The following is my essay for admission to University Scholar's Programme of National University of Singapore. It got me into the interview.
The topic was to write about a topic or concept that intrigues you and how it can be related to you...
I have been intrigued by the concept of “The Third Way”, also termed “Centrism”. It is a political philosophy of governance that strikes a balance between the leftist and the rightist. Some classify it as “neo-liberalism with a social touch”. I first encountered this concept from Bill Clinton’s biography My Life. It struck a chord with me as I always believe that a development that appeals to the majority will be sustainable and positive. When I was reading My Life, I was particularly captivated by the centrist policies and their effectiveness. While some may criticize “The Third Way” as a philosophy with no clear directions, to me, it should not be seen as a way of policy-making, but as a philosophy that directs policy-making in a flexible and adaptable fashion. I later discovered that it is also adopted by our PAP government, a socially democratic government. It can be related to me in some ways.
As a class chairman and a club chairman in my secondary school and junior college, I gathered some experience, and developed my personal way of management. One thing I have learnt is how to manage interpersonal relationships, especially the top-down relationships. Club members usually have different agendas, and these differing voices from people who want to keep the status quo and those who want changes, usually lead to disputes. The solution is always to strike a balance, allowing a compromise to be made, and advancing to a common goal.
Many activities that we perform daily require moderation. We lead a healthy lifestyle by sleeping, eating, drinking, playing in moderation. Machines are put into working for an optimum period, without causing damage. I always believe in maintaining an equilibrium – not too much, not too less. This again points to striking a balance.
“The Third Way” has broadened my thinking.
Prior to my exposure to “The Third Way”, I had only heard of the left and right. This categorized my ideas into the two groups, resulting in a certain degree of rigidity and ambiguity. “The Third Way” provided an additional category for ideas, and brought flexibility and the smooth-flow of idea-making and problem solving. This is because it gave me a new approach and angle to look at problems.
I have also transformed this political philosophy into a process of thinking – analysis of the issues of the left and right, formulating a more acceptable solution, and finally evaluating it. By going through this process, one could have a clear choice of options to adopt. I would liken the left and right to be on the extreme ends of FM frequency. Selection of options would be like turning the tuning knob to the radio channel that one wants to tune in to. Hence, this Centrist process of thinking can also be employed by leftists and rightists.
In conclusion, there is more for me to learn of the political philosophy of “The Third Way” to be able to engage in in-depth discussions and to apply in the realms of the economy, other than politics. There are also many more political philosophies that I am reading about and am interested in. But “The Third Way” has indeed intrigued me more than anything else, as of what I have known for now.
