In my thesis, I wrote that Singaporean's are willing to trade political freedom for cultural freedom. I can see how that works now. I can see how the consumption of Movies, Books, TV series, fashion and the ease of travel overseas as an escape, make Singaporeans somewhat grudgingly accepting of the current political vise that the country is in.
I see it happening in my own life. I'm thinking that I would be willing to stay here, because of roots, not roots in the country and the national heritage, but in terms of relationships with friends and family. That is the familiar rhetoric of most people I know here, I find myself coming to the same conclusion. In addition to this also, the relative availability of avenues to make a living, presents another plus point - even if that involves hard hard work. Everything here is cut and dried, the familiar requires no unease or discomfort, except at a very subliminal level that people are too busy earning money to pay attention to.
I realise that more and more Singaporeans are turning towards Christianity, I suspect that for many, the Church offers easy comfort and justification for the disjucture that many Singaporeans find between their personal hopes and dreams and their present situation.
When considering my current position, I have thought long and hard about why I feel so bad about not working, in spite of the fact that I am investing my time in very worthwhile activities that nurture the soul and which encourage personal growth. I feel bad because I am not earning money. Period.
Now, let me rethink that rationale again. If a girl has been overworked and is physically, emotionally and mentally depleted, would I condemn her for not working? Would she be only considered valuable only when she's earning money? What's the value of a person?
Let me rethink in another vein. If I had absolutely no alternative except to earn money by being a cleaner i.e. killing people for a living, would I still do it? It would still pay for the mortgage, wouldn't it? We all have to make a living, put bread on the table etc. Yet, what's the value of a person?
'Singaporeans trade political freedom and social ownership for economic expediency and relatively unfettered cultural consumption, this equation makes for a stable and upwardly mobile society: strikingly apparent when one considers the number and make of cars on the roads of Singapore'
In terms of building a cohesive national identity however, this breaks down to a melee of disparate voices with no internal sense of cohesion. Singapore can never have a national identity as long as this trend continues. Looking at the passage of political leaders in Singapore since independence over 40 years ago. This trend will not soon change.
On a personal level, I'm still vacillating as to whether or not I should move to Bangkok next year. In many ways I think it will be a very good thing for me to spend time with my Dad there and just breathe in a different air. Yes, Bangkok traffic pollution aside, the social mileu there is vastly different and presents an innate attraction for me. The church that I attend there also is very different from the one here. It's alot more international, many people there work freelance or are english teachers or are NGO workers. The attitude and approach towards life is very different.
Perhaps the Chapter of 'Struggle with Singapore' is coming to an end for now. There might come another chapter somewhere in the future with Singapore mentioned somewhere... but for now, I'm dealing the last few cards in the deck, and Singapore isn't on the cards.
