2026 JANUARY ISSUE
STOP THE WORLD
I WANT TO GET OFF
Written by ANDREW SIA
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From the Desk of the Publisher
It all started as a young boy’s fantasy, I grew to like the title of the movie and noticed the sarcasm behind. It came out one day when I was listening to the woes of a young person. I noticed my shortcomings.
I went into deep thoughts and created a prose to capture my thoughts. I have given it more thinkings as where I would categorized this writeup and decided to include it under “Affection & Compassion.” In the following days I have encountered more similar situations that were calling for my reflection. I would further expand it into a booklet and have it published in my e-publication.
The whole thing is calling our generation to hear from our children. Through this learning process, I also learned to refrain myself from jumping into any conclusions without considering their challenges. I have to learn how to listen instead.
The writing began with frustration, then entered into reflection, reconciliation, and become optimism. I began with “Stop the world – I want to get off,” and finally my tone became, “I’ll stay on – differently.”
This morning, before I started my day, I talked to someone my wife caught up in Hong Kong
We have known this person for quite some time, and she is a product engineer
She is skillful in putting things together before we would take them forward for mass production
Later she moved to an athletic apparel company but was caught up in a power struggle between the former company owner and the present management team
Then things turned ugly, and she was one of a few staff members asked to leave the company because the management was looking for a scapegoat
Since then, she has been looking for a job and has been interviewed for many senior management positions
I want to inspire her by helping her to turn over stones, so no stone is left unturned
But I soon found out that it is a different world out there now
I am so out of touch and can’t recognize the world anymore
Global instability is creating social confusion, and the AI paradox has transformed the business landscape
What was our usual practice, along with our values, have changed and turned into something unrecognizable now
I realize every generation has its challenge, especially during this post-pandemic era
E-commerce is taking over what we used to so business in high street and even main street
Online traders are taking over retailing, and the retail conglomerates we used to have been collapsing one by one
It is so scary to know that the worse has yet to happen until Go- knows-who would take over and dominates
At that moment I realized I am outdated and no wonder I have lost my audiences when sharing with them my experiences and thoughts
Then something crossed my mind as I heard the cry, “Stop the world, I want to get off”
Stop the World – I Want to Get Off was actually a play in 1961, then in 1966, Warner Brothers turned it into a film meant for TV
At that time, I was a junior student studying secondary school, but I found the title mind-blowing
I never got the chance of watching this movie, but the title is buried deep in my head
Today, it comes out again and I started to give the whole thing some thoughts
First of all, headlines replace wisdom, and we are overtaken by fake news
Algorithms replace further discussions and deeper analysis
Artificial intelligence answers us before we have finished posing our questions
I feel like shouting as I have becoming so lame in front of the youngsters
My life rhythm has changed, our language has changed, and the stage has changed
At one time when I spoke people would listen, now I only hear my echoes
This put me in the doldrum, and I began to wonder what I can do going forward
Instead of making noise, I have to learn to play a new instrument in harmony with the tune
I need to accept the fact that one just can’t get off from the world like the train
To ride on is inevitable, even if the journey is bumpy and uncomfortable
Awareness of the generational shift is a fact, and heeding the call to find new bearings is more realistic
I have begun to think for the longer term in a short-term world
Recalibrating what is out there and use what I see to strategize the next move
I’ve decided to stay in the world and rewrite the symphony
I try to speak the same language as our kids
Learn to listen and join in, instead of sharing that I used to apply
Follow their tune and learn to blend into their thoughts to align with their current challenges
Keep the depth, try to win their ears and formulate their needs
Follow their pace to solve problems and stay in the back as a support
Be ready to evolve as solutions which can be multiple targets due to the circumstances
They look for clarity, speed, authenticity, and relatability
Become a long-term thinker in a short-term world
Consolidate a full symphony into a piece of chamber music
Learn what they want, not what I desire
Try to lead them by joining them first and use the pause mode more frequently
Everything is an art so show them the color palette and refrain from being the impressionist, let them be the abstract expressionist
Afterall, it is still a colorful world out there