Many things people want to have or suggest that we have in Singapore are, in my opinion, luxuries for our very small country.
We have no natural resources and our citizen population is going to shrink in future.
We can be idealistic but I believe in being pragmatic. Maybe, it has to do with the fact that my family almost went bankrupt at one time.
I still remember the fear I went to bed with each night after my mother told me what being bankrupt meant. I was only 12 years old.
The many years that followed, life was much more difficult for my family but we pulled through eventually.
My parents made many sacrifices to give us children whatever we needed in life, I am sure. Outwardly, things looked pretty normal but those years were probably very stressful for them.
To my parents' credit, they were self-reliant and did not see our MP to ask for help.
I don't think it was something they even thought of. So silly, right?
When they found out much later in life from a friend who migrated to Australia that unemployed Australians (especially if they had children) could get lots of financial help from their government, they were amazed.
Why would people get paid for not doing any work?
We could cite cases of Singaporean families who must be careful with every single cent they have because they need to be and not because they want to be. My family was once like that.
I believe that we should try to help these families but not to the extent that they forget how to be self-reliant. I believe that they would rather receive help so that they can be self-reliant eventually.
Of course, there will always be those who can never be self-reliant due to severe handicap but for those who have the potential to be self reliant, living life with dignity is definitely not about getting financial aid forever.
For those who have ample resources which can never be exhausted, being idealistic doesn't hurt. For those who are not in possession of such resources, it is better to be pragmatic than idealistic.
Does Santa Claus really exist? If he did exist, could he share with us the secret to the longevity of his financial resources?