I think as human beings, we have 1 mind, 1 heart, but 2 voices. These 2 voices have their own feelings and their own point of view. These 2 voices inside our minds, battling each other. In the end, 1 of them will win. There's no middle ground, no such thing as "I did not decide". Some how or another, when the battle of the 2 voices comes to an end, the stronger one (not necessarily the better one) will emerge as the winner.

One of the instances when your mind enters into such a battle is when you have to overcome your limitations or fears. Things that you think you can't do, things you have yet to try. You think you can't do it, and you think that whatever you've done in the past is the best you've done.

Today, my mind entered into such a battle. The battle between my limitations and the things I can do once I overcome my fears. And I'm glad that the better side of me has won a small victory. I've overcome a part of my fears. Victory though small, is a victory nonetheless.

I think the other voice that lost hates me now. And I'm glad that I'm hated. Hated by the evil voice of mine.

This is an excerpt from a speech that I got from Tai Wei's blog. I think it's related to how my 2 voices in my mind feel now.

Adrian Tan is a litigation lawyer at one of Singapore’s top law firms. This is his speech at NTU’s convocation ceremony this year.


"I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong."

I aim to be hated now. To be hated by the evil voice of mine. And I shall emerge a more victorious person than before.