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Navigating Life: Reflections and Stories
Getting one’s life principles in order and then applying them are of prime importance as they form the foundations upon which our lives – both personal and professional – are built. This book is a distillation of the author’s experiences in life and contains nuggets of wisdom which have guided him in his life’s journey as a legal academic, judge and family man. These open and honest reflections, together with illustrations by the author’s younger daughter, provide fascinating and thought-provoking material to form the basis of potential reflection by readers, and may perhaps be of useful application to their own lives.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 8, 2024
Andrew Phang’s Navigating Life: Reflections and stories is a truly inspirational book by a local author. Having spent almost a quarter of a century in legal academic before joining the Supreme Court, Andrew Phang served as a judicial commissioner, judge and then Justice of the Court of Appeal. He relates many of his life lessons in this book to the teachings of his mother and emphasizes the significance of life lessons as indispensable to life – and living a meaningful life. Indeed, how can life not be more fulfilling when you know how to live it, and to live it well?
After careful perusal of the book, I have found several lessons to be particularly relatable:
1. We should never treat people like crushed sugar cane, to use them, and then cast them aside. Instead, we should learn to appreciate others and uplift them when they are in need. After introspection, I think I can sometimes be rather fixated on the benefits that people and things bring for my life and this is something I will have to work on, to be more cherishing of my close friends. One should never take kindness for granted, much less view kindness as a form of weakness. I think this is incorrigible behaviour and the author shares a similar sentiment. Inasmuch as Thomas Hobbes theorized that human nature is by default selfish and self-serving, we as human beings should strive to be kinder to our peers and to be graceful when accepting kindness from others. Only by exerting control over our frailties can we truly grow as humans.
2. To maintain appropriate boundaries with people. We should never let someone overstep their boundaries and take unfair advantage of us. To avoid being treated like crushed sugar cane, and to avoid doing likewise to others.
3. Happiness is intangible. In adopting a materialistic view of life, we may have lost intangible aspects of life. To sacrifice a Queen’s scholarship, and the ability to pursue a doctorate for an intangible and true cause is the one of the most noble and selfless acts that we can only wish others would do for us.
Andrew Phang is a masterful wordsmith. The book that he has dedicated time and thought to writing has been instrumental in the refinement of my individual values and principles. As much as the 3 lessons are indispensable, I would also like to highlight the fact that one’s days are limited. Our time is finite. As such, we should never let any opportunity pass us by, and to make the most of our given time. To conclude, I would like to end with a final lesson, which is to never leave things too late, lest there be a lifetime of regret.
After careful perusal of the book, I have found several lessons to be particularly relatable:
1. We should never treat people like crushed sugar cane, to use them, and then cast them aside. Instead, we should learn to appreciate others and uplift them when they are in need. After introspection, I think I can sometimes be rather fixated on the benefits that people and things bring for my life and this is something I will have to work on, to be more cherishing of my close friends. One should never take kindness for granted, much less view kindness as a form of weakness. I think this is incorrigible behaviour and the author shares a similar sentiment. Inasmuch as Thomas Hobbes theorized that human nature is by default selfish and self-serving, we as human beings should strive to be kinder to our peers and to be graceful when accepting kindness from others. Only by exerting control over our frailties can we truly grow as humans.
2. To maintain appropriate boundaries with people. We should never let someone overstep their boundaries and take unfair advantage of us. To avoid being treated like crushed sugar cane, and to avoid doing likewise to others.
3. Happiness is intangible. In adopting a materialistic view of life, we may have lost intangible aspects of life. To sacrifice a Queen’s scholarship, and the ability to pursue a doctorate for an intangible and true cause is the one of the most noble and selfless acts that we can only wish others would do for us.
Andrew Phang is a masterful wordsmith. The book that he has dedicated time and thought to writing has been instrumental in the refinement of my individual values and principles. As much as the 3 lessons are indispensable, I would also like to highlight the fact that one’s days are limited. Our time is finite. As such, we should never let any opportunity pass us by, and to make the most of our given time. To conclude, I would like to end with a final lesson, which is to never leave things too late, lest there be a lifetime of regret.
March 1, 2025
As Andrew Phang shared each of his reflections, he would end each of them with a statement that summarised everything. It reminded me about Ryan Holiday's books, Obstacle is the Way, Stillness is Key, Ego is the Enemy. The stark difference between the two is Phang's phrasing is very long and written with a lot more archaic English, while Holiday aims for the masses. The sentences were also long, and required holding my attention longer for the clearest understanding. This was a little sad, because I think Phang's experiences in life were very unique, and if the writing style was tailored for a wider audience, it would have a been a lot more palatable.
But otherwise, a good pick up if you were keen to read about a very intentional man. Through the stories and his reflections, it felt like he made a lot of effort to think through about his life choices, and about the way he spoke and managed his students and peers around him.
But otherwise, a good pick up if you were keen to read about a very intentional man. Through the stories and his reflections, it felt like he made a lot of effort to think through about his life choices, and about the way he spoke and managed his students and peers around him.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews