Why?

I've often wondered why I always feel so bitter and depressed here in Singapore. After all, on the surface, life is good. Food, clothing, a shelter over my head, a weekly allowance, education. All provided for. Yet, something seems to be missing. Singapore, for all its benefits, is severely lacking in something.

Part of this something is a lack of courtesy and consideration. It never fails to fuel my anger and bitterness at life in Singapore. Almost everytime I step into an MRT station or sit on a bus, I am filled with disgust at the way my fellow countrymen act. Not allowing passengers to alight first, hogging seats, acting like the train/bus belongs to them... All are simply basic courtesy, yet never observed. First world country my ass. First world infrastructure with third world manners. Unsurprisingly, a recent survey ranked Singaporeans among one of the least friendly and helpful citizens in developed cities. It's a bloody tragedy. The ironic thing? Despite my criticisms of such behaviour, I myself have often done the same thing. And each time I do so, I pay for it. Guess karma always has the last laugh.

Another thing that I have often found myself disgusted at is materialism. Granted that materialism exists to some extent in most if not all societies, I am still irritated that it manifests itself in almost every aspect of Singaporean life. In education, work, living and yes, even religion. A priest once commented during a homily some years ago that 'when we pray, we keep asking for more and more, yet never offer anything in return.' For some reason, that line has stuck in my head for all these years. Ironically, I don't normally pay attention during homilies. 'We keep asking for more and more'. How true. 'Lord, please let us all pass our exams.','Lord, please give us good weather today.' I understand that I am in no position to criticize; I myself have done so many times before, and am in no way superior to anybody in terms of spirituality or morality. But I am glad to say that I have made some effort to stop 'asking for more and more.'

In my opinion, all of this is a result of an overly pragmatic society. By opting for what would best serve oneself, we have inadvertently shed all the ideals that separate a good society from a bad one. It is time to make a change.