forgotten memories
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
tribute.
It's 11.30 pm. In half an hour's time, Singapore will be 41 years old- young for a country, but old enough to have seen at least two generations grow, and a third one (us) emerge to take its first step into the larger world.
In fitting fashion, I'll do a short tribute on how far we've progressed, as a nation. As any societal analyst worth his/her salt knows, we'll have to examine this on three levels: social, political, and economical. But today let's delve into social and economical, I'll leave politics for another time.
Firstly, for a city-state that is probably one of the smallest nations in the world, we've come a long way in forty years of independance. No one would have thought that we, an island with no resources, could have emerged on the world economy with such force, or on the international stage with such gusto. Leaders, past and present alike, have shown the world the difference that this tiny isle can make.
Economically speaking, we're one of the world's most thriving economies. As the PM said in his message, we're able to ride on the growth of Asian powerhouses like China, and even now, we still attract investors to our shores. In terms of living standards, we rank 11th out of 111 nations- an extraordinary feat considering our meagre resources and land size.
But as we grow as a nation, let us examine this: have we progressed as a society? Can we claim the same societal advancement, the same paradigm shift that has occured in the West and abroad? Think about it for a moment.
Europe reached a peak in the 17-18th centuries, when her nations and people reached a stage we now call the Renaissance, or the Enlightenment Era. People became 'enlightened', exposed to new forms of philosophy, culture, arts, and ideas. Their peoples became part of a society dedicated to the advancement of human life as a whole, to make existence meaningful. It was during this era that some great works were made, from beautiful music to expressive art, from stirring novels to powerful philosophies. Simply put, it was the era of great thinkers.
Can we claim the same credit in Singapore? One might argue that such an era, such a Golden Age, if you will, can only occur once the nation in question has reached a certain level of economic prosperity. Singapore may not be the greatest economy in the world, but surely we have reached a commendable peak already?
Such a paradigm shift as I described above has never occured here. Evidence, you ask? Simply step into any neighbourhood school and try to discuss what I just mentioned with the students. I reckon you're lucky if an entire class listens to you. It's no wonder that the study of Humanities and the Arts is overlooked so often these days. An entire generation has grown to be so practical that they might have lost the essence of creativity and ideas altogehter. Initiative is forgotten, and who else can we blame but ourselves when foreigners complain that we lack all these traits?
The evolution of a society is dependant on a lot of factors. In this case, I myself am left to wonder: what will it take to awaken our society? Educational reform? Economical growth? Societal evolution? Governmental policy? Or perhaps all of these?
And so I muse on. But until I discover the answer....
It's 12 am. Happy National Day to you all.
Nick spoke his mind at ; 12:15 AM
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