Category: Deep Thoughts,Personal Thoughts,Philosophy,Social Issues
During a conversation with a good friend, I discovered that most of my closer friends are people that do not hold full-time 9 to 5 (9am to 7pm in Singapore) jobs. The conversation went on, and I started churning out philosophical ideas about life and whatnot. The 21st century slave, as I would like to call it, are people that uses 80% of their available brain power for their careers and spends the remaining 20% for basic daily functions such as walking, talking, marketing, socializing etc. Many of these people only have three to four hours a day to themselves, and if you have a family, that few precious hours goes to them.
The working culture in Asia is one that encourages people to act like drones – just act, don’t question. The more opinionated and vocal people tend to find themselves getting depressed in their job, or have to find a job in the creative sector (which is really small in Asia). You have to understand that in Singapore, one’s work is graded since they start schooling, even for art! These unqualified teachers actually gets to grade your drawing, not knowing that one might be a Picasso in the making! Companies run on a hierarchy, whereby the people who are most able to execute commands and please the one sitting above you gets promoted. Not that I am proposing companies to run any differently, but this is particularly so for Asian countries like Singapore, where it has been instilled upon us since young not to challenge someone that is above you i.e. your teachers. I call the working life in Singapore, a constriction of the mind. Even if you are absolutely loving your 9 to 5 job and you’re not made to work like a drone (let’s say you’re the boss aka drone operator), by the time you get home, your body and your mind is so tired that you can’t think about anything else.
After work, many of us still have to go home and look after our families. For the women, some still have to cook and do household chores AFTER their 9 to 5 job while the men watches TV and rests. That’s Asia. Others have to look after their children, help them with their homework or read story books. There’s basically very little time for people to stop and think.
This is in no way their fault, that they are made to be drones. That’s how the society works. That’s how life is.
But what else could the time be spent on?
Expanding your knowledge of anything and everything. Learning shouldn’t stop where you graduate from school. There is so much to learn and know from this life… Not knowing about this life, is like playing an RPG game without reading the story-line, sort of. We are made to lose our child-like curious, innocent, creative minds so that we will all become standard issue robots some day. Without that curiousity, that creativity, how do we further explore ourselves and the world we live in? How do we feel fulfilled?
Think and digest why things are the way the are. Why people behave the way they are. Don’t just blindly follow and accept things as it is. Why should we? Do we really want to be drones?
I guess all my points, points to Maslow’s hierarchy’s self-actualization. Being self-actualized is being someone that doesn’t just live a bitter and unsatisfying life and don’t do anything about it. Many of us can’t do anything about it, because of bread and butter issues, I blame the social construct and unhealthy expectations of the Asian workforce.
I know I’ve got a “talent” for making people misunderstand my core concept of my argument, so if you do feel strongly against what I said in this post, you could leave a comment and I would clarify myself.
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I think I understood. And an additional problem to females made to work like is the decline in birth rate? :/
Comment by Ying Zi — September 2, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
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Pingback by Weekly Roundup: Week 36 « The Singapore Daily — September 6, 2010 @ 11:29 am
Pris,
On one level there is little an individual can to do to change the world.
On the individual level, one can decide to be happy, enjoy whatever work one chooses or what one is good at doing.
A brilliant programmer can be happy programming JAVA or .NET.
Yet anohter might be perfectly happy as a nanny or the person how cleans the floors.
Everyone contributes something. We need people who clean the offices we work in, we need the office workers to ensure the details of everyday life get completed. The sales clerk at the store is needed, the person who picks up our trash, the doctor who heals us, the nurse who cares for us, the teacher who enlighten us.
However some people are never satisfied, they want everything life can offer, but do little or never enough to even begin to earn their way to achieving that goal. Along the way such people often make a point of making life miserable for those around them.
Asians are individuals and can grow an prosper as an individual.
Just decide to be happy and good at what you do today!
David
Perhaps one reason God delays His answers to our prayers is
because He knows we need to be with Him far more than we need
the things we ask of Him.
— Ben Patterson
Comment by David — September 14, 2010 @ 7:21 pm
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Comment by Free Wordpress Themes — September 25, 2010 @ 11:06 pm
From what I understand, Maslow’s hierarchy of self-actualization has a certain structure in that basic needs such as physiological necessities, love, and safety are required in order for us to be satisfied. Especially physiological needs like a shelter over our heads and food on the table.
It is ironic that without our bread and butter – without career – we cannot meet these physiological needs. And so, the cycle goes on, that without these physiological needs, we cannot be happy.
I don’t really subscribe to Maslow’s self actualization hierarchy. Personally, I think it’s too structured for me. I do agree with your statement that “being self-actualized is being someone that doesn’t just live a bitter and unsatisfying life and don’t do anything about it”. Indeed, that is what many of us should be focusing on – if we’re not happy, find and do something that make us happy. But happiness should not be dependent on those 4 other needs as proposed by Maslow. That would be too self-limiting isn’t it?
Comment by Lagerboy — December 8, 2010 @ 10:14 am
I remember reading some articles about Maslow’s hierarchy.. Some say that you don’t necessary have to fulfill the 1st need to be able to get the 2nd need. They are not inclusive, in that order. But how many people can chose to forsake food, shelter, love etc. for self-actualization… I think perhaps those that chose to be monks and nuns… but even modern monks and nuns have certain standard of living >,<~
Comment by Priss — December 8, 2010 @ 11:47 am
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