LUMEN | MEET OUR NEW TEACHERS WHO VALUE THEIR FREEDOM
Meet our new teachers who value their
By Matthew Grey
Freedom is sometimes compared to fresh air , a muscle or a mountain peak . While one could argue that climbing a mountain will result in fresh air and strong muscles , each item is intrinsically different to the others . A multifaceted concept , the notion of freedom varies across individuals , cultures and contexts . Political philosophers from Plato to Isaiah Berlin have contemplated the idea of freedom for many centuries , and it is generally accepted that it is challenging to find accord as to its nature . In this issue , we chat with three relatively new members of the teaching fraternity at SJI , to find out how they negotiate the trade-offs and conflicting interpretations of freedom while seeking its refreshing air in three very different ways .
Mr Sarabjeet Singh is never freer than when he is burning rubber on the Malaysian highways . His fascination with motorcycles began in the early 1990s when Terminator 2 was released at the cinema . Sarabjeet was transfixed by Arnold Schwarzenegger riding his Harley Davidson Fatboy . Soon after , he rode pillion on the very same model and he discovered a life-long passion .
‘ My parents , however , were not too keen on me riding motorcycles ,’ explains the affable Geography teacher . ‘ As luck would have it though , I was required to learn how to ride a motorcycle for my National Service vocation in a reconnaissance platoon . Needless to say , I especially enjoyed the opportunity to ride the Yamaha AG200 !’
To keep his loved ones from worrying about his safety , Sarabjeet soon accepted the trade-off between freedom and responsibility . Always keen to demonstrate how important safety is to his loved ones , he has taken a number of extra training courses to supplement his knowledge and understanding of road safety . But what about his favourite motorcycle expedition of all time ? ‘ That would have to be the journey I took from Singapore to Thailand and back at the end of 2019 as part of a team of motorcycle enthusiasts involved in a service learning project at an orphanage .’ For all those who know this big-hearted Humanities teacher , it would be entirely predictable that he would combine his love of hogs , as the Harley-Davidson community of riders refer fondly to their machines , with a commitment to altruism .
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