Today is the festival of light and I am trying to see some light by browsing through the net. Yes there is light everywhere in a bright sunny morning. But I assure you, not many can see the light and still muddle around in darkness.
In one of the comments in my blog I saw some light. One said that our graduates are the new middle class, living in HDB flats that are beautifully furnished and very comfortable, maybe contented as well. This in a way is wisdom, contentment. Just be happy with what you have, make the best of what you have, and one can be as happy if not happier than those who have millions but worrying when the next million will come.
If Singaporeans can be easily contented with the good life of a HDB flat, there will be abundance everywhere. But there will be those who would want to own private properties, not one but many, and will never be contented. And there will also be those who earn millions, and scheming to get more millions. Some may think they are crazy or foolish. Some may say greed is good and that is how they get richer and richer.
In between these two extremes there are the average Singaporeans who just get on with life, day by day, sometimes happy sometimes not.
Looking at another angle about contentment is that it is the sign of regression. When people are too easily contented and are comfortable with the little they have, the drive to be better may suffer. Then someone may want to stick a spur on their backs to get them moving, for more achievements and more progress.
The part that I find uncomfortable is how people willingly accept their station in life when it could be much better. There was a time when even a secondary school graduate or drop out could aspire to own 5rm HDB flats, not that they were successful businessmen or entrepreneurs, but just skilled workers or taxi drivers. And if they were graduates, they could aspire and end up living in private properties.
Shall I rejoice when the graduates of today are contented to live in 4rm flats after investing hundreds of thousands for their education? Is this a good thing? Would anyone want to ask why this is the fate of our graduates, when they could live a better quality of life in the material sense? Have they surrendered and accepted that this is the best they could be in life as a graduate? Don’t they want the stars, don’t they want to live in private properties? Or they know that these things are beyond them.
Did they know that those things were quite attainable in yesteryears to the non graduates? How did our society be managed to such a state that people’s expectation has to go down, and be contented to have less, and think it is the norm? Tomorrow they will expect graduates to be counter salespersons, to drive taxis and to live in 3rm flats and take public transport to work. It is still quality living, but why like that?
Anyone see the light?
21 comments:
Deepavali...a day to celebrate,but other also use it to talk bad about Singapore future,what the worry?or if concern,what had we done to help?just complain or made noise?
There not many "dark" time (less Asia crises,911,SARS,2008 Global Financial crises)Internal do we create these crises? so what "light" we refer to? Instead of comment,why don't volunteer our service&time to made those we feel less fortunate a better place? ( oh... Sorry,forget,we tent to ask Million Minister to solve problem for us,but...do we want to end up like many country "leaders" who get normal salary but lead the country into crises after crises?)
'zuan toa qiao tou zi ran zi', meaning let nature runs its' course.
The brightest(U grads) in our tiny land were misguided, misled and mis-educated. But, this is funny; how can the brightest not think about worldly matters themselves??? And if this is the way the brightest behave, where to find talent?
Singaporeans are good at defining dollars but have little understanding about happiness. Oh, that is because our leaders are such!
Live and let live Brother Bean. Light will come when the Sun rises, wishes that it will not be scorching. Some talents are too bright and burn everything.
patriot
Happiness comes from contentment. Nothing more, nothing less.
A meal at a hawker centre makes some people happy, but makes some people feel miserable and out of place. A huge mansion makes some people proud, but some people are more than contented with a three room HDB flat.
Never envy, never live beyond your means and ability. You will be happier.
Happy Deepavali to all.
Well said,as long live within u mean & be happy what we got,everyday is bright light day : )
But too bad,there still group of Singaporean who alway want more & more. Alway DEMAND government to give more & forcing civil service to hear their noise & complain,I pity my friends who work at front desk as these unreasonable ppl are getting more... Hope they can wake up the idea as they ate living in a country many call haven.
Happy Holiday : )
John.Tay
That is the problem.
If a young married couple earning $9K a month they are happy until their children or their parent got cancer then they know the hard truth.
Suddenly the media/NTUC start a campaign to help Tan Howe Liang whose wife got cancer to show the society(pap)who care. How about many other people whose names are not Tan Howe Liang but in same type of situation?
The 60% simply are just selfish or naive.
Hence leader do not feel the need to change.
Singaporeans should be grateful with their 4 rm Swiss standard of living. And don't be envious of people living in 2,000 sq m homes.
Swiss standard does not mean that everyone can live in landed properties.
Thank god our leaders will not end up like other dictators.
Has the Singapore dream of 5Cs faded in the new harsh reality of high prices?
Or is it a good thing? Meaning that we have now looking beyond the materialistic aspect of life and learn to be contented with our lot.
Greed and envy, where does it end?
There is no end in sight. Some found the answer, like Gates and Buffett, and decided to give all they have to charity instead. Why?
Think about it.
In cyberspace there are two groups of people. One group only criticise the govt. Another group will defend the govt. One said govt is not doing enough and the other said the govt is the best.
My friend said both are losers. One unhappy, one thinks or pretends to be happy. He just came back from China after investing $20m on a commercial property with his associates. He said there is a very big world out there while these people are quarrelling over HDB flats and taking MRT.
Ignorance is bliss. Let them be happy quarrelling over peanuts.
Only 2 group meh? Then u belong to which one? Wake up lah,"there is bigger world in cyber",more then 2 Group!
Enjoy the Holiday
High COE drives people to appreciate a good and efficient transport system. Similarly, pte housing being out of reach to many may create an egalitarian society of unequal equals.
Those who do not favor elitism in our school system may find this development more palatable.
they need to upgrade community centers to a full facilities(big gym, pool, spa, cafeteria and etc etc) cludhouse like hotspot exclusive to each community of housing estate(nominal fee charged). that would complete HDB housing.
You should have find out from the graduates who they vote,who their parent or grandparent vote.
You can't tell,they may belong to the 60 % who are happy with the situation.And you,gonggong,being too concern,instead of being appreciated ,being call a kaykiang kaypoh.
I appreciate your sense of justice.Me,though uneducated and not a graduate, came to this site to learn English from you and like your sense of justice.
I lost my respect for graduates ever since I came across some of them abusing their authority recently.Got chance go U but no brain to think,and know basic manner,show no respect to others,Some just deserve to stay in a chicken coop,style or kennel.
Taiwan,Korea etc has got many graduates doing normal task and they are proud of their job.Whats wrong with Singapore graduates driving taxi?One can only be happy if he know when to be contented(Zhi Zhu Chang Ler)
"Some talents are too bright and burn everything."
Great thought.
Hungry locusts are a destructive force.
actually, they are fools. and you sucked up to them.
Yeah, we make use of their fart air to suffocate them...wahahahaha.
Let me reveals a little of myself, not that anybody is interested. Me thought meself could be not normal spending lots of precious time at the keyboard. Then me read a bogpost that asserted that some psychiatric care givers maybe 'madder' than their patients. It gives me consolation that me is less abnormal that me thinks.
Like most senior citizens, me am happy that my grown up children are law abiding, filial and patriotic. My grandchildren give me a lot of joy. They are innocent, naive and pure. When their poor kong kong buy them some simple cheap toys, they're always so happy and loving.
These little ones need much love and care, meaning time, education, good environment and money for everything they need for good upbringing. If and when their parents/grandparents have to struggle and make ends meet, the society will face problem of children growing up with poor upbringings. It result in flawed characters in abundance.
Some, unfortunately may become gang leader, vice kingpin, community/grassroot leader, business leader and political leader. Most undesirable humans have high intelligence, what harms them is usually upbringing. Humanities in Sin is almost discarded, so the Value System has been abandoned for some times now.
At times, me finds blaming our rulers for their deeds mitigable because if they had been brought up to behave the way they do, their forefathers are as blame-able for their doings. At the end of the day, me still thinks that 'zuan tao qiao tou zi run zi'(let nature takes its' course) is still the only way out.
patriot
/// Anonymous said...
Greed and envy, where does it end?
October 26, 2011 12:54 PM ///
Indeed. And it is sad that the leaders and elites are setting very bad examples. Rajaratnam once inveighed against the politics of envy, but that was before the politicians pay themselves better than the private sector.
/// Anonymous said...
Happiness comes from contentment. Nothing more, nothing less.
October 26, 2011 11:22 AM ///
Yes, I am reminded of the beautiful verses in Max Ehrmann's "Desiderata".
When the envious paid themselves in the millions and tell people not to be envious of them.
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