As I lay awake in bed I still wonder whether this is the right decision. To uproot myself and relocate to a foreign land. That means leaving my ageing mother and father behind. I'm undeniably nervous, apprehensive, and extremely scared.
Mum and Dad were working class folks who have dedicated their lives to bringing me and sister up. Mum had it very hard. She worked as a free lance seamstress by day while simultaneously taking care of two uncontrollable kids. One of which is me - naughty, oblivious to her suffering, rebellious and at times, hurtful to mother's feelings. None of us have lived our parents' times. Those were chaotic days , when food and shelter were not guaranteed and having a roof over head meant more than anything else. Thirty years of sweat and toil brought them to a day when they still could not enjoy the fruits of their labour - their children constantly looking over their shoulders and always wary of people looking to snatch their rice bowls.
What have we truly accomplished as a nation? Many Number 1s. Impressive stats no doubt. Do these number one rankings matter to the common folk？
Success as a nation is not about being the most competitive economy in the world, having the highest GDP or scoring top marks in international math competitions. The measure of how successful a nation is should be the overall physical and mental wellbeing of its citizens. It's really as simple as that. Not rocket science. Would Singaporeans be a happy bunch if we earned half as much and could not afford as many holidays but could get off work on time and not worry about the next wave of foreign immigrants snatching their jobs? Would Singaporeans be happy if they came in 10th on an international math Olympiad but their children could do with 6 hours less tuition every week? Would Singaporeans be happy if all our mother's and father's could retire with adequate retirement savings and healthcare even if it meant everyone would be paying a bit more taxes? If you were completely free to choose, what would you trade off? If you were a mother, what kind of society would you choose for your children? With the exception of the most twisted (and I do know a couple), most would prefer their children to grow up in a less competitive , kinder and more compassionate society.
Not everyone will agree, especially the elites. We don't need no. 1s. We don't need excellence in everything we do. What we need is to reintroduce more compassion and kindness into this now defunct society I'm about to leave behind. I pray for God to bless my every step forward.
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