Stories of the Elder

   One day, i decided to sit down with my grandmother and listen to her tell stories. She was watching television at that time but there seemed to be no interesting show on. So after i requested her to talk about her childhood days, she agreed.

   One of the stories she told was about her when she was young. It was during the Japanese Occupation in Singapore. She was around 6 years old then. She told me that she was too young to understand all the violence that was happening around her. She explained that she was terrified of the Japanese soldiers that were aways patrolling around the neighbourhood.

   Her parents discouraged her older siblings from going out because they feared that the Japanese will harm them. Her neighbours, who were Chinese, were even more terrified of the soldiers because they know that the Japanese hated the Chinese. Fortunately, her neighbours were an elderly couple and so would not be in great risk of losing their lives.

  My grandmother related an incident when she was once slapped by a Japanese soldier because she did not bow to him. Apparently the soldiers did not care if she was just a child and did not know anything yet. I was shocked when she told me that. It must have been really traumatising for her to suffer the blow at such a young age.

  As my grandmother narrated her story, i couldn't help but think about the plight of Singaporeans during that time. Having learnt about the Japanese Occupation in History lessons, i realised that books cannot properly evoke the real emotions and feelings of the Singaporeans. Although they provide more general information about the war, it is best to hear first-hand (or ear) from someone who has experienced it himself.

  My grandmother also taught me through her stories that we cannot just depend on others to protect us; it must be done ourselves. The war would not have ended if Singaporeans continue to live in fear and if nobody stepped out to lead the troops. I also listened in admiration as my grandmother told me about the bravery of the soldiers who continued to fight on despite being outnumbered by the Japanese soldiers. It is truly patriotic of them to defend Singapore till their deaths. If they died, they died in honour.

  After she has finished her stories, she ended with a "You young people must always defend Singapore. If not, all the sacrifices that the people of my generation have made will go to waste."