It's where we talk
- Happy 44th Birthday Singapore!!!
- An open, inclusive platform for young Singaporeans to share their experience with.
- Yes, we're finally open! Let us know how you feel about our new site
Invictus – The Man in the Arena
Mandela cannot be captured in a couple of hours of film – but certainly Clint Eastwood does a masterful job of portraying the inspiration that he was – and remains – to millions.
The powerful poem by William Henley from which the film gets its title and which sustained Mandela through his years in Robben island now ranks with Kipling’s “If” as one of the most inspirational pieces I have read. What I found equally interesting is the fact that the actual composition that Mandela gave Francois Pienaar before the ‘95 Rugby World Cup was not Invictus, but the following powerful bit of prose by Theodore Roosevelt – ‘The Man in the Arena’ – and armchair pundits who do no more than simply criticise (here and elsewhere) might find it interesting that Mandela himself reached out to this passage, which I have always held in high regard, and which goes some way towards explaining why I do what I do – not just here, but in all the spheres of my existence.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
PAP and Invictus?Huh?
January 19th, 2010 at 3:46 am
What a joke? Who did the PAP imprison longer than Mr Nelson Mandela?
Phanthom PAP member, ‘I do what I do – not just here, but in all the spheres of my existence.’?
What is it?Imprisoning Singaporeans with your PAPpy Rhetoric?Shocking that the PAP and its’ membership is now relating itself to William Henley and Francois Pienaar.And has the audacity to quote Theodore Roosevelt.
Please quote your esteemed leader.
“Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organiz…ations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.”
-Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956
What next?Gandhi associates himself with PAP.Mother Theresa as well.Oh please.
Stop the gerrymandering PAP.Look at your sports hub.Colossal failure.What does the PAP know about true sportsmanship when it constantly GERRYMANDERS!!!!!!!!
Fredric Fanthome
January 19th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
@ commentator above
Your understanding of the language is either so abysmally inadequate that you completely missed my point or your desire to thrust a political agenda on something that has nothing to do with politics is so extreme that you must find parallels where there are none. You are welcome to froth at the mouth as much as you please in feigned shock on imagined audacity. You have, however, said absolutely nothing of any worth and your comment doesn’t merit a reply beyond my pointing out this fact.
PeterL
January 20th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Mr. Fanthome,
Do write more often as I find them interesting.However, don’t expect much praises but more critics.after all that is life in Singapore.
Welcome my fellow Singaporean and I do hope to hear more of you as fighter for our Nation and not an eventual quitter when the chips are down.
Singapore is at a crossroad not unlike when we first gain Independence but the color of the chips are different from those pre and immediately post i.e. 1959-1995.
PAP and Invictus?Huh?
January 20th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Is this not a PAP website?Are you denying that fact?Maybe you are right. My ”understanding of the language is abysmally inadequate”.
Maybe its my karma?Your fellow PAP member Eric How thinks so.You watched a film that had a political backdrop.You are a PAP member and this is a PAP website.There are parallels.Just take a good hard look at your articles and also the comments.
Why don’t you guys review the best chicken rice stalls in Singapore instead or where the cleanest toilets are since this is not a political blog.Or where to catch the best wind for your kite.It’s where we talk.
Thanks for letting me know that I have ‘’said absolutely nothing of any worth”.My sincere apologies Mr Fanthome for wasting expensive real estate space.
Just don’t sue me for taking too much space.Maybe the PAP should silence dissenters by bankrupting Singaporeans whose language ”is either so abysmally inadequate” or ‘’said absolutely nothing of any worth”.
Would men like Clint Eastwood.Nelson Mandela,Francois Pienaar,Rudyard Kipling,William Henley and Theodore Roosevelt associate themselves with the PAP?
Or do the PAP members themselves do not hold their leaders in high regard?What are your views on PAP Gerrymandering?
Would Mandela encourage Gerrymandering?
Who did the PAP imprison longer than Mr Nelson Mandela?
Please answer that question PAP member.
MeesK
January 21st, 2010 at 4:36 am
@PAP and Invictus?Huh?
I see lots of callous remarks by netizens and there is no shame when it comes to them calling other people (govt or anyone remotely supportive of the govt) rude, offensive names. But when it comes to the reverse, their hearts have to be treated sooooo carefully? I have read many comments that are far more rude than what Eric How wrote. While this does not justify his comments, I am saying that there is no sense of balance at all when it comes to netizens and their criticisms on people they deem to be pro-establishment.
Fredric Fanthome
January 27th, 2010 at 2:11 am
Hi Folks,
Just a note – if you choose to reply to my posts – please post something original, not copy pastes from other blogs. Those are not replies. You can reference a link if you really must, but I will remove any massive copy-pastes from other sites. This forum is for debate of original viewpoints – not parroting others views if you don’t have any of your own, especially when they are absolutely irrelevant to the topic at hand.
Regds,