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Friday, July 11, 2008
10 June 1416hrsHow can you possibly cultivate graciousness and the arts in a society where the leaders blatently talk about encouraging the arts, but all they do is scheme up wretched well-thought out and well-defended machinations to fleece the underlings of its very people. How can your artistes be able-minded and have a peace of mind and focus on creating art for the country and its people when all their sweat, tears and effort is rewarded with a disgustingly revolting pittance and they're constantly being exploited, instead of being looked after and encouraged?When you feel like you put in your heart and soul yet no one thanks you and everyone is out to undercut you, where do you draw energy to fuel your creative mind when your spirit is sucked low and you feel like a soldier in the trenches of No Man's Land.It's a tough industry, but no one's making it any easier. Au contrare, every bleeding person is making it a thousand times harder.If Singapore is to really survive and thrive in the long run, they need to start changing people's mindsets. You do not build up a stable society by teaching your people undercutting everyone else is the best way to the top.A country is not made up of individuals, but a united people from all walks of life working hand in hand. Blowing out your neighbour's candle doesn't render yours any brighter.And you call me a westernised potato who's turned her back on her country? At least I have the sensibility to see things our fearless leaders don't. Or maybe they simply choose to overlook it. Afterall, money got Singapore this far. Let's see how much further it's going to take us, when everyone starts slitting their neighbour's throat for the gold coins.Say I'm thankless, but whilst I appreciate the tolerance, safety, cleanliness, efficiency, I am deeply dissatisfied. I am not an economist. I am an artiste. A sensitive soul. I cannot find peace when I see ugliness around me. Ugliness cloaked in cash surpluses and the clinical smell of money. This ugliness pervades the air and permeates everything we do.Money is dirty. Literally. You don't know how many times it's changed hands, and where those hands have been. Literally. And metaphorically.I struggle to find myself here. I struggle to find a helpful friend here. I struggle to find a friendly face here. I struggle to find my inner peace when the stench of money lingers on me and my clothes. I struggle to see my worth in this society when everything is measured in dollars and cents. I struggle to find my place in the world which is made up of so much more than what we are exposed to here. Let down your walls people. Stop blocking and start embracing. So what if your neighbour's better off. Some people are just luckier than others. Maybe if you looked elsewhere in your life you'll find the satisfaction you lack. Positivity engenders positivity. The wheel comes full circle. (1437hrs)
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