There's an old joke in Singapore that goes: to be successful, you must attain the five Cs - car, cash, credit card, condominium and club membership.
While I would hardly refuse more money or material possessions, I find that what was said in my church sermon the other day resonates far more - while chasing the five Cs, beware of the other five Cs: crash, collision, challenges, competition and crisis.
But in a society as fast paced as ours, where everyone's priority seems to be bread and butter issues, practicality comes first and everything else is a distant second. Given soaring property prices in Singapore, market instability, competition for jobs from foreigners and the constant refrain from the government that we must upgrade or lose out, it is no surprise that we have little time for the finer things in life.
The
kiasu - local slang for 'afraid to lose out' - mentality is ingrained in us at a young age - a common saying I heard while growing up was: "If you don't study, you will end up as a road sweeper."
When I went to the
National University of Singapore as a freshman in 2001, I knew friends who had wanted to enroll in a humanities or arts course, but were compelled by their parents to take up courses such as engineering or IT, simply because a degree in say, sociology or political science, was - and still is - seen as limiting your career options.
I can even remember this conversation I had with a lady I met somewhere off-campus, while we were making small talk.
"So what are you doing?"
"I'm an undergraduate at NUS."
"Oh, what are you studying?"
"I'm majoring in European Studies at the Arts faculty."
"Oh. (awkward pause) So you want to teach?"
I can still remember what my Caucasian teacher told my class back in junior college: "You Singaporeans think being called pragmatic is a compliment, but it's really an insult." 14 years on, I like to think I have been less than pragmatic in my life choices.
I graduated in 2005 as a Bachelor of Arts, but have never felt the need to go into teaching, noble profession that it is. And while my peers who have gone into banking and engineering jobs certainly earn more, I am not so sure if they derive as much job satisfaction as I do. Given a chance between watching my bank account grow fat in a job I dislike, or being happy in my profession, I know what I would choose.
It appears to be a growing theme among my peers too - choosing personal satisfaction over job security. In other words, the pursuit of happiness, even if the knowledge of what will make you happy is less than certain. Some choose to pursue their graduate studies while they figure out what to do next, while others try out different vocations in search of meaningful experiences. I once interviewed a lady a few years younger than me - I am 31 - who had held seven jobs in five years. While prospective employers might see her as unreliable, all she wanted was to have different experiences in life.
Then again, who really knows sense and sensibility is? After all, you sure can't buy it.
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