKY

Dehua shared with some of us this article written by none other than the man himself, Lee Kuan Yew...

To begin with, before you can put ideas into words, you must have ideas. Otherwise, you are attempting the impossible.

The written English we want is clean, clear prose - not elegant, not stylish, just clean, clear prose. It means simplifying, polishing and tightening.

Remember: That which is written without much effort is seldom read with much pleasure. The more the pleasure, you can assume, as a rule of thumb, the greater the effort.

When you send me or your minister a minute or a memo - or a draft that has to be published like the President’s Address - do not try to impress by using big words; impress by the clarity of your ideas.

I speak as a practitioner. If I had not been able to reduce complex ideas into simple words and project them vividly for mass understanding, I would not be here.

The communists simplified ideas into slogans to sway the people’s feelings - to get them to move in directions which would have done us harm. I had to counter them. I learnt fast. The first thing I had to do was to express ideas in simple words.

That's why I'm so impressed by President Obama. He communicates clearly and simply. Quite a few people have said that they'll be impressed only after they see the outcomes of what Obama has done. Their policy is simple: "Actions speak louder than words."

But is this true? I don't think so. Words are just as important as actions. Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

(And I'll add - Obama, whether he succeeds or fail, at the very least cannot be found guilty of not doing anything. At least he gave it his best shot, despite opposition. And that is really, I think, all that God asks of him.)

The spoken word has the power of life and death. I think LKY understood this principle very well. If not for his speaking skills, the communists would have won. It was a war of the words, and the destiny of an unborn nation lay at stake.

We speak often of how our faith should be founded on truth, not on feelings. But let us not negate the necessity of emotions, and the role of words in rousing the emotions. C.S. Lewis (and I think R. Zacharias too) spoke of such a necessity. Emotions are the catalyst and cement to help us hold the truth nearer and dearer to our hearts. As Lewis, a veteran of WWI's trenches, wrote in The Abolition of Man, "In battle it is not syllogisms that will keep the reluctant nerves and muscles to their post in the third hour of the bombardment."

And words, however crude though the sentiments they may stir up, are a means to guiding our emotions to whatever ends we desire - be it life or death.

Read the full article (do read it!) by LKY.

Edited: Weizhu suggested a better link. Thanks bro! :)