Sunday, March 27, 2011

Merdeka Singapura!



You may ask, are born apathetic? Are we concerned about what is going to happen in 20 years? Is PAP still going to be the main ruling party? Do our youths really care about their future?

Singapore has came a long way from a small fishing island to a metropolitan city. Due to the economic and social stability that is present nowadays, we have became apathetic.

Yes, it is true that we are taken care of by the government. Our parents have been constantly reminding us to study hard, get a degree, find a stable and high paying job and never get into politics. It is not so hard to understand why. Our founding fathers have fought hard to bring up Singapore to what it is now. Politicians such as Lee Kuan Yew dedicated their whole life in service to our country and it wasn't an easy one. Therefore our parents doesn't want us to step out of our comfort zone to pursue the life of a public figure.<\p>

Many people think that their voices will not be heard in country building. As compared to politicians who have countless years in nation building, people may think that how can they ever debate about the country's future with them.

Political correctness also has made youths of today much more fearful of expressing and opening up in public. many presumed that they must have an education in politics before they are able to grasp the guidelines to make politically correct statements. This is one of the deterrence that many faced.

Another reason is that Singaporeans live a very sheltered and comfortable life. This make them oblivious to the perils that Singapore may face in the future. This affluence made Singaporeans ignorant to the pressing issues and made many others materialistic. This shows how shallow our society is and that we lack of the maturity in national spirit.

It is therefore important to break the cycle of apathy. Students nowadays have myopic view of their future. They only pursue what is beneficial and valuable to them and they value the freedom that they have. not having to worry about money, politics, foreign affairs, etc. This selfishness must therefore be eliminated. As we progresses to working adults, the government policies may affect our livelihood and the amount of money we are able to take home. If we do not question our government's action to build a sustainable future, it might be all too late for any change to happen.

If we were to continue to be apathetic, we may become helpless working adults trying to instill the idea of being interested in Singapore to our kids. Our kids will enter the vicious cycle of self-centeredness that we are going through right now. This will lead to the next generation being not able to lead our country forward onto the next phase not because of the lack of knowledge but the apathy that is present.

It is important that we try to break this cycle of apathy now. We should think about our future as it many not be always smooth sailing like of the present. Afterall, it will affect us sooner or later. Make a change!

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