For subscribers
In a life propped by privilege, it’s best to pay it forward
Access and advantage may have softened the blow of a terminal illness, but the writer now mulls over the inheritance he wants to leave behind.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
One meaningful inheritance we can bestow is to teach our children to use their advantages as tools to help others.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
Yeo Whee Jim
I used to believe life ran on effort. If you worked hard enough, you would find your rightful place on the ladder of this world. Effort meant dignity; achievement signified proof.
But illness changes the lens. When your body starts to fail, you begin to notice the invisible scaffolds that had been holding you up all along. Resources, connections, kindness – these are blessings for sure – but how much of these represented effort or even virtue on my part?
