Tan Teck Lee and Krystal Lim
Tan Teck Lee:
“No smoking on campus. All trainees’ bags will be checked at the entrance. No trainees can leave campus before 4pm everyday.” That was the training manager’s address during the morning assembly. How did cigarette butts reappear after cleaning then? This has remained a mystery to the people managing the vocational institute.
Ah Lee has the special privilege of being issued a “Lunch Pass” as he lives within one kilometre of the campus. All his classmates wished for that special privilege, but not for Ah Lee. “You should at least go out for a walk to enjoy the freedom outside” one of his classmates said. “I enjoy the food on campus as it is cheap and tasty. I don’t feel that I have no freedom on campus.” Ah Lee replied contentedly every time his classmates encouraged him to make full use of his privilege.
One day, a group of classmates confronted Ah Lee to use his “Lunch Pass”. This group of classmates has been labelled as “gangsters” for their behaviours. All the other classmates moved away when Ah Lee was approached by the group. “Help us with your Lunch Pass,” one of the members from the group said. Ah Lee looked confused but continued listening. “Help you to buy cigarettes? What if I get caught?” Ah Lee was overheard asking the group.
The “gangsters” have an out-of-the-box idea to smuggle cigarettes into the campus to satisfy their cravings during campus hours. During lunch, Ah Lee would show his “Lunch Pass” at the gate to get out of campus to buy cigarettes; he would then pass the cigarettes to one member of the group through the fence. To avoid detection, this activity would take place at different locations along the fence. In no time, Ah Lee and his group of “gangsters” became friends.
After successfully passing the cigarettes, the group would gather at the back of the campus to satisfy their smoking desires. Ah Lee would sometimes join his group of new friends to chit chat while they smoked. One day, his new friends asked Ah Lee to try smoking and enjoy life. Their motto is: “A cigarette after a meal, you will be happy like a fairy.” With this peer pressure, Ah Lee tried smoking for the first time in his life. He choked and coughed as he took his first few puffs.
Krystal Lim:
While he choked & coughed, many thoughts came flashing through his mind. He was reminded of his parents’ words, how smoking kills, how he did not want to have to end up in a situation where he suffers from the negatives of smoking. Most importantly, he was reminded of why he agreed to help his friends utilise his Lunch Pass to their advantage. He acknowledges that the first reason was the pressure and fear of what they would do if he disagreed. “Would I be bullied; Would I be outcasted/ostracised?”
Deep down, from the bottom of his heart, he believed in catalysing change. He knew he had to be strategic about this. He knew his peers would not accept a straightforward, direct rejection. Hence, he decided to seed change from within. “Don’t you feel on cloud nine, happy like a fairy now?!” “Welcome to the gang, you’re truly one of us now!”
“Let’s take a look at this guys, countless innocent lives have been lost due to deteriorated health from smoking.” I know & understand that it brings by happiness. However, if we take a step back to reflect, this happiness is temporary. It is short term. Think about your family, your future wife, husband, son, do you really think it is worth trading their future for say 10 minutes of this happiness? Not to mention, your grandchildren. Do you want them to suffer from bad health?”
Thereafter, his peers embarked on a #QuitSmoking journey with him as their group’s motivational speaker. It was not a smooth-sailing ride, requiring ample effort, often having to start from scratch all over. However, Ah Lee never gave up on his beliefs and his friends. He never once complained about having to repeat his speech umpteen times, deal with the profanities hurled at him by cigarette-starved peers, rather, he always did so with immense patience and care.
Till today, he still remains best buddies with his peers who have established families with kids, achieved their individual definitions of success, and are non-habitual smokers. Nothing is impossible. There are many things one can achieve in their life. But the most indelible would be the one’s impacting, influencing & creating value for others.
