This is not directed at anyone in particular. Just sharing my
thoughts. I'm a teacher (ex-MOE), 'A' levels and 'O'
levels tuition teacher, with a background in psychology,
conscientiology, spirituality (non-religious).
It is a common characteristic and tendency for people (in
every country, but in this context, particularly, in
Singapore) and for the government to prejudge, judge and condemn
individuals based on their usefulness, economic contributions,
and hence (indirectly), their academic performance. The
so-called 'meritocracy' practiced by the government and
corporate companies and institutions, are but a hollow,
superficial shell of true meritocracy. But this, as pointed out by
some others in the thread, cannot be completely avoided (afterall,
it was conceived as the most pragmatic approach that was
feasible).
But the extent to which it can be mitigated, with compassion,
understanding, caring, and giving second chances, this is up to
each and every person in the society (eg. Singapore, or any country
in the world). Quite obviously by empirical observation, most
companies, the government, and indeed most individuals (eg.
parents, relatives, neighbours, colleages, aquaintances, who
'look-down' or condescend on others based on academic and/or
financial status), do prejudge and judge harshly, to the extent, as
some put it, condemn individuals based on academic qualifications;
worst yet - from an early tender age of primary school.
Should someone (eg. government or corporate companies or
parents?) be blamed for the plight of such individuals (normal
stream, ITE, etc?). It's a moot point, putting blame or defending
blame. Everyone (individual or group) has their own reasons and
justifications for their attitudes and judgements. Pragmatism
versus compassion/2nd-chances.
Fact of the matter is, especially in Singapore but also in many
other societies (though fortunately to a lesser extent), if you
don't do well academically, you don't qualify for higher paying
(managerial, finance industry, etc) jobs, and others judge you (ie.
your self-worth) based on these materialistic qualifications of
academia and finance. Parents, relatives, neighbours do tend to
look down, want 'face', lose 'face', be ashamed of their children
who don't do well in these aspects, etc.
Well, I say, by Byron Katie's concept of Self-Responsibility,
you (each and everyone of you, regardless of your academic
qualifications or financial status) need only determine for
yourself how you view your own self worth (as well as that of
others), whether you respect, love and regard yourself
unconditionally, or conditionally based on materialistic aspects
(academia, financial).
That's one, and the most important step. It does not equate to,
or mean that, you need simply be satisfied with being a
financially poor, or lesser-educated person. That's mere
consolation, or self-delusion.
Yes it's true the finances and economics of the world (ie.
humanity on planet Earth) is flawed. Eg. if everyone's passive
income exceeded their active income, than no one would work and
everybody would be a worthless millionaire. Notice that currently,
the professions who contribute most to civilization, the farmers,
teachers, engineers, are not the most well paid - instead those in
the finance industry, whom are concerned not with the generation of
wealth, but the redistribution of wealth in their own (and their
clients') interests, are the ones who are most highly paid. This
system is unethical and flawed (note I didn't say the people of any
particular professions are unethical, I said the system
is).
Regardless, notwithstanding, the point being that you must have
the inner strength to disregard the judgements of others (even your
parents, if whom you allow your self-esteem to be destroyed by
unenlightened foolish parents who may be ashamed of their children,
ie. their love is conditional, then this is obviously a karmic
issue (for the parents) due to lack of clarification, but on
your part, you need not allow yourself to be hurt by this. It's
their problem, do not make it yours. Be strong).
Once you truly have the self-respect, ie. to truly believe
in yourself, to respect and love yourself even if the rest of the
world condemns you, then you may *begin* to change the external
circumstances (eg. financial) of your life for the better.
Often, and unfortunately, but quite inevitably, it is the
other way around; low self-esteemed persons desperately seeking to
make it rich, so he can respect himself, and hope to gain respect
and acknowledgement from others (eg. parents, relatives,
friends).
It is ok if the latter approach works, but it is an
indirect, roundabout method that fails to address the inner issue -
the lesson of unconditional self-respect and self-love,
regardless of how poor/uneducated you are (do not have
double-standards - if you do not respect/love yourself if you are
poor, you cannot truly respect/love all the poor/uneducated people
in the world). This (self-respect and self-love) by the way, is the
karmic lesson of physical incarnation that is symbolized and
illustrated by the whorl patterns on the middle finger (left hand -
mean/averaged score of all previous lifetimes; right hand - score
achieved for immediate past lifetime; the rounder the whorl
pattern, the more complete the mastery; other fingers represent
other karmic lessons).
Coming back to the harsh, unforgiving Singapore
education/so-called meritocratic system, yes indeed by and
large, if you go-with-the-flow of society, if you unthinkingly obey
societal dogma of what's 'right' and 'wrong' (in truth there is no
such thing as right or wrong, only what's
appropriate/helpful/cosmoethical and what's
inappropriate/harmful/anti-cosmoethical, given all possible
considerations; note that as far as individuals are concerned,
based on unique karmic soul background and intentions, what's
'right' (in terms of a particular action or choice) for an
individual may not be so for another - "one man's meat is another
man's poison"), then yes, you've been condemned or limited (by
society, government, corporate companies, other people, but
most of all, by your own false ideas or judgement on yourself)
as far as financial achievments are concerned.
Afterall, everyone can see how the highest paying jobs* are only
available to those with impressive resumes, job experiences,
academic qualifications; and in turn academic qualifications are
limited on one's family's financial status. A catch-22.
(*Someone wrote in to the Straits Times recently, about how
higher managerial, executives and finance-industry careers
have seen a pay rise of 5-20%, while lower-paying manual
labour jobs, eg. rubbish cleaners, have seen a pay rise of
1-3%. Did you consider, in point of fact, that even 1% of
a managerial/executive pay is easily 10%-50%-100% or even
more, of a manual labour jobs? And manual workers, eg. rubbish
cleaners, work much harder and do more sacrificing work than
executives? The economic/financial system of humanity on Earth is
severely flawed, or at the very least, severely unethical. The rich
get richer, and the poor get poorer, usually undeservedly.)
However, be as it may, and it's thoroughly depressing enough yes
I know (unless you happen to have an elite uncaring face, but like
everyone else, elites have both a compassionate loving side, as
well as a fear-based, materialistic, uncaring side - it's a
personal matter of the inner struggle, to see how you've lived your
life, what have you learnt and whom have you helped, will be asked
of you when your life is over, yes in the afterlife, as part of the
debriefing process. Don't worry, your soul lives forever, there is
no 'death'. Many people still worry unproductively about this). But
even in a harsh and unforgiving environment like Singapore, you can
still break through.
If you are determined enough, and you know you're doing it
for the greatest cosmoethical good (directly for yourself, and
consequently and indirectly, for all around you, and ultimately,
for all beings in the universe), when there's a will, there's a
way. Your guides & helpers will assist you, not making money
for the sake of making money, or worse for fear of lack of money,
but rather, your guides & helpers will help you (ie. support
your own efforts) in completing your existential program. Which in
almost all cases entails high productivity, enrichment and
evolution; first and foremost (with others) in
relationships, and usually inseparably tied to this,
other aspects of your life, your health, your emotional well being,
your fiancial well being (for the sake of being empowered to do
what you need to do - we're souls who have incarnated in a
material world and are working through a biological physical body,
so naturally we have to take care of our diet and finances as
well), and so on.
Yes, even in Singapore, when there's a will, there's a way. Sim
Wong Hoo is a but one example (never mind Creative isn't
doing as well now as previously). Adam Khoo's books give further
ideas (of creativity, entrepreneurship and possibilities beyond the
societal-dogma-box). But the bottomline is, you need YOURSELF to be
there for yourself. You don't need the world to respect or love
you, you only need YOURSELF to respect and love yourself. Then you
can work on (in the same way, equally) respecting and loving others
around you, in the world.
It takes a great hero to do great things, including areas
which others never thought of (focus your attention of what is
helpful for the world, how can you design or provide a technology
or service that helps others; as others are helped by
you, inevitably so will you be by others - Law of Help,
Law of Reflection, Law of Karma), to succeed in ways that society
haven't even considered. Can you be that hero for yourself? I think
you're worth it. Don't you?