Contribution Name: Yang Guang Yu / Tzu Chi Singapore (SEEN@Bukit Batok)
Pseudonym: Seah Ah Tee Raymond
Year of Author: 1949
We had the honour of interviewing 75-year-old Raymond, a retired military officer with 35 years of service. Despite his seemingly illustrious career, Raymond’s life was marked by hardship. As the eldest son in a family of 10 children, he was forced to support his family from a young age. At just 13 years old, he began working as a porter at a fishing port, shouldering responsibilities far beyond his years. Every morning, he would wake up early to brave the cold and scorching sun, carrying heavy loads. These challenging experiences instilled in him a deep sense of responsibility and resilience from a very early age.
Raymond, with only a primary school education, chose to join the military as an adult, dedicating 35 years to military service. Throughout his army career, he displayed exceptional leadership and an unwavering spirit, gradually rising through the ranks. Despite the numerous challenges of military life, he remained steadfast and dedicated his youth to serving his country. Raymond recalls, “Those days were really tough, but they taught me persistence and resilience. Whenever I felt tired, I would think of my family’s expectations, which gave me endless motivation.”
Nowadays, Raymond visits the Tzu Chi Center regularly, actively participating in various activities. Despite not being a professional singing teacher, he confidently teaches others how to sing English songs, drawing from his extensive experience of learning songs from the radio and his phone over the years. Raymond’s impressive repertoire of songs, acquired since childhood, is a testament to his remarkable commitment. He fondly reminisces about his lifelong love for music, which has always been a source of comfort during difficult times. His mission now is to spread that joy to more people.
Despite facing difficulties in his younger years, Raymond managed to raise two children who have now grown up. One is a doctor, and the other is an engineer, both of whom are thriving in their respective fields. They are well aware of their father’s struggles, and they are very filial. Raymond reflects, “Perhaps this is my reward!” The story of Raymond not only celebrates resilience and dedication but also deeply embodies love and responsibility.
今天，我們非常榮幸地邀請到了75歲的Raymond Uncle進行訪談。他是一位擁有35年軍齡的退伍軍官，軍階達到校級。雖然看似風光的Raymond Uncle，背後卻有一段不為人知的辛酸史。
Raymond Uncle出生於一個有10個孩子的家庭，身為長子的他，為了分擔家計，年僅13歲就到漁港當搬運工人。在本該享受童年的年紀，他卻承受著超過年齡的壓力。每天清晨，他都要早早起床，忍受寒風和烈日，搬運沉重的貨物。這段艱辛的經歷，讓他從小就懂得了責任與堅韌。
由於只有國小畢業，他成年後選擇了投身軍旅生涯，一待就是35年。在軍隊中，他憑藉著堅韌不拔的精神和卓越的領導能力，逐步晉升至校級軍官。儘管軍旅生涯充滿挑戰，他始終堅守崗位，為國家奉獻自己的青春。Raymond Uncle回憶道：“以前的日子真的很苦，但這些經歷讓我學會了堅持和不屈不撓。每當我感到疲憊時，我都會想起家人的期望，這給了我無窮的動力。”
現在的Raymond Uncle經常來到長青館活動，甚至在這裡教大家唱英文歌。雖然他不是專業的歌唱老師，但憑藉從年輕到現在，無論是從收音機還是手機學來的英文歌，他都能以非常專業的程度教大家。他知道的歌曲非常多，這些都是他從小一首一首聽來的，實在是非常厲害！
Raymond Uncle回憶道：“我從小就喜歡音樂，雖然那時候生活艱苦，但每當聽到音樂，就會感到一絲慰藉。現在，我希望能把這份快樂傳遞給更多人。”儘管年輕時的生活非常艱難，但他憑藉一己之力將家裡的兩個孩子養育成人，一個成為醫生，一個成為工程師，他們都取得了優秀的發展。他們知道爸爸的辛苦，對他非常孝順。Raymond Uncle感慨道：“或許這就是我的收穫吧！”
Raymond Uncle的故事不僅是對堅韌和奉獻的讚頌，更是對愛與責任的深刻詮釋。
This work includes translation generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
此作品包含由OpenAI开发的AI语言模型ChatGPT生成的翻译内容。