Letter to the leaders

[OmOm]

The policy changes that were announced by PM Lee during the National Day Rally Speech hinted at a poignant situation: the government hears the discontent that has been vocalised by the populace, seeks a way to enhance the current system yet, at the same time, it is held back by grave concerns and worries over destabilising a system that seems to have been working well for the country.

 

Housing, education and health-care are the three pillars of any nation. The policies that govern them are therefore always scrutinised the closest by both policy-maker and citizen alike. It is little wonder that changes to these policies are usually small and carefully calibrated steps instead of sweeping ones.

 

Independence in 1965 made Singapore an unexpected aspirant of stardom. However, perhaps only the founding fathers of modern-day Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his capable team-mates, each an intellectual in his own right, sensed the great heights that the nation could one day achieve.

 

Fast-forwarding to 2013, Singapore has achieved stardom in more ways than one. Where we were once an unknown island, today our name is splashed across pages on both online and traditional print media. We have come a long way and it was a bitter-sweet journey fraught with great pain, sacrifices and courage.

 

There has been much talk about our nation being on the cusp of adulthood and that the angst that we are collectively experiencing arises from the transition from adolescence.

 

And angst indeed it is. Take for example the shifts in education policies. They have not placated the anxious parents of primary-school students. In fact, these adjustments have made them even more worried. On the surface the negative responses that parents have had seem counter-intuitive. Were these policy shifts not meant to reduce the frustration that they had been feeling?

 

In the system of traditional chinese medicine, the crux of treatment is always at the root of the ailment. Treating the symptoms is tantamount to kicking the can down the road. While the symptoms can vanish overnight because we swallow a paracetamol pill, they are bound to return as long as the root issue is unsolved.

 

As a nation, we have always prided ourselves as a meritocratic society that promises the opportunity of growth as long as one tries hard enough. The message that our leaders have expounded for the last half a century is that by working hard, we will one day attain the pinnacle of success; that sloth is evil and should be eradicated. These are the bases of success in a modern capitalistic world.

 

And these words ring very true. Sloth and laziness are guaranteed to lead to failure. Without effort and industriousness, it is unthinkable how one can ever achieve even the slightest form of material success, save through being born with a silver spoon in his mouth (and even so, the rich but lazy ones will eventually squander their family wealth away).

 

Unfortunately a pendulum swings both ways. When certain human tendencies swing too far in the other direction, the outcome is rarely positive. Our preoccupation with material success has led us to develop what we, as a people, term "kiasu-ism" or the fear to lose. This fear is so overwhelming that we lose any semblance of logic or common-sense the moment it strikes.

 

Our PM beseeched the people to "celebrate achievers, not envy them". His call is sincere and sound as were his calls to the people to be gracious and considerate.

 

However, it is impossible for a nation to become gracious overnight. The roots of graciousness must first exist for it to materialise. The people of a nation cannot become gracious just because the leaders call for them to be so.

 

A gracious society is rooted in compassion and empathy. These two elements are crucial for a nation to become a gracious society.

 

A country is composed of communities. A community consists of many families. A family comprises multiple individuals.

 

To change a country, we must change the communities. To change a community, we need to change the families. To change a family, we have to change the individual.

 

When individuals become compassionate and empathic, families will become so.

 

When families become compassionate and empathic, communities will become so.

 

When communities become compassionate and empathic, the nation will become so.

 

When the nation becomes compassionate and empathic, it will become a gracious society and her people will celebrate achievers instead of envying them.

 

The key therefore is to understand how the individual can become more compassionate and empathic.

 

Policies today are nearly always set with the masses in mind. It makes conventional sense because policy-makers are catering to large groups of people at the levels of community and family. However this restricts the resolution of the policies. They are not tailored to specifically improve the condition of the individual.

 

How do we inculcate compassion and empathy in the individual?

 

Our exploration leads us to ask the counter-question: How do we not inculcate compassion and empathy in the individual?

 

When an individual is drilled with the belief that stiff competition is good, that he must triumph over all others and that he must be the best, it is inevitable that he progessively becomes self-centred. The self-centredness reduces his awareness of compassion and empathy in himself.

 

Over the last few decades, our focus on being the best has led us to become top in many areas. Our competitive streak has led us to become champions in math olympiads.

 

Our pursuit of material success has led us to become a society that needs to be told that graciousness is important, that compassion is fundamental.

 

Does that mean that what we have been doing as a nation was wrong? No, we needed all of that to give our people a roof over their heads and food on their tables.

 

The difference today is that we have reached a level of economic maturity where we now need to look beyond the fundamental needs when policies are being made, and make fundamental changes in policy-conceptualisation so that these policies can help the people gain awareness of their own individual human condition and realise that they themselves need to own the changes that are essential to us progressing further as a developed society.

 

Fundamental changes such as a shift to focus on spiritual growth - the maturing of an individual in his spiritual awareness - will go a long way in helping each and every young child understand that he is a drop of water in a larger ocean, a grain of sand in a larger desert; that his thoughts and actions cascade in the universe of thoughts and actions and make a huge difference in how other people experience their own lives. Through this, empathy can be developed and compassion arises.

 

As compassion and empathy grow stronger in the individuals of a nation, the issues that we are facing now - xenophobia, frustration, kiasu-ism - will naturally fade and diminish, because they are all rooted in self-centredness.

 

[Watwheels]

You wrote this?

[Maxus-MIFA9]

Who wrote this letter ?

 

No head no tail ...

[Hamburger]

well written with passion.....

[OmOm]

Yes bro, I wrote this.

 

You wrote this?

 

[Ender]

Compassion and Empathy.. Wow.. deep stuff. I feel it..

[Maxus-MIFA9]

Yes bro, I wrote this.

 

[Duckduck]

Write here only internet brigade will see. Post on LHL FB morr better

[Staff69]

Allow me to share my feeling.

 

yes, it true that we have room to improve but should you visit expatforum, how many threads do u see, started by foreigners about helping local singaporeans or suggesting volunteering in the community.

 

 

all are nothing but how much expat can earn and how best to beat the ft quota so that they can land a job here to compete with singaporeans

 

under such circumstances, it hard for a mouse to think of bigger things in life than just mere survival.

 

I might be wrong, but let agree to disagree

[Mustank]

i come in to support!!!

[Toothiewabbit]

Great exhortation but its easier said than done.

[Watwheels]

Yes bro, I wrote this.

I feel that in a competitive environment it's difficult to get compassion and empathy out of ppl. What they usually ask is what do they benefit out of it. In other words they themselves come first. It's not wrong but who created this competitive environment? And now who say show compassion & empathy? So much conflicting ideas. What they are telling ppl to do gives ppl uneccessary dilemma.

[Mockngbrd]

Wow wall of text! But since you wrote it, will read it later

[Sosaria]

Quite impressive writing and the effort is commendable

 

The only thing that is constant in life is "change". And "change" is always scary. Isn't this what the leaders are always harping at us?? Our employers, too, say the same thing. Well now, ball is in their court, and they also have to "change". But certainly it is a scary experience, as they are finding out...

 

But of course, we can't always blame the top 100% for the society that we have now. "Change" of attitudes/mindset must begin with us. If we truly want to be an inclusive society, that celebrates other forms of achievements other than $ and academic results, that fosters innovation and tolerates failures as learning experiences... all must begin with us, the individuals.

 

The day that we can accord service providers, e.g. the waiters, cleaners, repair men, clerks, delivery men, etc. the same respect, person-to-person, as we would show to a CEO, lawyer, doctor or some other distinguished person in society... then only the "change" can begin to happen.

[Jman888]

How do we inculcate compassion and empathy in the individual?

 

during the booming period for the past 30 years, the government has lead the people into aiming for economy progress, nation or individual, hence our focus was mainly that, those working on the education have difficult time to plant this into the people, hence result in today's society.

 

only till recent time that people start looking at the basic which is also a result of continuous progression that people are slowing down, but then as a nation, is slowing down a good thing? not really if you see the raising of the neighbour countries.

 

Then we started to have more and more people working on this area, calling for compassion and empathy, volunteers, social welfare, etc. Now the government put more emphasis in these areas from education, housing and medical. However, the nation need to move on, for those who chiong, i dun blame them for making good money and pay more tax. those who working on the fundamental of the society, need to be recognised and reward to a certain level, educate and put the value back into the society. Well it will probably take another 20-30 years to achieve the balance.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Jman888

[Enye]

TS, this is really a good and commendable effort

 

but i fear that our time starved leaders will just file it and forget to read

 

if it ever reaches them in the first place

 

[Kar_lover]

 

Whilst i agree it is well-written but does not say anything that has not been said before (competitiveness vs graciousness) and also doesn't contain any suggestions on how to make the changes in order to achieve the goals (compassion, etc) that he is espousing.

 

 

[Maseratigood]

Write here only internet brigade will see. Post on LHL FB morr better

Chop, chop, faster post in Lhl 脸书..... Best do it 3am when his kakias are ZZzzzzz n won't remove it until sunrise :-)