‘Tis The Season To Be Rioting

No, I’m not trying to instigate a riot here but just commenting how ironic it is that when we are supposed to be talking about peace and joy on earth and it actually instigates unrest and unhappiness. And what an unhappy surprise to be returning home to a scene of relative somberness.

I’m probably not the best person to be commenting on all of these. Most of the time, I’d rather employ a “better-them-than-me” Singaporean attitude. However, that does not mean I do not love my country. I want to love her but I can’t. Perhaps it is the “Money” culture here and perhaps it is because we are all spoon-fed, pampered citizens who live in a generation without real major concerns. Singapore is always deemed as a safe country and therefore that justifies the high cost of living here so when something like this happens, I question about whether it is really as safe as we think… and also whether it does justify our expensive lands, houses, cars and minister’s pay.

Perhaps, the most ironic of all is that I was in Nagasaki, Japan, at the Peace Park that day. It reminds me of how much it does cost to have peace in the world today; the lives of 70,000 people. Many people have their own take of what this incident signals. I personally don’t think it is racism, or anything against FTs, but rather a sign to show how shallow all Singaporeans and people living here are. For me, I think it is because Singapore is a young nation and we still have many hurdles to go through. And, although I hate to say it, this is not the end of it and it probably would take many more incidents to wake up all of us Singaporeans and everyone alike to finally stand together and be unity.

The question is, when the time comes, will we be prepared? What does it take for us to finally feel that this is a country that we can love and protect?