I know what most people do with their spare time these days. They waste it on social media for instant gratification. So, what is the problem? As more information becomes available via smartphones and other devices, some people are getting lazy or no longer have patience or desire to process complex issues, let alone think how to go about solving them which is essential to the creation of “real” knowledge and wisdom.
Misinformation spread on social media has become a problem over the years. If you believe everything on the social media, then you are gullible. Beware of any false narratives which dupe people in believing certain agendas.
One of the most painful things to hear is when someone from another foreign land asks me about my critical thoughts on my home country where I live and work. I don’t want to demonize anyone. There are some people who only care if anything can be packaged for their comfort. They only care if anyone is offering quick fixes to their problems or needs.
When they hear talk of ambitious and sweeping plans to overhaul and rebuild something for the sake of the country, they think “hard work.” They think “problems.” They can get challenged easily and often blame others for many of the dynamics that have worsened the wealth gap. They blame globalization. They blame the conspiracy theories.
I struggle to keep politics out of my writing all the time. Racial politics has failed this country so badly although some incorrigible people will vociferously deny this. Due to years upon years of indoctrination, they are unable to understand the real basics or see what is happening around them. Everything else is a fiction. This type of attitude has morphed into a pathological selfishness that has already bent the country so much.
It is still the economy, stupid because that is how families get fed, after all. The poor and the middle-class people are struggling to make ends meet amid the rising cost of living. There are others who are still doing well for now but they know they are not immune from any crisis in the future.
Young people who don’t come from wealthy families are experiencing rough times. The competition for the few decent jobs that seem to be available is absolutely crazy. Many graduates are faced with the choice of taking a bad job or having no job at all. More than 300,000 Malaysians travel across the Johor-Singapore Causeway every day to earn a better living, making it one of the busiest overland border crossings in the region.
Over the decades, the country’s “hostile” environment has been pushing the most talented people to leave the country in such large numbers that the World Bank has classified it as a brain drain. Expecting a weaker local currency in the coming years and if you are reading this and have a decent job to offer me in another competitive economy, my colorful resume is ready. There is nothing to worry about because I can write and speak good English (smile).
The common people need to understand that our economic model is fundamentally unsustainable. The common people fail to identify with one another as members of a majority, and instead see themselves primarily as belonging to a special group. Their collective refusal to accept this harsh reality is part of what has been widening the wealth gap and worsening the race relations.
Hmm…a real recovery to bring the country back on the right track will take some time. With the right long-term policies to promote a vibrant and diverse environment that fuels innovation and prosperity, we will be able to break this vicious cycle. I have a dream that we will all come together as a country one day.