Post Enginnering Spirituality
Arthur B.
Dr Tommy Wong believes that he is a better person now, after he is able to experience life’s many dimensions. Had he remained in NTU, he might have missed out on being a more spiritual person. And that would have been a great loss.
Not that the process was easy. The usual suspects were the motley crew of anxiety, fear, uncertainty. In his case, the biggest set back looked like the bruise to his ego and self-respect.
“There were a lot of internal restructuring and posturing while the university pondered to let me go.” He muses. “After it was over, I picked up my dignity when I was able to sell my books.”
Maybe his gentle demeanour masked a cauldron of rage, indignance or victimhood in his heart. Wong did not say. He shared a revelation which was enlightening enough. “I thought all I had to do was just to do my work. Little did I know that there is this thing called politics.”
So after he left NTU, he got involved, and worked with some of the shakers and movers to make the world better. The experience was fulfilling — it was good for the soul. The process helped him understand the society and human beings better.
Which was good? I questioned.
“I saw so many things that I would not have been able to see, if I remained as a professor in a university.”
But most people do not want to see those things. They rather be in their comfort zone, and just focused on their job, car, condo and holiday, and don’t care about the problems in the world. It is, of course, the easier life.
“I believe you are less of a human,” Wong asserted, “If you are not able to appreciate certain things about a human being, and do things for the society.”
I can tell that spirituality seduces him. Perhaps that is how one can build up the character by living through circumstances beyond one’s control, and handle them spiritually.
One could forget that Dr Wong is a civil engineer by training. From that precise world of mathematical formulae and computer programming, he transcends to another world where grey has many shades and symptoms represent multi-layers of real, some time unmentionable reasons.
How does one manage to do that?
“My wife, the most supportive woman in the world to me. She supported me through thick and thin.” He added without a trace of smugness. “There are women who left their husband when the men are not longer able to find a job.”
A simple declaration — that should be heeded by all PMETs out there.
After leaving NTU, Dr Wong found a great purpose and has unrelentingly expounded his non-religious spiritual philosophy in more than 15 titles for the benefit of mankind. Visit his website. His books on engineering, philosophy, self-help and spirituality are available on Amazon.
