Who's The Sucker?

Was queuing in front of the ticket office to have my ez-link card check, when I heard the man at the counter making a loud complaint.

"Singapore sucks! F*** the gahmen! (government) Only know how to take our money and I have to come here every month to take it back!"

It seemed that the man had been overcharged again and he was there for the refund. I can understand the frustration of having been overcharged when the ez-link system malfunction and having to take time off to come down personally for the refund but was there a need for all those cursing and swearing? Anyway what does a computer blunder got to do with the government or the country? Just because things don't work perfectly, those in power have to take the blame and be responsible for the faults?

I sympathised with the lady at the counter, who was not only at the receiving end of all those oral abuses but also having to keep her smile on her face. However, I pitied the man more. As he moved past me, still wailing that Singapore was a f**kup place to be living in, I felt that he must be a very miserable man having to bear so much grudges against almost everything in his life. And it seemed that the government was to be blamed for any 'misfortune' that he was to suffer, be with his work, his family or even when he became ill. In fact, he wasn't the first person whom I have come across who has such negative feelings towards the government or the country as a whole. To them, the country owed them a living and that the government's duty was to make them happy and to make sure that they stay that way for the rest of their lives. Then when things were not to their satisfaction, they would 'threathen' to migrate to a greener pasture where they claimed they would be treated more humanely and not be exploited. Whose fault was it that these people have become so pampered? The efficient government who has given Singaporeans such high standard of living? Will this group of people ever be happy even if the government give in to their demands? Would they ever be satisfied with what they have?

I doubt so. People with such mentality would never truly be happy as these are the people who are too preoccupied with finding faults that they simply don't have the time to be happy. They would be busy looking for bones to pick, even in bean curd. Thus, unless they change their attitude, they will never find happiness no matter where they move to.

Similarly, students who have always wanted to change school on the pretext that their schools, teachers or even classmates suck, will have a problem finding one school that doesn't suck if they were to bring their negativeness with them to the new school. However, if these students were to open up their minds and be more forgiving to the imperfections that they see around them, they will have a happier and a more fruitful school life.

Most of the time, when we decided that a person or a place sucks, we seldom give the person or the place a second chance and would continue to condemn the person or the place regardless of the changes or improvements that have been made. In a sense, we are blind (or choose to be so) to the goodness of the condemned person or place. Is that a rational behaviour? Don't you think you deserve an opportunity to prove your worth if you have been condemned? Are you giving the person or the place that you dislike the same opportunity? Does that person or place really suck? Who's the real sucker? Search deep into your heart and you might just find the answer.

'Don't ask what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.'

'We do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant towards others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves.'