Reflections on a Sunday

I was moved by the lyrics of this worship song "To Love Our God" in church today:

Where does the wind come from? Where does it go?
Blowing north and south, how does it know?
The rain flows gently to the sea, yet the sea is never full.
How can these things be?
Humanity works hard to make a name,
toiling in the sun, yet nothing gained.
We all return to dust from whence we came.
All is empty, all is vain.
To love our God, the reason we live:
To love our God, the highest call.
Nothing satisfies our soul,
gives life meaning, makes us whole
For this purpose we were made to love our God.
To love our God, the reason we live:
To love our God, the highest call.
Nothing satisfies our soul,
gives life meaning, makes us whole.
For this purpose we were made to love our God!
(Words: Ecclesiastes 1 & 2; Music: Mark Hayes)

My other "talking point" today is Saturday's story "MPs unfazed by move to cut speech times" (ST, 20 Nov, Page A4), in which Aljunied GRC MP Cynthia Phua, in pleading that 20 minutes for a speech (down from the current 30 minutes) might be hard to adhere to, is reported to have said: "We ae not lawyers; it's very dificult for us to craft speeches very precisely."

Excuse me, lawyers as role models for succinct speeches? If lawyers speak as they do when drafting stuff in legalese, I can imagine one such speech in Parliament (disclaimer: this is a spoof):

"Mr Speaker Sir, and here I must qualify that this perambulatory introduction does not presuppose or presume to suppose that the gender of the said person I referred to (Exhibit A) is necessarily male -- after all, man embraces woman -- ... now, where was I, oh yes... I would like to introduce a motion which if approved becomes a motion that is passed, and here I must clarify that in the Queen's English, the said passing motion in this august Chamber has a meaning that is not to be articulated in this said august Chamber in any of its variations...."

Everyone else (including the Speaker): zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Now, if the purpose of the proposal is to get MPs to be more concise (and to save time all round), why not speak the way you and I speak in the office, at the hawker centre, etc (and address the minister directly as well)?

"Mr/Madam (name of the Minister himself, or herself), this (proposal) can or not?"

Or

"Mr/Madam (name), I want to bring this issue to your attention... (elaborates, then...) How?"

Short and sharp. QED.

Postscript: My earlier posting titled Air Kindergarten was published in today's Sunday Times (21 Nov)!