The Singapore Dream... and sailing confidently towards it

Of late there has been much talk and discussion about the Singapore Dream. I guess this is most natural, given that every year, on the 9th of August, Singapore celebrates its National Day. Just like at every New Year's Day and when one celebrates one's birthday when we are apt to reflect on our past year(s), think about the current one, and ruminate ahead for the future, it is fitting that come National Day, many Singaporeans will re-think, reflect and re-evaluate their Singapore Dream.

A dream is a very personal thing, and as with most things personal, it is natural that Singaporeans have a deep sense of ownership and strong personal feelings about their Singapore Dreams. Singaporeans feel strongly about their Singapore Dreams --- that is well and good, and to be expected.

Dreams, by definition, are pleasant and positive. If they're unpleasant and negative, we call them Nightmares. Nightmares conjure a very different picture, an unwelcome visage. As such, policy leaders and policy makers (who by virtue of their responsibilities --- through the processes of sense-making, decision-making, policy-making and future-making --- therefore have much sway, influence and impact over the creation and fulfilment of the dreams of "many to all" Singaporeans) have to, at the very least, ensure that as many Singaporeans as possible have dreams that are pleasant, pleasing and positive, and that they can look forward to having these dreams fulfilled in their lifetimes, in Singapore, as best as they can, especially if they are to give their very best. In short, the need for policy leaders and policy makers to keep the Singapore Dream pleasant, pleasing, positive and very much alive is extremely important. The future must be better than the current which must be better than the past. That's what progress is about. That's what politics, policies, the public, private & people sectors combined must achieve. That's what many to all Singaporeans deeply hope for and want.

With this Thought-of-The-Week entry titled The Singapore Dream, let me offer my personal take.

I believe the Singapore Dream should, at the very least, be on 2 dimensions. One dimension for the person himself, and another dimension for the country/society/community which he is a part of. As what American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "No man can have society upon his own terms. If he seeks it, he must serve it too". We cannot be too "kiasu and kiasi" with our Singapore Dreams, we cannot and should not be uni-dimensional in our Singapore Dreams --- to only want to improve and benefit ourselves (and our loved ones), to only want to achieve for ourselves. The better our lives, the greater our talents, the more we have been blest, the more we have seen and experienced success; the greater, deeper, wider our disproportionate level of return to Singapore and Singaporeans should be, for the improvement of Singapore as State, Society and Economy, and the betterment of the lives of our fellow Singaporeans... If we are to become a Nation which thinks and acts like that, more and more of us will be able to live our very best Singapore Dreams. It will be the beginning of a wonderful virtuous cycle.

Using this line of thought, my own Singapore Dream is about (i) living the best lives possible for me and my family; and it is also about (ii) improving Singapore and the lives of Singaporeans as best as I/we possibly can. This is a simple-to-understand "2-dimensional" Singapore Dream, one which I'm sure many Singaporeans share, and one which I'm sure many Singaporeans are working passionately, actively, devotedly towards.

Having defined one's dream, it is important to then sail confidently forward... towards it. Life may be full of challenges (what's new?), the road ahead may be tough (what's new?), the weather patterns in our journey of life may "knock the wind out of our sails" every once in a while (what's new?), still we must confidently navigate forward... sail confidently ahead... to achieve our dreams... to live our best possible lives... and in the process... help a fellow Singaporean, a fellow neighbour, a friend, a community, our society, our Nation... along the way.

How can we sail confidently forward... to achieve our dreams? How can we live our best possible lives?

There are many different (and equally workable) answers to the above two questions. In the remaining part of this entry, let me offer my take. In a 2009 Commencement Speech to the Arts & Social Science graduands of my alma mater NUS (National University of Singapore), I gave my heart-felt advice. To achieve our dreams, I believe we need to sail confidently forward on 4 Ships. They are RSS Followership, RSS Leadership, RSS Relationships, and RSS Stewardship. In case you are wondering what RSS means, it means Republic of Singapore Ship, reinforcing my metaphors of ships, sailing, navigating forward, and weathering all kinds of storms along the journey.

Let's all work towards our Singapore Dreams. If you have not defined your Singapore Dream, do invest some time doing so. If you have a uni-dimensional Singapore Dream, perhaps you can think about how best to make it 2-dimensional? If you already have a 2-dimensional Singapore Dream, it'll be time to take stock and see how best to confidently sail forward to achieve your dream... and in the process, that of many others!