It's supposedly the end of the world today, it seems.
Now that we've covered the obvious, let's move on with our lives.
It's my first weekend after starting work. I could get used to this, really, like how I'll set my alarm at 6 a.m. the next morning and then lie to myself and say, "Nah, it's not a day for running." And then I plop right back to sleep till 7. Yes, I woke up at 10 today.
Of the little things in life like being able to wake up late, having a wonderful breakfast, having the time to write this post, I ought to be grateful, and you should, too. Because apparently, we're not. We're one of the most unhappy people in the world; even more so ludicrous that we're ranked behind some less developed nations. Truly, we do have many things to be happy about, but why are we not?
On the taxi yesterday, 2 of my new colleagues and I agreed that the disparity in expectations has made us "grouchy", "ungrateful", and yea, "unhappy". Look at us - we're not war-torn, nor do we have natural disasters, and we certainly don't have dark alleys full of thugs carrying machine guns and going around terrorising kindergartens in the neighbourhood. Most of us have food on the table everyday. Almost everyone owns a mobile phone (and a majority of us including myself is holding a smart/android phone, mind you), and computers, internet connection, cars and high-rise buildings are prevalent. Then why the hell are we "unhappy"? Are we really having "first world problems"?
Why do I have to eat at the cafeteria that serves horrible lunch when I can get better food out there? Why is my 3G connection so weak? Why does this YouTube video take forever to load? Why don't they have hot water at this restaurant? Why do I have to wait so long to buy a flat? Why do I have so much homework? Why does this trip to Europe cost so much? Why doesn't the lift serve every floor? Why is there no air-con in this place? Why is my computer so slow?
While being an entirely obedient and mindless nation, where we never question the rationale behind the things we do, is not the ideal, we cannot be a nation that is whining at every single inconvenience that is present. We need to achieve an intricate balance such that even though we expect high standards of living for ourselves, we are grateful for the privileges in life that frankly only a few developed nations can enjoy. We only frustrate at how long the restaurant takes to serve us when we know that that is not the norm, and that they can do better. Expectations change our perspective and outlook on certain things in life, and that is okay. What is not okay is taking it out on the waiter/waitress by lashing at him/her, and then threaten to lodge a complain, or never to return to that particular restaurant ever again.
My point is, we are not unhappy. We are people who have seen standards, and naturally expect the same, if not more. If I went to a 5-star hotel I would expect what they promised to deliver. And if they don't, I'm won't be satisfied. If you call that being unhappy, then so be it.
Different living conditions call for different expectations. If you compare across the board with the living standards of say, Singapore, and that of nations with similar affluence, then it would be fair. If we're asked on how well the services at our hospitals are, to that in, say, Ethiopia, we would probably comment about how we have to wait so long for our turn, while those in Ethiopia who don't have the luxury of that to complain about, would accept that the presence of a hospital with modern state-of-the-art facilities is indeed a luxury to them. Naturally, an Ethiopian would think that free vaccination is a gift sent from above, while we expect it to be given to us. And that is how pampered we are. When we don't get that, we become "unhappy".
Yes, my fellow Singaporeans, let's learn to be appreciative of what we have. We can expect, but don't ask for the sky and get angry because it didn't go your way. Perhaps when we can be more understanding and grateful, we would be "happier" than our neighbours.
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