So as we step into the month of August and approach National Day, slated on the 9th of August every year, we wonder to ourselves, what does it really mean to be Singaporean?
Is National Day merely an annual affair whereby we showcase the supposed prowess of our country's military, and watch as our ministers and government officials (un)willingly enjoy themselves in the process? Or is it a recap of all of Singapore's achievements in the area of sports, the Arts, and various forms of talent? Do we really care about our country or are we simply sailing through, hoping to find greener pastures along the way?
In my humblest opinion, National Day is one where Singaporeans stand together as one entity to reflect on our history and what has been, and together we envision the future and what can be. As a former British colony, we tend to be shaped very much by the past, of what we have done and the way we executed previous plans.
We tend to be very English in our thinking as we like things to progress and refine things according to experience, which is reflective of a strain of constitutional pragmatism in Singapore. Yet we are also prudent, with a legion of forward-looking spirits, earnest to find out what we can do to improve, or streamline, or develop. This process of reflecting and envisioning is the very step we Singaporeans take to enhance our stoicism, resilience and perseverance. These are what got us to where we are today and will be keeping us going for the many years to come. It begs the question then, are we motivated in this sense by our intrinsic 'love' for our country? Or are we using Singapore as a stepping stone, as aforementioned?
It would be far too unreasonable to say that we have no sense of patriotism at all, that we are unemotional beings who have rid our eyes of tear ducts and our hearts of passion and hence we don't love our country.
All we care about is having a land to develop our wealth and use this land to live our hedonistic lives. It would be far more accurate to state that we do love our country, but only because of the people that inhabit it. Would you defend the Antarctica out of pure reason that you were born there?
Or would you defend it because your family, friends, loved ones and colleagues reside there and North Korea has just publicly announced a plan to terrorize that forgotten Icelandic ruin with whatever nuclear remnants they have? I would assume the erstwhile seems a tad more incredible.
So unless you're mentally deficient or have no rational sense of being, I would reasonably assume that we Singaporeans, PRs, and even our dear foreign talents - that ironically have caused much of the whole xenophobic fiasco - would, to a certain extent, love Singapore, simply because they have a reason to do so. A logical one.
As you step out of your house today, take some time to ponder upon why we are a stable, peaceful and 'happening' place to be. Think about all the contributions that each and everyone of us has made in order to form what we know today as one of the 'most expensive cities to live in' according to a UK report. Our standards fuel our passion for Singapore's development and progress, let's keep it as high as how we proudly (authentic) raise the Singapore flags at our balconies.
Here's to a fabulous 49th National Day, Singapore!
