Kiasuismus und Materialismus
I was just out late-night bowling with kelvin, when he remarked that his momma was telling him to go do something related to accounting for his current part-time (currently, he moves electronical goods.) And i've been reading in the newspapers today about how people in South Korea are only having one kid, caz the living costs are so high (they aren't actually that high, but the need to 'remain relevant' makes it just that high.)And it kinda makes me worry about what kind of society we're turning into. And the fact that it only affects mostly Oriental societies makes it all the more thought-provoking. Isn't it scary? It scares me. It seems that the populations of South Korea and Singapore will dwindle away to nothingness, the way the current birth rate proceeds. And why? I don't know why, but i have a nagging suspicion it's not going to be H5N1, it's not going to be a nuclear attack on the Istana, it's not gonna be terrorists, but it's gonna be because of ourselves.
Why? Because we have to feed our own materialism, while at the same time ensuring that your kid is better than your neighbour's kid, that your kid isn't some Average Joe (although he probably is - the definition of being average has indeed shifted...)
Look around you. Let's just take Singapore, for example. Here, there exists a weird brew of heartland kiasuism and the materialism of your average metropolis. First things first.
I never said that kiasuism is a bad thing. Just that here, in this context, it is.
Does it seem that while our leaders are emphasizing on being creative and taking that additional step, parents are actually taking away what gives our generation that very key to being creative, bold and daring? Let's see...i recall someone sending like 6-month-old children to music classes. Isn't that a bit early?! I mean...i know you have dreams of seeing your child conduct die Wiener Philharmoniker, but i think it's plain absurd. Just as absurd is, IMHO, sending 3-year-olds to all sorts of classes all day. I thought children needed time and space to play...(and if you felt that experts said so-and-so, that musical exposure makes your kid smarter, etc, it's also been scientifically proven that the best way for children to learn is to learn it themselves.)
I mean, of course, as parents, you want to see to it that your children have the best upbringing. It's like, natural. I don't blame you, because just about every other parent is also sending their kids to all these classes too. I wonder who started it in the first place. Maybe you can blame the fact on our country being really that small, so you see your kid's best friend doing slightly better and you get worried. And worry begets worry and soon you're wondering if your 3-year-old is going to have a career in 25 years' time.
Our kids are worried that if they get 96 marks out of a 100 for an examination, it's not good enough, because they've been indoctrinated to get 100 out of 100. Or maybe 101 out of 100. There are parents who openly berate their children just because they lost one mark to the class top. What're you trying to prove? That you have superior genetics? Or maybe your kid is just the smartest little dude/-tte around? I recall always wanting to beat up people in JC who whined about missing the top spot for any subject, while everyone else was struggling. I'd have a rage blackout, or as melvyn puts it, the maggots'd just eat my brain...yes i really detested them. But they're products of a system we've created.
Asian communities are becoming increasingly competitive, and although it's good in that it brings out the best in people, it also makes people terribly materialistic. It's like everyone's too pragmatic for their own good. What happened to the dreams? What happened to the aspirations? Oh, of course they still exist, but today's society is suffering from a huge deficit of dreams, i suspect. How many people have told me that i'm stupid/unwise/(insert negative adjective here) not to take a scholarship, and instead go on to pursue the arts, and then vie for my own survival when i graduate? (i'm looking at philosophy, fyi.) How many people have told me that i should go into research, because it pulls a lot of money, instead of going into a career where i can write essays for a living? How many people out there are studying a Science degree, even if they know that it'll not be applied in the future? Aren't you just studying for that piece of parchment? Then why are you studying, if you know it can't enrich you? How many people out there are in MLM, rolling the dice and hoping it doesn't cave in on them, while at the same time getting as many people as possible to join so they can earn more money? Even if they know it's just a grand scam?
And kiasuism rears its ugly side again. Coming back to kelvin...obviously he has no qualifications to work in anything to do with accountancy now...but more importantly, shouldn't he work as what he likes now? He won't get a chance to in 5 years' time. Now's the time to see as much as one can, den Tag zu leben, and so on, and so forth! 'Work experience' may be a plus, but it's not compulsory, and certainly inapplicable in this context. People can be so crazily worshipping the Material God, but yet at the same time be bordering on Irrealismus. It's simply amazing.
It's all about money, isn't it? You can come to me with all your florid language, beautiful words and a proposal that's too good to resist, but it's all about money. Let's face it. Money is important and money talks. But the way we have become the servants of money, not money serving us...isn't it sad?
A lot of you will probably say that this post is very biased - i'll admit it is - but perhaps it's time to take a step back and really think. There's definitely some truth inside, and what i'm seeing disturbs me. It scares me. I don't want to be like that. Do you?
posted by quatscherei @ 00:27
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