Happiness, Wealth and Rants

It was a conversation over bratwurst under the stars in a suburban garden that struck me how susceptible happiness is. I am not going to write about the simple pleasures of sitting in a porch drinking rose wine, while talking to elders about live, experience and love. Rather, I would rather talk about a particular comment observed by my conversation partners.

They were sharing their experiences in Latin America about their observations on how happy those people living in the slums were. They felt that these slum dwellers despite having very little, had an outlook and attitude in life seems to overshadow their poverty. Of course that drew the comparison back to Singapore, and the paradox of being one of the most wealthy country, we are also one of the most dissatisfied and undemocratic.

Let's put cynicism aside, to say that these slum dwellers were really happy, and not simply a reviews of a tourist romanticising the landscape. Let's look at this issue purely in a conceptual way (of course, some might argue that practical experience makes all the difference, but if you'd just indulge me a little longer).

In Singapore, we often unquestioningly relate wealth to happiness. I was reading up on forum posts on netizens' dissatisfaction with the influx of Singaporeans, as well as the issue of PR having almost the same benefits as citizens. The issue often revolve around material benefits, and I do not deny that they have material implications. However the issue also goes much deeper, that the passport we hold, is a sense of pride and identity, and as a collective, we are afraid of "losing" face to others who do not hold the same passport, but are able to enjoy the same benefits. Some might even argue, that not being a citizen is better than being one, since there is mandatory CPF and NS. However, does the problem go much deeper? Of course, if not why should I be writing?

I think some writers are right in pointing out that it is not about money, or NS, or CPF...after all, Singaporeans have been proud of these things for so long. My father still feels that NS is something that every Singaporean men should go through and in the past, no one spoke of NS as a chore, as much as it is duty to country and people. However, today, it is cast in the worst of light and while I do not deny that it will have economic implications on Singaporean men, the question lies is why are those negative implications highlighted only now?

So what exactly are we unhappy about? Why are the symptoms to the larger problem? Are we even asking the right questions?

I don't think the question lies with how much money. Clearing away the melodrama, while we have unequal income distribution, it is also true that most Singaporeans can actually cope with their living standards. My guess is that Singaporeans feel that they no longer are able to close the gap between aspirations and lived realities. It is either they have been oversold expectations - the "Singaporean dream" if you will - or that reality has finally caught up that these ever-increasing expectations will never be fulfilled if you also don't have ever-deepening pockets. My point is hence, that progress and prosperity (those two words in our pledge) have stalled, and they have stalled long enough for people to feel anxious. In academia, we have a word for it. It's called Anomie. It's what Durkheim calls the disjuncture of aspirations with the real competence of the individual. Instead of the individual, it is now society - or more specifically, Singaporeans who continue to hold on to the dream. We continually strive for the 5Cs, materialist goals that we believe will make us happy. However, not all things are store-bought, and certainly money can only bring so much pleasure.

What is it that makes us happy? Well, personally for me, the reason why the Latin Americans my conversational partners saw were happy, because they were happy to be in a perceived much-better place. They remain hopeful and while I'm sure they know that extreme riches exist out there, their social status is so low, they have nothing to lose anymore but to go way up. When we middle-classes are wrought with the fate that we can no longer move except for a few statistical anormalies, we become frustrated and rant our displeasure. I understand and I empathize with the ever increasing standard of living with stagnant wages, I also comprehend the dismal fact that our government's changes can sometimes be too little too late. I also face the worries of my future, that I may not be as productive and cheap as a foreign "talent". These are all very valid concerns. However, my point is also for us to step outside the box and think. If we were to subscribe to this rat race of wealth, we will forever be playing the game by their rules. I choose to believe, and have strong faith, that there is an alternative path of making a living, to find something else that makes me happy besides slogging for months to save on that Gucci bag.

There is nothing wrong have aspirations, but I personally think there is a problem when those you thought will make you happy, no longer does - and instead brings you pain and frustration. What makes you happy today? Hold on to it, cherish it...because the moment will never return, and that to me is more precious than any GST voucher.