What is missing

Forgive me for flogging a dead horse, but my trip to Vietnam has made it even clearer to me what it is that Is missing in Singapore. It is such a shame, too. Singapore is such an amazing place in so many ways. The Singaporeans have done a fantastic job of making the island livable, safe and secure. Almost everything is here; including convenience, safety, opportunity, technology, predictability, etc. The one thing that is missing, however, is excitement.

The funny thing is I think the government is aware of it. They try in so many ways to bring excitement here. They are building the integrated resorts, they are trying to develop street culture, they are upgrading areas to make them more livable and interesting (according to them, anyway), but despite all they do they can’t seem to bring excitement to the island.

‘Yes, but what is excitement?’ I hear you ask. That’s a good question and a hard one, at that. That’s probably why it has been so hard for Singapore to capture it. I’m not sure I can fully explain it either, but what I can say is this: excitement needs risk. Without risk, or at least perceived risk, there is no excitement.

That’s why rollercoaster rides and horror movies are exciting. We perceive danger and it speeds up our heart rates, sharpens our senses and generally makes us feel more alive. This was a daily phenomenon when we were still living in the bush, clubbing animals (including each other) over the head, but it is rare now and so we search for it.

The Singapore government doesn’t like risk, it thinks it is undesirable. Like the ultimate nanny state, the Singapore government makes certain that its citizens’ lives are as risk free as possible. This is great if you want to live a long life, raise your children, not worry about things and are generally content with the status quo (which seems to be the majority of humanity), but if you’re one of those people who needs excitement born out of real risk, well then chances are Singapore isn’t the right place for you.

That would be fine, if it weren’t that those people that need that risk are ultimately essential for a country. Risk takers are those people who make things happen and create new opportunities for a country. It’s the entrepreneurs, the artists, the investors, the creatives, the activists and, yes, the criminals that need that excitement and when it isn’t there, they will leave.

Don’t get me wrong, they won’t leave immediately. They will stay for a time, try to make their money and get their kicks, but the majority just won’t stay for ever. They will go elsewhere, where they feel more at home. Thus a society is created where the risk takers are always transitional and moving on. Risk takers that come in leave, while people that born here are less prone to take risk as a whole.

A country can’t be run on nine to fivers alone. People are needed who are willing to risk to get what they want and as long as there is no excitement, those people won’t stay.