spoken from an ignorant

Sunday, October 08, 2006 T: 23 09

In a way, learning is an eternal process, and I’m thankful that my curiosity for knowledge and information is never hampered by any characteristic of the teacher. It can be an older person, a younger junior, a girl, a female, the Internet, or anything. After all, although curiosity kills the cat, it is satisfaction that never fails to bring me back.

I found myself in despair again at the human condition. It always hit me whenever I begin thinking about politics and economics. I found myself confused over my government, never know whether there should be a continual support for PAP. For one thing, despite all that restrictions in order for them to maintain their power, they have done an excellent job in the governance of this country, taking into considering the imperfections of the humankind in their planning and policies. I look around and consider the garden city that I’m going to see. Am I too quick to criticize? After all, the grass is always greener.

I learnt some econs related stuff, here and there, finding myself engaged in the topics of trade, protectionism, the US, communism, capitalism, trade deficits, currencies and so on. Most of all I think, I’m struck by the growing rich-poor divide, at the vicious cycle that seems to be spinning its wheel again and again in the same direction, leaving behind those who can’t keep up and adding speed to those who already are flying. Communism makes no sense because the world is not ideal; it doesn’t make sense that two people who do different amounts of work get the same profit and benefits. Yet is capitalism fair to those who strive and work their life out? I doubt so. When looking up at the high society, one can’t be helped but be filled with envy, jealousy, even aggression, especially when those up there seem to be throwing their cash away like water when one is struggling just to put food on the table. Without a doubt, the wealth disparity is enlarging at every second. Good governments will find myself worrying about it, the growing resentment that can be a result of it. Others turn their blind eye to the presence of poverty, and the great United of States, probably one of the most developed nation of the world with military strength that her friends or foes can only dream of, still find people living in absolute poverty in the suburbs. One wonder how can such a problem be solved.

Even in Singapore, the system is beneficial for the rich, heavily biased towards the influential, even though it is never intended. Wealthy parents can afford the exorbitant and inflated tuition fees for their children, along with the transport that saves plenty of time. Accounts of parents buying places in school are by no means rare either. Overseas education is not difficult as well, with parents more than willing to chalk up 6 digits for their son/daughter’s future prospect. One wonder if Singapore is a society built for the rich, but I think this question isn’t just applicable for Singapore alone. Money makes the world go round. Is this statement never cease being vindicated?

And as a pure-bred Singaporean student, I’ll add the counter-argument to add balance to my writing all for the sake of it, although of course it remains irrefutable that there are the people from the poor families who did make. But I’m speaking of the norm here, the cultural trends that our education system may very well play a part in creating – the presence of elitism that creates the environment for the best to be better, as well as the other end of the bench where an atmosphere of education apathy, fuelled by bad peer influence, creates the dark side of the world which the naïve me never did foresee – a world in which the lives of youths can be so easily tainted by the abuse of drugs. It is a vicious cycle, and a player caught in it must easily work double to escape from it.

And indeed for us Christians how helpless we are in realizing that every of our problems find no solutions. Even the best will see a backlash, the kindest will have people abused and taken advantaged of. Our hope lies in the return of the King.