Is that really important?
A few of us was at the Changi Jetty yesterday for yet another boat ride to my retirement village of Ubin when we got caught up with a chinese conversation with the bumboat uncle, probably in his 50s.
“You all are students?”
“Yes we are”, we replied.
 ”I always tell my children, studying is very important. Last time, I had no opportunity; no money. Now, all I can provide to my children is the opportunity and encouragement. No money; no future.”
We nodded our head in understanding. Alas, the Singaporean Dream argument.
“One of my children joined NPCC in school, I told them to focus on their studies! I told them to wait till they get into the university then join something they like.”
We weakly nodded. I can see where this is going: wait till you get married, wait till you have children, wait till you earn enough, wait till you retire and the proverbial, “wait till you die.”
“Now, they have grown up. One of them even got a scholarship to go to America.”
“Wa..”, was the only comment we could make besides nodding our heads. I thought we were some answering machines with pre-set responses. I could think of nothing else to say without offending him or leaving us with an awkward conversatsion.
“That’s why I say, you all must study hard and not let your parents down. We can only give you encouragement, otherwise we are all junk! The Singaporean Government thinks that we are useless!”
At this point, he asked a nearby elderly uncle whether he agreed with him, who quickly added, “We are waiting to die only!”
Whether or not this conversation brought out the uncles’ inner demons, there is a overboding sense of deject. Perhaps this is to be expected, after all in the very Singaporean way, the singapore dream is a dream only for the young. The old? They make no economic sense! Better off dead and paying the death tax (now a thing of the past).
But the truth is, they (the elderly) have already woken up and not chasing the dream anymore! The only funny thing is that they are encouraging the same Singaporean Dream that they have been dreaming about to their sons and daughters.
Do you see the irony? Call it the American Dream or the Russian Dream, but as one grows old, whether or not one enjoys the durain dream or banana dream, it is just a dream! This pursuit of happiness is so shallow. I enliken this to catching a cloud or its just like cotton candy seem to be such a huge huge candy!
Do you see the circle? We spend all our youth chasing money, and when we attain it, we spend all our money chasing youth?Â
Dreams are important, dreams motivate people. But beware, dreams can blind too.Â
