Friends are the most important people in one's life, someone
whom you can relate to, look up to, and confide to, more so when
experiencing bad weathers such as this crisis.
A dry shelter and hot soup from the pouring rain warms the
heart.
While everyone is affected by the doom and gloom of the
recession, many faced it in varying degrees. Some are least
affected, and felt more as an irritation, and some totally
overwhelmed and left helpless.
For those of us who can get by, we must never abandon the
seemingly helpless. While we may not have sums of money to lend, we
can still afford a meal or two, a coffee or two, an ear or two to
comfort and encourage.
No fellow Singaporean must be left alone in helplessness. We are
a civilised society, with the building blocks being our own family,
relatives and friends.
This recession was not of our making or our mistake. It came out
of the blue like a Tsunami wave rushing towards all, overwhelming
many.
We must each encourage one another, never to give up on hope,
for the reality is that bad times, like good times, dont last.
Today, some may be down, but tomorrow they will rise.
This is the natural course of journey in life. And good friends
will make that journey better and more meaningful as life is
shared.
I remembered during NS days, one of my collegue was sitting on
the parapet of a HDB top floor corridor after booking out of camp
at night. I and several friends spent 6 hours into the early
morning talking him out of jumping because of a failed
relationship over his grad girlfriend who ditched him for
a brit foreign talent.
We failed our IPPT test a few hours later as we did not have
enough sleep and was sentenced to RT training. The pain was real,
but certainly not as painful compared to a friend if lost in a
suicide.
There was a time when I was down and out, and abandoned by
'friends' and family. I will always remember the indian mamak who
pressed a bun into my shivering hands, the chinese
construction supervisor who ordered and paid for a plate of chicken
rice to me when he saw me drinking plain water with a bun in a
coffeeshop, and the Muslim matron who invited me to her home and
had dinner with her family, amongst many who were kind to me.
I have a brain, hands and legs, courage and determination to
face up and pay for my errors and knew I would succeed again, and
when i did, I repaid those kind people many times over.
As much as others condemn us as kiasu people, at heart, we are
kind people. And these people are my fellow citizens -
Singaporeans. Flawed, imperfect, whiners, seemingly uncaring, but
heart always in the right place.
Therefore, dont give up on hope or giving out hope to others. We
all will ride out this recession together, stronger as a society as
long as no one is suffer alone or left alone. Friendships are
all the more important now, whether you are an 8 year old or 80
year old.
Most Singaporeans are not good people in reality.
This is probably and very likely due to the result of
bad upbringing and low discipline and strict love from parents and
families.
Ask anyone from another country and they will be able to
describe to you how wonderful their countries are.
Ask a Singaporean about Singapore and their minds will probably
goes blank and they will probably find it difficult to
describe to you how wonderful Singapore really is. Back in the mind
of many Singaporeans are imbued with the many injustice,
dissatisfaction. grudges, difficulties, sadness, pain, anger which
they are unable to let it all go ...just because they are
Singaporeans.
If you can find a Singaporean friend who can smile honestly at
you with a clear conscience and laugh together with you without
holding back or any refrain because they are uncomfortable, then I
can tell you that this Singaporean friend is someone you can keep
and live with together as your real friend for life.
Do you have such Singaporean friends in Singapore? I know you
don't. 
I'm proud to be a Singaporean myself and because I know there
are not many worthy and good Singaporeans around nowadays, I know
how important it is for me to pass on my good values to my children
in the future and educate them to be better people than me.
And of course, I know I'm valuable too.
