Singapore is experiencing growing pains.
Like cramps we get on the cusp of adolescence, Singapore is waking up, albeit painfully, to a new day and a new reality. When change happens, people are often one of three things: ambivalent, reminiscent or hopeful.
To the ambivalent, life goes on, and considering the last 50 years, life will go on rather well for many. But this group has shrunk significantly, considering the fact that during this election, every voter will be mandated to exercise their democratic right. Social media as changed the rules such that you cannot escape Election fever even if you wanted to. Therein lies the current challenge. Like a nation brought along by the current of what can be described as the force and trajectory of the pioneer generation led by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, many have yet to reckon with the power entrusted to a member of a democracy.
The choice we exercise is not so much the power to declare whom we fancy, but the collective power to decide our future. Yet, like riding a bike, how can we wield this responsibility well, especially for those who have never done it before? Except that in this case, we cannot afford to falter as we learn, or so we hope. What is clear is that we must accept that this awakening cannot be avoided. Doing so will cause a tragedy not unlike that of over-parented, entitled and “useless” children who never grow up because they are shielded from the effects of their decisions during adolescence.
To those who already care, there are those who, regardless of age, have connected the dots and are strongly connected to the story of how we got here. It is therefore not only sentimentalism that permeates our reminiscence, but also a sense of responsibility given to us by our forefathers towards future generations. “We have a good thing. Don’t ruin it!” it seems to call to us. It is natural to think the way to keep it going is to keep it the way it has gone. And yet our short 50 years (and countless construction projects) shows that change has been the only constant for us. Change is unsettling, but it is necessary, not only because times change, but more importantly, people do.
It is a different Singapore we are living in, and indeed a different world. Fear makes us want to deny this fact and to stick our proverbial heads into the ground. But can we, with eyes wide open, embrace the change with courage, so as to position ourselves to ride the waves and not be swallowed by them? Remembering where we have come from and whom we need to honor is definitely becoming of a good citizen. But we need new imagination for new challenges, new narratives to live out, and new dreams and destinies to seek.
It was the compelling narrative of survival that dominated the generation of our pioneers, as was the narrative of growth and progress for the baby boomers. Fear of the future made it necessary for us to conform for survival, but economic progress has given us the freedom, the bandwidth, and the imperative to create. Therefore the dreams of the elders are not the dreams of the young, for what the elders have achieved have already become the floor the young stand on.
It is this new vantage point afforded to the younger by the older that give a new hope to our beloved country. There is a radiant hope for a better Singapore that inspires many to engage so passionately in debates. There is also a naïve hope not grounded in the reality of the current world political or economic climate, or out of touch with the plight of those who are suffering under the weight of our rapid progress. Hope can also break down because of disillusionment, helplessness or bitterness. In fact, hope is very much like parenting. Why is it so easy to feel such anger, disappointment and be so mean to the ones we love the most? It seems our hope and love can lead to radical optimism or despondent pessimism.
Regardless of how we manifest our aspirations for our homeland, maturity calls all of us upwards. In anger, remember kindness. In prosperity, remember generosity. In disappointment, remember grace. In justice, remember mercy. In taking the high road, those in power need not rub it in or praise themselves. Those not in power need not make themselves victims for pity or ride on anger stirred towards others. Everyone shows the Singapore they are building already not by whether they win, but by how they fight.
This “fight” for what Singapore should be and can be, can only be good for our nation. Out of the influx of voices and opinions, and the crucible of public scrutiny will hopefully arise true gold: wisdom gained through listening well and long enough to hear the hearts of the people involved. The days of a parent (be it a person or a party) deciding for the good of the children are numbered. It is a day of the beginnings of maturity. Mistakes will be made. Influential and charismatic people will be seen for who they really are, sometimes at great cost to those who follow them. Clowns will be mixed with those with character, and the road to differentiation will be hard. The collective discernment of Singaporeans will be tested and as in life, more wisdom is needed with more freedom.
In life, as in the world, it is zones of transition and convergence that are most filled with life and excitement. Like the crashing of hot and cold currents of air or water, or the time when the sun sets or rises, we live in the beauty of a certain chaos that signals the end of one era and the beginning of another. This new era is not defined by who wins and who is subsumed, but definitively by what new life is birthed.
A new Singapore is being birthed even as we are in the first year of our new Jubilee. A Singapore that can be trusted with more decisions that affect our future. A Singapore that is mature enough to tell the difference between clowns and persons of character. A Singapore that needs new dreams and new challenges beyond what sustains our existence, to what releases our greatest potential and destiny. A Singapore whose head is connected to her heart, and who is as smart as she is wise.
Each person can only be responsible for oneself, therefore each political party necessarily only sees the good that they can and want to do. And yet no matter who wins, each of us are first sons and daughters of Singapore. Politics can help decide who governs the land and how, but our deepest sensibilities and aspirations certainly are and must be shaped by more than what any government can do.
There has never been a time like this for Singapore. It is time for a new Singapore to be birthed, and what Singapore will be is yet to be determined. My deepest hope is that a kinder, wiser, more compassionate, resilient, creative and courageous Singapore will emerge, regardless of race, language, religion or political party. Truly today (and tomorrow), Majulah Singapura.
Like cramps we get on the cusp of adolescence, Singapore is waking up, albeit painfully, to a new day and a new reality. When change happens, people are often one of three things: ambivalent, reminiscent or hopeful.
To the ambivalent, life goes on, and considering the last 50 years, life will go on rather well for many. But this group has shrunk significantly, considering the fact that during this election, every voter will be mandated to exercise their democratic right. Social media as changed the rules such that you cannot escape Election fever even if you wanted to. Therein lies the current challenge. Like a nation brought along by the current of what can be described as the force and trajectory of the pioneer generation led by Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, many have yet to reckon with the power entrusted to a member of a democracy.
The choice we exercise is not so much the power to declare whom we fancy, but the collective power to decide our future. Yet, like riding a bike, how can we wield this responsibility well, especially for those who have never done it before? Except that in this case, we cannot afford to falter as we learn, or so we hope. What is clear is that we must accept that this awakening cannot be avoided. Doing so will cause a tragedy not unlike that of over-parented, entitled and “useless” children who never grow up because they are shielded from the effects of their decisions during adolescence.
To those who already care, there are those who, regardless of age, have connected the dots and are strongly connected to the story of how we got here. It is therefore not only sentimentalism that permeates our reminiscence, but also a sense of responsibility given to us by our forefathers towards future generations. “We have a good thing. Don’t ruin it!” it seems to call to us. It is natural to think the way to keep it going is to keep it the way it has gone. And yet our short 50 years (and countless construction projects) shows that change has been the only constant for us. Change is unsettling, but it is necessary, not only because times change, but more importantly, people do.
It is a different Singapore we are living in, and indeed a different world. Fear makes us want to deny this fact and to stick our proverbial heads into the ground. But can we, with eyes wide open, embrace the change with courage, so as to position ourselves to ride the waves and not be swallowed by them? Remembering where we have come from and whom we need to honor is definitely becoming of a good citizen. But we need new imagination for new challenges, new narratives to live out, and new dreams and destinies to seek.
It was the compelling narrative of survival that dominated the generation of our pioneers, as was the narrative of growth and progress for the baby boomers. Fear of the future made it necessary for us to conform for survival, but economic progress has given us the freedom, the bandwidth, and the imperative to create. Therefore the dreams of the elders are not the dreams of the young, for what the elders have achieved have already become the floor the young stand on.
It is this new vantage point afforded to the younger by the older that give a new hope to our beloved country. There is a radiant hope for a better Singapore that inspires many to engage so passionately in debates. There is also a naïve hope not grounded in the reality of the current world political or economic climate, or out of touch with the plight of those who are suffering under the weight of our rapid progress. Hope can also break down because of disillusionment, helplessness or bitterness. In fact, hope is very much like parenting. Why is it so easy to feel such anger, disappointment and be so mean to the ones we love the most? It seems our hope and love can lead to radical optimism or despondent pessimism.
Regardless of how we manifest our aspirations for our homeland, maturity calls all of us upwards. In anger, remember kindness. In prosperity, remember generosity. In disappointment, remember grace. In justice, remember mercy. In taking the high road, those in power need not rub it in or praise themselves. Those not in power need not make themselves victims for pity or ride on anger stirred towards others. Everyone shows the Singapore they are building already not by whether they win, but by how they fight.
This “fight” for what Singapore should be and can be, can only be good for our nation. Out of the influx of voices and opinions, and the crucible of public scrutiny will hopefully arise true gold: wisdom gained through listening well and long enough to hear the hearts of the people involved. The days of a parent (be it a person or a party) deciding for the good of the children are numbered. It is a day of the beginnings of maturity. Mistakes will be made. Influential and charismatic people will be seen for who they really are, sometimes at great cost to those who follow them. Clowns will be mixed with those with character, and the road to differentiation will be hard. The collective discernment of Singaporeans will be tested and as in life, more wisdom is needed with more freedom.
In life, as in the world, it is zones of transition and convergence that are most filled with life and excitement. Like the crashing of hot and cold currents of air or water, or the time when the sun sets or rises, we live in the beauty of a certain chaos that signals the end of one era and the beginning of another. This new era is not defined by who wins and who is subsumed, but definitively by what new life is birthed.
A new Singapore is being birthed even as we are in the first year of our new Jubilee. A Singapore that can be trusted with more decisions that affect our future. A Singapore that is mature enough to tell the difference between clowns and persons of character. A Singapore that needs new dreams and new challenges beyond what sustains our existence, to what releases our greatest potential and destiny. A Singapore whose head is connected to her heart, and who is as smart as she is wise.
Each person can only be responsible for oneself, therefore each political party necessarily only sees the good that they can and want to do. And yet no matter who wins, each of us are first sons and daughters of Singapore. Politics can help decide who governs the land and how, but our deepest sensibilities and aspirations certainly are and must be shaped by more than what any government can do.
There has never been a time like this for Singapore. It is time for a new Singapore to be birthed, and what Singapore will be is yet to be determined. My deepest hope is that a kinder, wiser, more compassionate, resilient, creative and courageous Singapore will emerge, regardless of race, language, religion or political party. Truly today (and tomorrow), Majulah Singapura.