David marshall warning on island materialism!
-
Our former jewish minister last interview before his departure talks frankly about singapore focus on material success:
And are youths the miasma of apathetic subservience to authority? But you say to yourselves, “Well, you know, what do we seek in life? We seek a rice bowl, full!”
It is full and overflowing, in fact. They serve you your rice in a jade bowl with golden chopsticks; not that it makes much difference to the taste of the rice. But youÂ’re empty!
YouÂ’ve got technocratic skills and you are seeking more but internally you are empty. Money is your acid test of success.
IÂ’ve got nothing against money. IÂ’d like to have money myself! IÂ’d like to have a house and a garden and dogs and a car and a chauffeur but, look, IÂ’ve got a flat. IÂ’ve got a swimming pool attached to the flat. IÂ’ve not even got a car but I use taxis. I have a dignified way of life without being wealthy.
I donÂ’t see the necessity of owning a Mercedes-Benz and a swimming pool and a couple of mistresses. I think weÂ’ve got our values all wrong.
You know $96,000 a month for a Prime Minister and $60,000 a month for a minister. What the hell do you do with all that money? You canÂ’t eat it! What do you do with it? Your children donÂ’t need all that money.
My children have had the best of education. In fact, IÂ’m very proud of them. One of them is a senior registrar to two major hospitals in Oxford. Another of them is a consultant in European law to the Securities and Investment Board in the United Kingdom. TheyÂ’ve had their education. There are no complaints.
I never earned $60,000 a month or $90,000 a month. When I was Chief Minister, I earned $8,000 a month. Look, what is happening today is we are encouraged to and are becoming worshippers of the Golden Calf.
We have lost sight of the joy and excitement of public service, helping our fellow men. The joy and excitement of seeking and understanding of the joy of the miracle of the living the duty and the grandeur. We have lost taste for heroic action in the service of our people.
We have become good bourgeois seeking comfort, security. ItÂ’s like seeking a crystal coffin and being fed by intravenous injections through pipes in the crystal coffin; crystal coffins stuck with certificates of your pragmatic abilities. -
Sad to say, he is right. We are becoming more materialistic day by day, our Ministers lit up the candle and showed us the way. Money means more to them than helping the common man with his basic sustenance.
-
you don't have to follow where they lead...
you have to make a decision to follow.... -
I don't, I lead a simple life.Originally posted by the Bear:you don't have to follow where they lead...
you have to make a decision to follow....
Money does not make a moral man. There are lots of other things to live for other than money. -
that was for those who blame everyone else for their own decisions...
for a close-up of that, look at the dizzy whatever who wants to write to the UN about Singapore's "terrible poverty and suffering"Originally posted by maurizio13:I don't, I lead a simple life.
Money does not make a moral man. There are lots of other things to live for other than money. -
Well, you make your choices in life. No one says you must imbibe their philosophy .
-
Sometimes even if you don't follow their policies, you are also indirectly dragged into it.
Let's say the total production of Singapore is $1,000,000, if they pay themselves $100,000, you have $900,000 to share among everybody. But if they decide to pay themselves $900,000, you are made poorer by their policy, because there is only $100,000 to distribute amongst the populace. -
8k a month during the 50s is freaking a lot!!!!