The Day a Survey Chain Taught Me Humility
This is a story about swallowing my pride and eating my own words — rather reluctantly! It happened at the beginning of my career, when I was 22, young, stubborn and very sure of my reasoning.
You might think that, after such an experience, I would have learnt my lesson well. Yet throughout my career, I have sometimes spoken too quickly, judged too soon and rejected an idea before listening properly. Whenever that happens, this little story returns to remind me to be humble.
It was one of my first field survey assignments. I joined a survey party led by Ali, my good friend and fellow surveyor, to carry out a boundary survey of a small plot of land.
We were using a measuring chain. It was heavy and needed two strong people to pull it taut. Even in my youthful strength, I struggled to handle it. My job was to read the measurements and record them in the field book.
We were working beside a kampung road when a group of village women approached. The men quietly said that we needed to pull the chain back to let them pass.
Then came the explanation: according to a local belief, if a woman stepped over the chain, it would break.
Well! That was enough to wake up the young, stubborn officer in me.
I objected immediately. How could a woman stepping over a chain possibly cause it to break? To demonstrate my point, I stepped over it myself.
There. Point made. Or so I thought.
The team still withdrew the chain to allow the village women to pass. I stood nearby, quite confident that nothing would happen.
After a short break, we resumed work. I took my position, ready to read the next measurement. The two men pulled the chain taut.
It snapped. Right before my eyes.
Everyone was stunned. I suspect I was the most stunned of all.
Of all the times for that chain to break, it had chosen this one.
I could almost imagine what the men were thinking: “This young lady officer tak tau adat kita.” Perhaps they thought I was a little kurang ajar. Perhaps some were quietly amused. I cannot know, but at that moment, I certainly felt foolish.
I apologised to Ali and the team for the way I had behaved. My confident demonstration had ended with a broken chain and a very humbled young officer.
To this day, I do not believe that a woman stepping over a measuring chain can cause it to break. The timing of that incident has never changed my reasoning. But it left a lasting mark on how I think about working with people.
I had been so eager to challenge the belief that I had given little thought to the people who held it. I could have asked questions, listened and expressed my disagreement with more care. Instead, I had made my point with my voice — and my feet.
Working with people from different backgrounds has taught me that experience and local customs deserve a respectful hearing. I can disagree while still treating people with dignity. Sometimes, a pause and a little restraint can do more good than a loud objection.
Have I mastered that lesson? Not quite. I am still learning.
And whenever I become a little too certain of myself, somewhere in my memory, that chain snaps again.
Here is the actual Chain Survey methodology :-
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