"Rules Set you Free!"

This is a video interview of a Spanish woman who is living in Singapore:

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 INTRO 00:49 What does Ana miss in Singapore? 01:20 How to make friends in a new country 02:24 Getting PR after 1 year 04:47 Social circle in Singapore 06:40 Expat Life in Singapore 08:24 Kindness of Singaporeans 09:51 Crazy driving in Singapore 11:37 What foreigners should know about Singapore 15:11 Rules in Singapore 16:34 Europe VS Singapore 18:33 About domestic helpers

Singapore just works

I was struck by her comment starting from @11:58 in the video. "The one thing that I will miss about Singapore... is the peace of mind". 

She goes on to elaborate that "peace of mind" was because Singapore is efficient, that Singapore "just works". And she goes on to attribute that to Singapore's fairness and rules (from 15:11). That the rules are in place for EVERYONE, and that is why it is fair, and it works, and that we do not have to scheme and connive and cut corners (like in Russia, or Spain, or Italy, from 13:44) to ensure that we get what we want earlier or faster. We will get it fast. Because Singapore is efficient. And the rules are for everyone, and the rules are fair.

She is amazed that Tax Returns can be submitted in 10 minutes!

Peace of mind.

Becoming too Singaporean

BUT...

@15:04 she says, "Singapore Grows in you. And that makes you totally unadapted to live anywhere else" - because you come to expect that Singapore Efficiency, that Singapore Fairness of Rules, that simple peace of mind from following the rules.

Yes. That is the hazard of living in Singapore, and becoming too "Singaporean".

"They turn into Monsters!"

@8:33 She speaks of the kindness of Singaporeans. And how that "kindness" simply disappears when they drive (@9:52), and "they turn into Monsters".

As a Singaporean, I would like to believe that things are changing for the better. Slowly. Maybe. I still would not drive on Singapore roads because I don't trust Singapore drivers NOT to be monsters. So... I guess I'm not putting my money where my mouth is, am I?

Spiderman's Uncle Ben told him, "with great power comes great responsibility". If drivers listened to Uncle Ben, they would recognise their great responsibility while driving a car with great power.
However, I think most Singaporeans subscribe to the "With great vulnerability, comes great responsibility" doctrine. If you get hit by a car, you will suffer. So it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to look out for traffic.

I think the "Great Vulnerability" doctrine is a natural doctrine. The "Great Power & Responsibility" doctrine is higher, civilised principle that we Singaporeans have to first recognise and then maybe aspire to, before we can achieve it. I think (or hope) that as more Singaporeans travel and are exposed to other cultures, with more civilised behaviour, we will assimilate these behaviours and values for ourselves. But that would be a slow process. So for now, watch out for traffic!


Domestic help

Ana speaks with empathy about foreign domestic help - about women who have to leave their home, and work for strangers in a strange land, just to provide for their families back home. And they choose this because staying at home with their family would be worse, in terms of poverty and privation. This way, they can offer their families some hope.

This is a complex and complicated issue. 

Maybe it is a form of slavery. Or exploitation. 

Or maybe it is simply a way of moving labour where it is needed. 

But yes, the employer of foreign help needs to remember the dignity of the person they have hired.

[20th April Addendum:

There are horror stories of how Singapore employers mistreat and abuse foreign maids. 

And then there is this story about foreign, possibly illegal farmworkers:

Yes. This is me trying to "what about" this issue. The mistreatment farmworkers get in the US can be worse than the abuse foreign maids suffer in Singapore. Sometimes.

This isn't about how much worse the abuse is in the US or in Singapore, but that it occurs, and it occurs because of the power disparity between employer and foreign workers. 

Yes, this is a sad attempt to say, "yeah well, maybe SOME Singaporeans mistreat our foreign workers, but so does the US, and some European countries too!"

Yes, we are all guilty, and we can all do better.]