There’s a pretty good essay on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong‘s call for young Singaporeans to “dare to dream” over at The Online Citizen. The gist of it is that this statement is highly ironic when interpreted against the realities on the ground, much of them the results of government policy. Predictably, the comment section is filled with comments that miss the bigger picture of the issue and see this as another scheduled anti-government ranting session, with the few thoughtful comments voted down.
The government is no doubt a part of the problem, but it is the mentality of Singaporeans at large that has created a hostile environment for socially deviant dreams to take hold, and the same can be said for many Asian societies.
As Westerners love to say, Asia is becoming richer and richer. The rise of Japan, the Four Asian Tigers, China and India were/are the stables of any economics review. But rapid economic development brings with it deeply rooted social problems that go beyond stress or corruption. Whereas Western societies has had two hundred years and two World Wars to adapt their cultures to fit an industrialized world, Asia is attempting to do the same in the post-colonial era barely half-century old. Some say that Singapore is a successful example of such an endeavour, and they are right in many ways.
Singapore is recognized by the IMF as an “advanced economy” and by the World Bank as a “high income economy”. It also ranks 28 on the Human Development Index, in the neighbourhood of Slovenia and Kuwait. By most measures of national success, Singapore, a country literally just over four decades old with no prior geopolitical equivalent (e.g. China is technically 60 years old but existed as a country long before that), is an exemplary one.
But due to the sheer speed of its development, its overnight transformation from third world to first world took place without a corresponding advancement in social values. Unlike the economy, development of social values cannot be fast tracked even by the most efficient governments, try as they might.
Foreigners visiting Singapore love to comment that it is a clean and beautiful place. The reality is that it is clean and beautiful because we have legions of imported workers who clean the roads of trash, sweep away the fallen leaves and repaint the chipping paint jobs every night and morning. In this case, economic success has allowed us to produce the appearance of social enlightenment. So hurray for us.
The reason why we have clean roads. Taken from The Keropok
However, developing a conducive environment for young people to chase after their aspirations is another ball game altogether. Asians in general are stuck in the survival state of social mentality. Having only recently climbed up the economic ladder, we are still shackled by the idea that money is everything in life.
Our uneducated grandparents worked hard to buy a house and send our parents to school. Our parents worked hard to buy a bigger house and a car and send us to a better school in that car. With even better education and opportunities available to us, we are then expected to earn even more money than our parents. The survival instinct that drove our grandparents to sustain their family has become the consumer instinct for bigger and better.
In a sense, the rise of consumerism has always been a point of debate in developed nations, but in Asia’s case it comes with added baggage — the idea that as our economies grow, our lives should be measurably wealthier. Material possessions are therefore the measures we have for successful development as a society. Our list of “necessities” in life is ever expanding and the bar for “success” is ever rising.
And this idea that our survival depends on economic success is what drives government policies. Some say that it is the result of government policies, but it’s really a chicken-and-egg issue. Society and government both agree on this idea and they mutually reinforce each other through their actions. The word “pragmatic” describes Singapore more than any other. Through the tinted lens of pragmatism, we see and judge every aspect of our lives.
An education is not a pursue of knowledge. To be educated is to become a more highly valued member of the workforce and knowledge is only relevant as a mean of achieving that goal. Interests are distractions from a successful education and the career that follows. Literature, history, philosophy and art are all non-practical subjects of study — risky options that only the rich can afford. Subject combinations should be chosen to match future career paths and not interest. Careers should be chosen based on a logical examination of supply and demand, chances of success and likely degree of success, not interest. Dreams are for the naive and real adults do cost-benefit risk analysis. Such is the life of a student going through the motions in Singapore.
The upside of this is a heavy emphasis on foundational education in Singapore. This is why we do so well in international math and science competitions. The downside of this is a dearth of culture. This is why we do so poorly in journalism, literature, art, music and almost everything else. For you see, the only kind of culture that is worth anything is the kind that brings in tourist money.
We applaud people who are successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, but talented musicians are just fascinating sideshows who will one day realize that they have wasted their lives away on the “wrong” career. Business, medicine and law are the officially recognized paths to success in university, and every other subject is for people who failed to get into one of the three and foreign students.
Japan’s university system is perhaps the pinnacle of an education system designed to produce productive workers. Come spring every year in Japan, a new batch of university graduates don identical looking suits and enter the job market to become salarymen and office ladies. The sight of the endless streams of similarly mannered people walking in and out of a busy metro stations rushing to work induces an overwhelming feeling of hopeless futility. This is the Asian equivalent of US suburbia.
Jump through the hoops, follow the markers correctly and be rewarded with a lifetime of comfort and luxury. We treat ourselves and our next generation no better than dogs.
We are all special!
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against capitalism or even consumerism. I am certainly not advocating that we go back to farming and self sustenance. In fact, I am arguing for the exact opposite: thanks to economic development and industrialization, it is now easier to earn a living than ever before and, instead of spending every waking hour tending to the crop fields, we now have free time to pursue our dreams and still feed ourselves. But that’s not what we are doing. We are instead pursuing the dreams of our parents and grandparents — to live a richer life than the ones before us.
One of the fundamental ideas of economics is the value of comparative advantage — the idea that the greatest net gain can only be achieved when we specialize according to our natural advantages.
The problem with Singapore and many Asian countries is that “gain” is measured only in terms of monetary value. The natural advantage of a talented artist is not given its due credit for its bettering of society at large and therefore goes under-rewarded. Those of us whose talents are not in the “correct” domains are naturally doomed to practise bad economics by pursuing careers in less ideal but more socially accepted fields, hence contributing less to society than we are inherently capable of.
It is sad that talented musicians relegate their interests in favour of pursuing business or law. But what’s even sadder is that many Singaporeans do not see a need for having interests and do not seek to discover their own talents. The real tragedy is not people being forced to consciously make difficult but understandable practical decisions between passion and financial stability, but the fact that an even greater number of people are not even aware that there is such a choice to be made.
The rat race is so deeply engrained in our collective mindset that we do not bother to seek alternate paths to success. It is one thing to explore the wilderness before returning to the well-beaten track, but another altogether to not even try. How can we dare to dream when we have no dreams but the one we inherited?
These people had no opportunity to discover their talents but we do
Some people say that our lives are too short to be spent on potential failures over guaranteed success, but I say that our lives are too finite too be spent on not trying. We all die eventually and the worst that can happen is nothing — we return to the grind and continue as always.
And ultimately we don’t live in the Dark Ages any more — we are not choosing between survival and everything else, but between a bigger house and pursuing our dreams. And the two are not even mutually exclusive: time and again it has been shown that actively pursuing one’s interest and making full use of one’s unique talents can and do lead to economic success.
Ahhh, good old meritocracy… It only works for results that can be measured quantitatively.
“Some people say that our lives are too short to be spent on potential failures over guaranteed success”
Actually never heared that one….it’S more like “Life is too short to not have some fun” here 0.o
Nice article…kinda makes me not wanna go to University in Japan after all :p
Nicely written essay. If only I was as verbose *sigh*
Your argument is basically that we Singaporeans have a culture of pursuing the material at the expense of the finer things in life, or our personal talents, that are not seen as “practical”.
In response, I would like to pose this question, “are we a first-world country yet?” The fact that people have to trash their dreams indicates that we’re still somewhere on the way, and in some way validates the need to still take a more survivalist approach to life.
But the capitalist/meritocratic system is as such. EVERYONE wants the best performer in a job. The most EFFICIENT. The one with the most RESOURCES and ABILITIES that can reap the best rewards for the company. If there’s no market for your abilities (if no one goes to the theatre, for example), you’re screwed.
Secondly, I believe a sufficiently-skilled individual would still be able to find some way to augment his or her talents to be more in line with his job, given the opportunity. Just because one is a lawyer, does not mean s/he can’t dabble in the amateur music scene. Just because one is an accountant doesn’t mean s/he can’t be a writer. It’s a matter of how much their willing to fight for their passion, and whether they have the ability to juggle pragmatic needs with idealistic wants.
The environment in Singapore may not be very encouraging, the benefits might also be near intangible, but I still feel that it’s still possible for oneself to either start up such a scene or to find some other ways or means to derive some self-satisfaction.
And that should be the true crux of the “dare to dream” statement. Those with the ability should explore their potential and differentiate from the rest of the pack. It’s not a statement that should be directed at all, just those who are “able”. Those who possess the resources, skills, opportunities, or some mix of the three. Sad truth about meritocracy.
Of course, I haven’t actually left college and don’t have the weight of actual working experience behind my words, but I guess it’s something to chew on.
Ah, but as I said, I believe that while it can be unfortunate, there’s nothing inherently wrong with choosing practical careers over passions and dreams. That is up to the individual to decide.
The real problem in Singapore is that the education system is so well-oiled that talented students feel that they just have to go through the motions to achieve financial success. Students are not fully exploring their options to discover what they really like and what they are really good at doing. The decision has already been made for them by their parents and the system.
Well, I’m determined to study History even if I can’t get a good job or whatever, so ^_^
But I also spend most of my time on schoolwork and have little time to pursue my interests. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play the piano, but can’t find the time to learn/practice. Guess I fit the stereotype of an SG student that way.
After university, perhaps. I don’t want to spend my whole life working.
@Darkmirage:
True to some degree, but just following the system will bite people in the ass eventually. Those who do persist in merely following the system will eventually falter since everyone’s equipped with the same skills. Job saturation will eventually drive people off to explore other avenues where their talents might come in, acquire different skills to differentiate (playing multiple roles in a company, for example), or die (not)trying.
…which is probably the practical side to seeing your argument, in a non tourist-dollar-ey sense.
@sesshomaru_haku:
Maybe the Australian system has turned me overly optimistic but…there are STILL some practical (and job-transferable) skills that can be obtained from pursuing the arts/humanities, as long as you can identify it, develop it and enjoy the process. Don’t lose heart!
I think you are right about choosing our interest too instead of just study and earn more money for bigger house and cars.
I personally have found my own interest and it’s music! While I’m working hard for my dreams to be success in life, I have been included my interest as part of the dream so I can make it comes true.
@OneTonMii: I’m actually hoping to eventually do something like joining Sydney University’s Japanese department and specialize in Japanese history. XD As long as I work towards it…
As someone who leans heavily towards the humanities, I feel quite demoralized/marginalized in a Singaporean school. I have my whole class scoring As for the science subjects, acing this science competition and that research programme while I phail badly at Physics and Chem. -.- Few care about the arts, and the education system clearly favours science.
Oh well. I shall have my fun when I enter JC and start taking GP. XD (And drop all sciences yay.)
It’s not just about doing well in Sciences in JC. The school’s vision of having all-rounded education is killing us. You see Sciences students suffering with their humanities. Arts students suffering with their Maths. And the students in between aren’t doing that well either.
Well, that’s all well and good, but what are you doing about it? Or are you going to do anything at all? Just curious. Knowledge is one thing, but acting on it…
@Owen S Ahh, that’s the problem isn’t it? In the academia/policy-making field, the focus/aims are always different.
Personally, I’d feel better if DM took over the world.
I don’t want to do that… A world leader would be blamed for everything wrong with the world and criticized for every action he/she takes, no matter how altruistic his/her intentions are.
In any case, government is certainly not going to be the solution. It’s more or less up to individuals and parents to decide how much importance they place on this.
Alright, since you dodged my question the first time, let me rephrase this:
Do you have any dreams? I mean, you do realise the system in which you’re in and you’re not just another (I hope) hamster-on-a-wheel–what are you going to do with this self-awareness, this knowledge?
Not answering it is the ultimate cockblock after such a post.
This article is full of naviety and immaturity. The author must be someone young and inexperienced in the working world. In particular, someone who has little responsibililities other than to himself. Grow up! Spend your energy on making money. Not for your sake only, but for your famaily and future generations. That said, it is really not money you should be after, but the lifestyle that money can give you and your family. Idealism, passion and rhethorics can sometimes bring people to their graves earlier. This is truely inefficient.
That said, we chart our own paths.
The problem with most Singaporeans is that they’re over-reliant on the “nanny” state; their rant aren’t really vexations against a ‘bad government’ or one that is over-bearing. it’s the “anguish of helplessness” – that they are unable or do not wish to move out of their own comfort zone to pursue their heart’s desire. It’s easier to externalise their responsibilities: pin the blame on someone who appears to be in-charge, than to face up to one’s short-comings
Dude, you need to send this in to the papers. Like, ALL of the local ones.
that’s a solid, heartfelt article. i’ve been to singapore once, and i felt that it was a nice, clean, empty sort of place (no offense). i spent 5 days there and after 3 days of exploring i spent the last 2 days playing videogames in my room.
so i’ not gonna question “where you’re coming from”, as they say. i must admit, though, i feel that your perspective will change with time. in particular, that your opinion of countries “other than Singapore”, implicit in the post, will suffer.
@Mature
You’re offering an interesting viewpoint i’ve heard oh so many times. you really have to be careful with it, though. i have seen so many people “getting into the rat race just to save enough money so they can quit while they’re ahead and truly enjoy life” and often they fail. What you do everyday changes you. 8 hours a day, you think that doesn’t have an effect on you? Half of your waking day… Sometimes people are so busy making sacrifices for the family that they sacrifice themselves and the family ends up missing THEM, the most important thing…
Mature:
I do not actually argue against making money, and I stated that I respect people who make the decision to choose career over passion after weighing the factors.
But when the system discourages people from exploring their options before making that decision, then it leads to non-ideal situation where you end up in the same job as everyone else (be it life sciences or any other flavour of the day) even though you could’ve excelled in something else.
In fact this leads to situations where you are earning less than you could’ve been earning. There are talented physicists and musicians working in Nike sweatshops right now. The whole point of enriching ourselves and improving the education system is supposed to change that, not to funnel people into a different meat grinder.
0ne:
Yes it’s getting really ridiculous.
animekritik:
I know that dreams are crushed by reality everywhere in the world, particularly the developing world where we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. But Asian societies in particular seem to have a thing against holding dreams. And at the end of the day, I believe that creating a conducive environment should be the ultimate goal of becoming a developed nation.
It may seem that such a conundrum is limited only to Asia judging from the title and the article talks about the possible angle of such an issue being situated within “Asia” and not as prevalent in the West.
Although the prospect of talking and discussing of such disenfranchisement in the Western context be incredibly tempting but I wish to talk more about the issue how one is to reconcile between their dreams and the need to fulfil and validate one’s self by having material possessions.
I do believe that such an issue resides within the human consciousness as espoused in Nietzsche’s Der Wille Zur Macht (The Will to Power), however one should be mindful that such a manifestation need not express itself in physical power or be translated into aggressive dominance as seen through philosophers such as Heidegger’s interpretation and readings of it.
Why do I bring in this concept? I see that Singapore’s pursuit and in a bigger picture, Asia’s pursuit of “success” quantified through material needs and items as a form of The Will to Power; affected and distorted through several discourses such as society, people and culture.
In Singapore, a society that stresses upon Confucian values; the focusing lens of success being symbols and signs of success such as having a good education qualification which is a very important tenet in Confucianism. The watermark of education and moral virtue as political legitimacy in Confucianism can be seen in Singapore’s society where education is prized upon, constantly reinforced and reinterpreted by people. Just look at the ruling class in Singapore, they share a common trait of having excellent education credentials.
In Singapore, the society has traditionally been orientated towards academic success. Through streaming, the stratification of schools and other public institutions, Singaporeans believed and identified success in one’s life, their “Will to Power” to be achieved through having an excellent education which will mean a good job. I will be daft to claim that such discourses of ideologies are only conducted through such public institutions, we can take a look at how Asian societies views success and many concepts such as family and others working in tandem to reinforce such ideologies.
Many things that we perceive as natural and such, are inherently artificial and from these supposed “naturalness”, we can see how things are being conducted and worked on. One example of this is that, do we view it as natural that we must score excellent grades? We may justify and make it natural, without opposition with thoughts such as “It’s necessary as of to get a good job” , “Everyone else around me is doing it”, “Without a good education, I am stuck with a poor life”. Note the last thought, the alternatives that we perceive are often alternatives that are handed to us and not thought up of by us. Rarely there are no alternatives, only alternatives that are outside the framework, the masterplan of society.
DM talks about how people in Singapore faces the issue of reconciling dreams and the need to quantify success through material gains, I do agree on that. Especially if one’s dreams are not the socially acceptable ones. The article’s statements of education resonates well with me, for I situate the concept and ideal of education within those of enlightenment and knowledge.
One amusing implication that I read off from the article is that people may live through their lives and not having the impulse of consciousness to realise and to think of all this.
P.S I blame my poor writing skills at able to deliver a succinct and lack of verbose.
excellent read! :D
david
Owen:
This reply’s a little late.
I’m doing well in most of my subjects. Suffering a little under Economics, but heck, I’m confident I’ll do well.
What’s more scary is the number of equally smart people out there to compete with for university admission and jobs.
I guess I’ll just study hard for now, look out for scholarships, etc. and hopefully make it into a Physics or Chemistry course. (and say goodbye humanities)
And of course, enjoy life’s pleasures at the same time. :)
DarkMirage:
This is undoubtedly an interesting post, but what about yourself? Can you honestly say that you’ll follow your dreams rather than going for financial stability?
Clarification:
DM has since told me his dream(s) in private over IM and I can safely say this without any repercussion whatsoever:
He wants to be Gundam.
I, for one, am looking forward to our new Gundam overlord.
A thought-inspiring and question-answering article, DM! It’s a nice change from your usual review sarcasm :) . That economic development and social development have been torn much too far apart in the quickly developing countries is too true! I would’ve liked to see a world in which the industrialized West chose not to intervene and instead observed how the rest of the world would evolve, long as it may take to reach a “developed” level.
I’d like to add, though, that while pursuing interests for careers is important for “nicer” development, learning, and not only learning but incorporating into thought and action, humanities is just as important but is unfortunately just as easy to neglect because its value and progress are so difficult to quantify. The more practical subjects are indispensable in empowering a man and helping his society to survive more efficiently or at all, but they do little in teaching him how to live. The study of humanities should imbue people with the ability to critique and think freely, to consider what is moral and what is not, and so become leaders who develop a certain idealism and ability to question and critique that helps them find why they are living and how to attain a higher state of living according to their values.
Consider the government that has achieved the above: it, or for democracies, its components would almost certainly be more enlightened and thus in a better position to serve or lead (depending on the political culture) the nation.
But becoming “leaders” doesn’t even have to be at a political level. It can be at an individual level, such that one is not driven by whatever presents the fattest chance of greatest “gain” but rather drives himself and his life based on his understanding of how and why to live. This is a higher state of living.
Now, the study of humanities is not always necessary for a person to attain that higher state of living (some do manage to do so on their own, but there is value in having everyone do that), nor does it immediately guarantee such a thing, but it helps. It helps by, at the elementary level, presenting the conundrum of how and why to live, of which many may not even be aware. Naturally, how to solve the conundrum ultimately rests in the effort and capacity of the person. Some may never find the answer, but even that opportunity and ability to introspect is a step in enlightenment.
I remember reading a New York Times editorial once that discussed the value of studying humanities. One of its points was that philosophy professors tend not to act any more moral than, say, biology professors. I acknowledge this, but I attribute it not to the study of humanities but to how it is studied. These philosophy professors may be involved in philosophy as a career; they may never incorporate what they study into their own lives. This may be because they approached the subject too late. If they touched upon it as early as in primary school, I am confident the result would be different, because children often incorporate as a part of the learning process, while the two become more and more independent with maturation (my own thoughts).
Some may decry such education as indoctrination. Yes, it is indeed indoctrination, but it is not indoctrination of partisan views or ideology—it is indoctrination of the need and of the method to explore, to think freely.
The final consideration, how to realize the above, is a question for another day and perhaps another person.
You mention US suburbia as an analogue. It’s certainly appropriate for modern day suburbia, but I think there’s a deeper connection there as well. Consider, for instance, the birth of suburbia and the suburban lifestyle in the US. The 1950s were a decade of extreme frustration, futility, and consumerism. The suburban dream is the dream of achieving all the materialistic dreams of a bygone era in a time when there is real wealth to be had. In a lot of ways this is similar to the paradox of sci-fi: by the time we have the knowledge to develop such technology, the whole idea of that technology is often meaningless because we have more important goals or we solve the old problems through radically different means rather than incremental improvements on the old solutions. Except that with society, we often don’t notice the shift until it is generations past.
I also wanted to write to say thank you for this post. As an american I’ve seen all this from afar, and while I can recognize and predict the sorts of behavior you describe, the reasoning behind it had never really made sense to me. There was a coworker of mine from China who’s the poster child for this sort of thing. I was often baffled that he seemed to have no background in what we were working on. At some point I asked him about it and he said that his undergrad degree was in physics and fluid dynamics; he switched to computer science and computational linguistics not out of any interest in computers nor language, but just because it paid more. It’s easy to recognize a mindset of materialism, but why the Chinese and Japanese cultures would raise so many people with that mindset was harder to see. (I for one do not accept the ‘explanation’ that there’s an essential difference between asian and western peoples.)
While they’re older on the curve, a lot of Japanese culture makes more sense when thinking of this as the layer on top of feudalism (instead of just focusing on the feudalism as american academics are so wont to do). The economy of idoru singers is like the birth throes of artistic culture. It sounds like Singapore hasn’t gotten there yet, but perhaps the overcommercialism and superstardom is a necessary path for musicians to ply their trade in the interim before it can be appreciated for its artistic merit.
I think the fact that you’ve written this post (to say nothing of the rest of your posts) is itself a sign that things are changing. While most(?) people are still going along with the rat race, there are people like you and sesshomaru_haku who obviously value all the non-monetary benefits to be had in life. Here in the States it took 30~40 years to start moving beyond our suburbia, and around 50 before it was no longer the assumed ideal for youth to aspire to. While cultures change slowly, it sounds like Singapore is already making better progress than that. While individual dreams are often crushed, the real dreamers don’t accept that as defeat. They do not cling to the one dream so fiercely that they cannot let it go, for that would be the non-dreamer’s approach: clinging steadfastly to tradition. Instead they find other dreams, other paths. And often it is these dreamers who are able to forge that new path for others to see that choices exist. Dreamers are often punished for breaking from the tradition, but that does not make their achievements any less real. And in time, history may seek forgiveness for its injustice.
I used to dream of eating 100 bowls of ramen. Now I only dare to dream of eating 2. Damn you Singapore govt.
One word to summ it up:
“Affluenza”- the need of materials to fill one’s emptiness (this emptiness is actually explained in Neon Genesis Evangelion [whatched it the other day as a philosophical refresher]) and only feel even emptier.
something that has been written about many times.(The affluent society by iforgot) But thanks to DM’s article, I have realized that “affluenza” is happening worldwide. By the time that everyone has caught the disease (looking at the way the world is progressing, preeetty soon), the world will have a mass reform. But by then, it will be too late because it would be 2012 (jk’ing and screw the guys who think that the world will end on 2012 although it would be interesting to experience the end of the world… NOT.). Instead, global warming will cause environmental problems. Thus, the nations of the world will band together as the UN and solve the problems. The just cause of global warming will enlighten the hearts of youth and adult alike solving affluenza. The world will change to a clean world again with a 1950s American psychology or ontology, a era where the American dreem was pursued and most people were happy -actually the peak of american happyness was at that time, ( don’t know what ontology means just spout out to look smaart [a word used to explain mindset in debate]). Then, the cycle of affluenza will happening again OR the world creates space colonies and wars in space shown in various gundam series will ensue.
P.S. sorry I went back and forth
P.P.S. the events of gundam 00 will happen one way or another without the outlandish suits.
P.P.P.S. Trust me
P.P.P.P.S. Darkmirage has written an awesomerific article although I just read half of it.
P.P.P.P.P.S. I can’t I believe I rote so much like everyone else
so Business, Law, and Medicine???
HOW ABOUT ENGINEERING MOTHAFUCKA???
Kirk:
Yes I can.
I rejected a prestigious government scholarship (which comes with a 6-year work bond) because I realized that I want to take the risk and try things out my way first before becoming a corporate drone. The scholarship would’ve pretty much guaranteed my entire financial future due to a pre-planned progressive career path for scholars and the competitive pay that Singaporean civil servants receive.
Humans often can’t help being hypocrites due to the clash of idealism and reality, but in this case I speak exactly what I feel and do.
A note on dreams.
A dream is something you put in a little box, lock it up and tuck it safely away. Then, whenever someone asks if you have dreams, you can take it out, look at it, and say, yes, yes i do have dreams, see they are right here. And then you lock the box again.
Dreams never come true. Dreams are mere fantasy. What matters is desires, and the will to make them happen.
DarkMirage:
My respect for you has gone up quite a fair bit.
I chose money and prestige over my dreams and honestly i haven’t been enjoying classes as much as i would’ve been if i went for my dreams instead.
The best of luck to you.
I’m also faced with the issue of scholarships coming with 6-year bonds. Tearing my hair out over whether I should take it or not.
Before, I used to study in Asia and I know what you mean, the long hard hours of work with not much to look forward to with the never ending waves of elites in front of you who are always faster/stronger/smarter (incidentally better looking, better than you at everything else + they get younger every year!)
You begin to wonder “is studying is the right thing for you?”, and after a self-realization “in the end only a small handful will get out of this loop and succeed a profession they really are interested in” you give up that hope and go back to compete with those smart “freak of nature”s.
There really is no time to think else wise than to compete for the best.
The core reason for that was because, I wanted to a life style that was better than what my parents had and had to offer me.
Maybe it was just me, but we were average-poor and it always pained me to see other kids having the luxury that I didn’t have, like a cell phone, instrument lessons, a house just for our family.
Were we happy? Sure we were! But I guess not having that extra things in life, made me harden myself to believe money is everything.
Yes, it is a materialistic view, but I wouldn’t change my mind unless I win the lottery. Even now, I hardly have enough to pay for tuitions and book fees.
DM, it is very cool that you’ve decided to reject a scholarship! Full respect for life choice.
@ animekritik
I am aware that I am not neglecting my family. You seem to be like one of the masses, equating earning big bucks to long and boring hours everyday. I am saying that we do not need to work hard for money and get cooped up with whatever you described. There are many legitimate ways to earn big bucks without working hard and spending long hours. If people want to be rich but foolish, let them be. I can be rich and wise. I don’t have to be like the masses. I think that you have wasted all of your education and working experience (if any). You have not seen the filthy rich who succeed, retire early, and have it all. Well, I have! If you do not wish to be rich and wise, it’s ok with me. Just don’t spew your toxins so that other readers get dragged into the ditch along with you.
@ DarkMirage
I am not saying that you cannot choose to do your passion. What I am trying to communicate to you is that when the system does not allow you to do so, then what do you do? Overthrow your government? The whole world runs on inefficiency because it is not perfect. What should you do then? Passion is only one part of life. There are other things that you need to take care of. The day you start to undertake responsibilities for your rent, and your family’s bills, you will realise that all these rantings are immature. Take whatever training you have and get the “best” jobs you can find. If you are still not happy, then quit ranting and migrate to another country that can support your passion. In any case, there can be very little demand for certain jobs. Eg theoretical physicists are in low demand all over the world. Are you going to overthrow the United Nations then? Woe be to you if your passion does not coincide with demand for your field in the working world. Didn’t your parents and teachers teach you these when you were young?
Mature:
No one said anything about overthrowing anything. In fact I specifically commented on the fact that people who blame the government for the current situation are not seeing the bigger picture.
And as I already said, I have nothing against people making practical decisions that you have described after they considered their options. I do not advocate that we chase our passions no matter how unrealistic they are.
But if every children in the world started out with your mindset, we would be in a lousier world. If no one even gave their passions a try before moving on to a more stable career, we wouldn’t have Google or Microsoft. This is exactly where we are in Singapore: students without passions who see the practical path as their only option.
You are not arguing against what I say. You are arguing against your imagination of what I am saying. It’s called a strawman.
In any case pragmatism isn’t a guarantee for success either. Not too long ago life sciences were all the rage in Singapore. A lot of students bought into the hype but now there aren’t enough jobs for these graduates.
If you study a subject you love (be it literature, math, physics or anything else) and enjoy the process of studying it, you will have gained something valuable even if you fail to find a career in the relevant field. And if you do find the right career, your passion for it will ensure that you have the motivation to excel.
If you study a “practical” subject and realize you hate it, you will have nothing left if you fail to find a career in the relevant field. And even if you do find the right career, you will still hate it. You will do the job well only for the monetary reward. You will not be the best at what you do because someone else out there doing the same job as you actually loves his job and therefore goes the extra mile for it.
You can talk about how certain subjects have more “demand” than others, but I shall once again refer you to the life science bubble that developed in Singapore. It takes four years or more to graduate from university. A lot of things can change on the ground in the meantime.
@ DarkMirage
I don’t think I am arguing against my imagination. I do agree that people can pursue their passions. What happens in reality (not just in Singapore) is that only a very handful succeed. How many Bill Gates are there? So you think you can be the next Michael Jordan? Be realistic! If you know your limits, you save a lot of trouble for yourself and your family. Of course, demands for certain skills change over time. Your education should have grounded you for such a change, be it Literature or Buisness. You are not studying a course and demanding that you must pursue it no matter what, right? If your answer is yes, then all the best to you. You can save yourself some pain if you are wiser. Listen to people who have been there and done that. Do not think that the world revolves around you and systems must change for these people’s sake. For those who chose life sciences / engineering / whatever subjects in the past, all I can say is that they were not properly advised / guided. They only have themselves to blame. What about you? BTW, your articles are getting more and more biased. Your examples are lop-sided so as to bring out your points. I attribute this to your lack of experience in the working world, and your refusal to see from a pragmatic point of view. Singapore cannot aford to allow everyone to pursue their dreams. So do many countries. Welcome to the real world. I hope you make it. If every child (not children, I presume it was a type in your article above) were to have your mindset, then we will not have prosperity. Everyone will so things that do not matter. Live on sunshine and love, ok?
Why do you refuse to see the part where I said that it is perfectly fine to be practical if one makes the decision with full knowledge of one’s capabilities?
If a person has a recognized talent in music and is passionate about it, then maybe he should give it a try before becoming a banker? Is that really such a controversial thing to say? The fact is that we do have successful musicians in this world, so clearly not everyone fails to achieve his/her dreams.
Your advice on the other hand is that because the chances are so low it’s better to not even try. I don’t think that everyone can be as successful as Bill Gates, but there are plenty of software engineers out there who are happy earning a living doing what they love to do instead of applying their mathematical skills to financial engineering.
And once again, I say this for the third time, I have nothing against people who choose the practical path. I have a problem with the system discouraging people from even considering other paths. There’s a choice to be made, one that must be made with careful consideration and everything you’ve talked about above.
The decision to follow one’s dreams is a difficult one and it is definitely not for everyone. But in Singapore, it seems to be for no one.
DM. You need to read the Fountainhead, if you have not already.
Did you make Officer in the SAF? Our society needs more leaders like you, but I would not be surprised if you did not, thinking realistically about the selection process and what it truly means to be an Officer in the Army. Is this cynicism?
I have always recognised that none of us chose to be born, much less where we are born. I have always thus felt, that the greatest possible choice is to be granted by society’s authority upon the individual. I then realised that my thinking was naive, since an individual’s ability to chose is not granted, but inherent in each and every individual by virtue of an individual’s existence.
Society’s incentivisation or outright banning/stigmatisation of an individual’s choice to dream has no bearing on whether or not an individual can ultimately choose of its own volition. Though I will say that it can be impacted upon dramatically. (I would talk about a certain Mr Chee, but sadly I feel he has grossly misplayed his hand. I will mention I once saw him in a Delifrance :O)
Some time ago I felt that I had become proud of myself and what I had accomplished in direct opposition to everything this society had tried to mould me into. I hated my country. Now after some thinking, I am indifferent. This country is self serving, but definitely not evil, which would put it on par with most every organisation and individual on the planet. Including myself. No longer am I the resentful conquered. I am an equal, and at peace with my Society.
The fact that you and I exist and can think in this fashion, the fashion that we have chosen for ourselves, is enough proof that that there exist people in Singapore who have Dreams and are willing to strive for them. Dreams are not handed down on a silver platter. They are fought, bled, suffered, killed, and died for.
So let the dictator rule and the revolutionaries bay. If they do not get in the way, good. If they choose to, that is their choice, and I shall make mine.
I would just like to say that I think LKY is a pretty swell guy, after reading his memoirs. He just pays for the the forum server (Singapore) and hires the mods, what people post on them is another matter. Hougang shows that GCT can be a pretty slimy guy, and LHL really reminds me of when Simon took over Kamina as the main character. Those are some big shoes kid.
This brought tears to my eyes (well kind of). Great to see you empowering people with this “ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH”-esque message, a voice saying “YOU HAVE A CHOICE!” :) More importantly, glad to see YOU find what you want, regardless of what the ‘mainstream society’ thinks of it.
Having grown up in Asia, and in a Chinese family at that (which certainly make things worse), I can understand how it’s like to be ‘pressured to give up on your [career] first love for something more ‘profit-worthy’ (something more ‘safe’), or to not even be given the chance to explore other career options, to find what you really want to be.
I’ve seen it happen with my brother and sister, also with me to some extent, though I attribute my situation to having brainwashed myself into thinking that I need to choose a ‘safe’ career path instead of daring to explore the other options that lies out there. And the end result (of not having discovered my true dreams and passion)? becoming a lost little girl undergoing a quarter-life crisis of some sort, wondering what the heck she really wants to do in life.
If there’s something you’re passionate about, a career you truly want to pursue, then by all means do it. If it’s something you love you’ll most certainly be good at it. And for sure, one way or another you’ll be able to find a way to capitalize on that passion. May we all find that ‘sweet spot’ in our career :)
And gah, this has been long enough as it is.
Mature. I would like to ask You a few things.
1) Why do you think You have a right to decide what others should choose?
2) What is it that You want in life?
3) Do you really think that Money and Dreams are incompatible?
I will guess your answers. Tell me what You Think, if that is possible.
A1) Others have been telling you what You want all your life and hence you have the feeling that it is right for you to tell others what others want and therefore should be what they want.
A2) What others want. I feel this is money/fame/sex.
A3) Yes. Or at least you want it to be. You never believed in having a dream if you even have any idea what it is. The very idea is laughable to you. Deep down you have a fear and a resentment that it would not be fair for *anyone* to even speak of having what you sacrificed so readily. It’s just not fair to you, isn’t it?
No Mature, I am not reading your mind. Its just that there are millions of people on this planet just like you. I just have to understand one of them to understand you.
Oh, and to add, that even though many of us want to find that ‘sweet spot’, in the end, there’s more to life than making money :)
P.S. I find it ironic that Mature is nicknamed as he/she is, just saying.
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Obviously I am not well learned enough to contribute to this conversation. But I am still sad that… that Archer had to leave Rin.
Things are way too serious in here.
Another excellent article!
When I graduate from High School, my main goal is to receive the best college education I can. After that, I’d like to get the best job I can find and save my money wisely. For me to enjoy my personal interests, I need a constant flow of money, often times in large amounts. It’s unfortunate that I can’t make the type of living I want by playing an instrument, but when I have to stand on my two feet, I’ll make sure to always have the ability to enjoy my passions in addition to my regular work.
I’m blessed to have such an opportunity.
@DM: Nice article you’ve got there.
@Mature: If you have actually lived in Singapore, you’ll get what DM meant in this article. Or if you are already in Singapore, try looking in a perspective and comparing this against the lifestyle in the western countries and how the different industries are evolving.
Take the gaming, media industry. How large is the American gaming industry and compare to Singapore. I’m personally studying game programming and I can tell you that based on the mindset of Singaporean parents, they will tell you “You have no chance in life”. But look how the Americans have path that industry from mere Atari game machines.
Well written, like your usual pieces. You know that you have a lot of talent using words. You would make a terrific writer, you really would. You can use words so effortlessly, you make it sound like anyone can do it. I liked this essay because it is downright true. You say it how it is. I lived on the same principle for a long time, where anything that isn’t seen by older people as a “right” career is not correct. Rather than being “right” it should be the one that attracts you. Most of the South American nations follow this, and also the upper parts of the Spanish-speaking nations. They only dream of what would satisfy their parents, never what they would like themselves.
Most people are afraid to do different and they lay on their beds at night thinking how it would be. Because they’re afraid of looking like an idiot. Who said it was good to have a big house? Or the nicest car? Or this and that? At the end of the day whatever we say, whatever we believe in, what will matter is are we getting enough to live on? And that fear of living below the standard of people that live a happy life are too much to for us. So we end up copying them. It’s a sad reality that most people in the U.S want to be like everyone else. Instead of being alone and away from anyone else.
@DM
I definitely have to agree with you. There is nothing wrong with choosing pragmatism over idealism/dreams, as long as the ones making such a decision are doing so consciously. I also have a great deal of respect for you for at least choosing to give your dreams a shot before throwing them out the window for a guaranteed paycheck. I live in America so I’m not in the same circumstances as those in Singapore. However saying that I don’t understand completely would be a lie. It’s not as indoctrinated in America, at least not in the school systems, but there are always the signs of wealth/materialism/elitism around us here, especially in larger cities. With that comes the unconscious desire/pressure to succeed in life. My personal preference in this issue is to strike a balance between pragmatism and idealism. I want to do what I enjoy more than anything however I also realize to live in this society I do need money. I am trying to find a career in which I can enjoy myself and still make enough money to live comfortably. In this I am grateful to live in a country like America since there are a great many more choices and opportunities to do so compared to other countries in the world. So I can definitely agree with your desire to give your dreams a shot, I hope it works out well for you.
@Mature
To say that one should work for a safe and comfortable lifestyle is not without its merits. However to say one should do so without ever giving their dreams a chance is truly wrong. Also expressing your opinion is one thing but you come across as TELLING others how to live their lives, again this is wrong. You have no more right than the next person to to decide how others should live or think. You chose to have a safe career and lifestyle. That was your choice and I won’t debate it. However this is DM’s choice to chase after his dreams and no one has the right to strip that from him. Also You may want to take a look at the history of other industrialized countries. At the beginning of our (America’s) move towards large-scale industrialization and education our social/economic views were no different than those of Singapore. Go to school get a good education/job make money for your family retire and pass that dream on to your children. However these things change with time and those willing to travel a different life path. Part of this is changes in the needs in the economy whether these changes be brought about by new technologies or new standards or brought about by over-saturation of the workforce in one area (I can’t remember who mentioned that but thank you for it) But new opportunities can and will eventually open up. Further more for the people willing to try something new or socially unacceptable they often show that such options are available and succeed more often than you think. Very few people, as you already mentioned, succeed on the scale of Bill Gates or Michael Jordan. But more than you think succeed in life in this manner because they are good at what they choose to do and are motivated to do it. And in that they do make enough money to survive very comfortably, they just don’t become famous doing so, The comments about Google and Microsoft that DM made were nothing more than examples.
@Sair
My advice is to make the decision that you think will suit you best in life. Choosing a set and safe career path will certainly make sure you have money and comfortable life but it may not make you happy. If there is a realistic chance of being able to take you passions and make them a reality then don’t throw them out the window. Also once you make your choice don’t close all doors on the other path because things can and often do change but at the same time don’t look back to much or you’ll find yourself regretting what could have been and that is no way to live.
@usagijen, oblivious, and Tsuyaa
I have to agree with you last comments to/about Mature.
@Surprised@howmuchriten
As for the world ending in 2012 you may be taking that to literally. There is more than one way to end something the, the world doesn’t have to be destroyed and/or humanity wiped out. Another way of looking at is it is a massive change either in the general world of economics or or politics, or in the physical structure of the world as in natural disasters. An even more abstract way to look at it would be a massive change in human ideology. When all is said and done it could mean the end of the current era of human existence and the entry into another. In other words the end of the world as we currently know it.
“Some people say that our lives are too short to be spent on potential failures over guaranteed success, but I say that our lives are too finite too be spent on not trying.†I think you’ve nailed quite a few things in this well written article DM. As humans we can do so much more. We need to be inefficient and fail while trying. We need to dream to remain human. We need protoculture.
But it’s a complex problem for society to pull off and thus I’d like to add some things I’ve noticed in a small country called Sweden (since this is the western culture that I happen to know), not to dispute what you’re saying but to put the Singapore/Asia problem in perspective.
Here it was not that long ago that you had to get up in the morning to go over to the neighbour to milk the cows (in some parts of Sweden at least). It sounds exotic to me, because I grew up in a home with no real financial troubles (both my parents worked very hard to accomplish this), but for some of those born in the 50’s, like my mother, it was reality. What you dreamed of becoming was secondary to getting a better life, getting to travel, building a house, that’s what mattered. You weren’t expected to even have dreams beyond that. This means, for me, that my parents discouraged me from studying musicology during my years at the university (since it’s hard to conceive what kind of work you’ll get from studying music history/theory, you’re not even a musician!). Still I felt I could choose this more difficult path in life. There was a choice, and no one stopped me from making my own decision, and I’m quite prepared for the sacrifices that will follow for the sake of this dream of mine.
But, this is now all in the past, because in these times it’s hard enough getting a job, ANY job, even so the younger generations (born during the mid 80’s – 90’s) have all been fed with their breast-milk the concept that one need to pursue one’s dreams to become happy (happiness is the new true value of success in Sweden), making them educate themselves in areas of literature, aesthetics, journalism, music, etc, dreaming of making it big “being creativeâ€. Great? It’s like they are chasing their dreams naively without understanding the frailty of dreams, all while the grades in math, biology, physics, languages, are sinking over here (since they mean some serious “hard†studying). Right now youth unemployment is at an all time high in Sweden. Of course I know it’s much more complicated than young people being educated in areas where there just are no job openings, ever, but it’s a sad state of affairs…(and the very concept of pursuing happiness as something you “become†smells to me like Lutheranism, as in “being†rather than “doing†your religious thingy, here translated into /you are to “be†your happiness, “become†your work (dream) – but is it open for everyone to pursue that dream? Then who wants to become a plumber?).
What I’m struggling to say is that there is a problem with a situation that’s moving towards the opposite of that of Singapore as well. People need to have their feet on the ground realizing you need to work REALLY hard to make ends med as an author, journalist, musician, film director etc. Most people in those professions hold down daytime jobs while working on projects on their spare time.
A country full of unemployed dreamers might be more interesting for conversation at the local pub, than a country full of clones from an overly oiled education system…if you had to choose between the two. I still hope there might be a way to reach that fine balance between letting people try and fail – while also getting a job – not for the sake of your family, or because of your friends or parents expectations, but for yourself. But is that not also just a dream?
I suppose i should add the danish perspective. Much of what Rololita said applies here, so i will attack it from a slightly different angle.
1984 my parents bought a house. They were your usual working couple without any financial means other than what they got from their work, and they have spent the last 25 years paying off the loan they took back then, plus a few cars along the way. The house is still not fully paid.
Decades of debt is the standard situation for most working class people here. For many… perhaps most, i don’t have statistics handy but i suspect it is… it starts already before they have finished studying whatever it is they study.
Surveys say that danes are some of the hardest working people in the world. True or not, it is not because we are inherently better in any way – it is because we like to eat and have a roof over our heads.
With cars and real estate and taxes being some of the highest in the world (in some cases, the highest), it is very nearly impossible to avoid this debt-lifestyle by ones own means. You need to work to have a place to live, and you need a car to get to work so you can pay for your car and the house which you leave vacant most of the day so you can afford to live there.
Modern western economy is nothing short of slavery.
@ Guner and Rololita
You guys both make excellent points and actually managed to get what I meant in my post across more clearly. One does need to work to live but to give up on ones dreams entirely will make life pointless. Unless you have something you are interested in working for/towards there is no real point in trying, but at the same time you need to be realistic. Trying to strike a balance between the two in some way or another is the best way in my opinion, although this is also a difficult task to accomplish.
Also Guner you comment “Modern western economy is nothing short of slavery.” really hit home with me. I know exactly how it feels to be caught in that. Here in America we don’t have as much of a tax problem as you stated you do in your article but it is a problem. Combine that with constant inflation everywhere it becomes a fight to make a living and stay ahead, rather than just working for it.