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Life is a Beauty
UMP
大學廣場
FEB 2015
P
rofessor Lau Siu Ying Patrick, the Associate
Dean (Professional Programmes) of Faculty of
Education at CUHK, is renowned for his genuine
passion in education and in facilitating the personal growth
of students. He has received the CUHK Vice-Chancellor's
Exemplary Teaching Award for two times, in 2000 and
2005. The Office of Student Affairs is honoured to have
Professor Lau sharing with us his view and experience and
values in life education: hope and resilience.
An interview with Professor Patrick S.Y. Lau
Student reporter: Conan Tsang
What is resilience?
“Resilience means the ability to cope with stress or
adversities. Different people may exhibit different level of
resilience,” says Professor Lau. “Protective factors such
as optimism, high self-efficacy and self-esteem may help
building resilience. These factors can be developed and
strengthened by nurturing a positive view towards yourself
and your ability through positive life experience”.
The Keys to Hope – Persistence & Diligence
Invited by Mr. Leo Bormans, a writer and global
ambassador of happiness, Professor Lau and his
colleague Dr. Florence Wu have recently contributed an
article “Conquering the Fate” which was originally entitled
“To Cope to Hope” in his new book on “Hope” to be
published this year. Professor Lau points out that hope and
resilience have long been engrained in Chinese cultural
values. “China has its strong historical foundation as an
agricultural society in which peasants demonstrated great
resiliency while facing uncertainties and enduring natural
disasters. Inevitably discouraged while facing natural
disaster, the peasants were not at all passive towards fate.
Instead, they still persisted by working diligently. Their hope
is founded in their faith to yield crops in fall, trusting the
rhythm of the mother - nature,” says Professor Lau. “Even
in traditional fables, such as ‘the Old Man Yu’ , ‘Grinding
an Iron Pestle into a Needle’, persistence and diligence
are advocated and passed down from one generation to
the next as keys that allow us to harvest what we have
hoped for. ”
Motivation: Purpose in Life
Another important construct to hope is finding your
purpose in life. From Professor Lau’s research, he has
noted a close relationship between purpose in life, stress,
burnout and wellness. “Those who find purpose in life
and meaning in what they are doing show better coping
towards stress and are less likely to suffer from burnout.
Given a clear goal and purpose driven life, one will be
more able to see hope which enhances his/her ability to
deal with difficulties,” says Professor Lau.
Prevails
Hope
