Ebelle Chong
And the wheels keep turning….
As we come to the end of the financial year amidst the busy schedule of closing accounts and reports, I was reminded of the year 2020 that we survived.
It was a crazy year that threw us into disarray with circuit breaker, work from home, home based learning (I am pretty sure my whole neighbourhood heard me screaming when my no. 2 accidentally switched off the computer when we finally managed to download no.3’s assignment after half a day of trying…) and digitalisation of EVERYTHING!
And when work and ‘live’ performances finally resumed, cognitively, physically and psychologically, we had to do things differently due to this new normal that we were forced to embrace. There were times where I asked myself, why do we bother with all the little things like pumping in so much manpower, money and effort just to keep things up and running? Yet in return we seem to reap off much less results as compared to in the past.
But upon reflection, where we stand as RAW Moves is like a cog that when it starts to turn, it has a domino effect that makes the whole massive machinery work. Doing our first “live” performance XITY for the year helped to create jobs, built back audience confidence and contributed to the opening up of the arts industry despite the restrictions in place. The people who came may be little but I learnt to never underestimate the impact that we can have because even if it only impacts/influences/changes one person, that alone is enough to create a ripple effect.
Jasyn
(Assistant Manager)
Sometimes life is not just about all the mundane things, but the connections and meaning that you create out of what you have – little things like having a conversation about what matters most to you, how a stranger held the door for you, or how you were able to indulge in your favourite dish this afternoon, are things that many people tend to overlook. But the amalgamation of all these little things will then serve their purpose of grounding us, and will remind us the true bliss of living life despite all the challenges we face.
I’d like to quote from the Dead Poets’ Society, “We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, ‘O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?’ Answer. That you are here – that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.”
That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?