Consumed by success

This is my country, this is my flag
This is my future, this is my life
This is my family, these are my friends
We are Singapore, Singaporeans

Years ago (in the 90s to be exact), I never fail to feel a sense of pride whenever I hear the refrains of this and other national songs. There was something special about being born and bred in Singapore, post-1965. We take pride in the fact that our nation encouraged her citizens to live, work and play in a culture that believes in honesty, diligence, good morals, caring and sharing. We worked hard, we deliver results, but we don't believe in taking short cuts, because even our nation was painstakingly built with sweat, blood, tears and sleepless nights over decades.

Today, the honest among us will not feel this way, not after the country decides to build 2 casinos, bring in F1, and "debate" the penal code amendment with an almost predictable outcome. Perhaps we are the victims of our own success. Years of blessings and favour upon this nation have fed the desire to succeed and driven it onto the next plane, where only success matters, regardless of the costs.

We are akin to a celebrity who has found overnight success, and now wanting to maintain her celebrity status or boost it further, decides to strip for the camera or marry a 90-year-old billionnaire.

Our very respectable forefathers would have turned in their graves to see where we are headed.

Without doubt, we can say we are in for good economic times with such calculated moves and investments. Without doubt, we can say some, if not most, people will get to enjoy a higher standard of living.

However, years down the road, I will ask if we the citizens and PRs of Singapore can sing the above song with pride. I will ask if we will have wonderful functional families and genuine friends within this nation, and if the nation will have time for things other than money and numbers. Or if we will become a lesson for how not to let success climb over our heads and forget our foundational values.

The Chinese have a saying "yin shui si yuan", which means to contemplate and remember the source of the water we drink. Before we head for all the glitter and beckoning neon lights in a dizzy, think for a moment, how we have arrived, and ask ourselves if this is the path our nation should take. There are many ways to succeed, and very often, we oversimplify and look at just the material and quantifiable side of things. A rich nation that brings in lots of tourist dollars is not necessarily successful when all aspects are considered, just as the drug lord and mafia is not necessary everyone's idea of a successful person.

Thomas