An SoS Appeal to The Handover Generation aka Post 65′ers

Dear Handover Generation/Gen X’ers/Post 65′ers (those born between 1965-1985),

How quickly time files… it wasn’t too long ago that we were heralded as the new generation of leaders who would guide the world away from the baby-boomers’ cry of want, spend and waste, and propel it towards a post-consumerist future. Before sharing how I think we have done thus far, let’s acknowledge the massive impact the boomers have made on economics, politics, and society, both locally and on a global scale.

Schools in Singapore were never nearly as organised or structured before World War Two. Yet the end of the War signalled the beginning of an urgent need to provide the island’s inhabitants with the necessary skill-sets to fuel Singapore’s fledgling economy. The establishment saw it fit to streamline the existing education system (chaotic though it was in those days), and English became the default medium of instruction. Having met the boomers’ hunger for jobs, the establishment next had to manage their insatiable appetite to spend their new-found wealth. This they did with relative ease, through the leasing of apartments, in the name of the public good. Our parents soon realised that most of what they earned would go to ‘ownership of property’ as it were, and refrained from over-celebrating their achievements in the workplace. In this aspect they were unlike their peers in countries such as the Thus organised, society metamorphosised at an unprecedented rate; gone were the times of unsuspecting neighbourliness in placid rural-life, and a new sense of languid weariness pervaded the ever-increasing number of towering brick and mortar structures.

Today, perhaps in a collective effort to salvage their legacy, the boomers have announced that they have been guilty of wasting far too many resources that Mother Nature has provided, and are now with almost the same amount of fanatical enthusiasm, preaching an entirely opposite tune to what they did during the years immediately following WWII. The recent Live Earth effort is a prime example, styrofoam leftovers notwithstanding lol…

Fellow Gen X’ers, we too have a legacy to leave behind, yet it seems that at this time we are once again overshadowed by our fanatical forefathers (that they pioneered the hippie movement is another feather in their cap imho). For too long we have been watching the boomers’ every move with a mixture of aloofness, derision, passivity, yet I suspect most of all, a silent form of admirative envy. Let me illustrate with a few examples at home.

Singapore was largely shielded from the massive wave of consumerist values during the early years of independence. Yet I suspect that the nation has experienced a backlash through the Gen X’ers, and with good reason. We have seen our parents slave away for much of their lives, so that they can provide for us; only now are some of them finally able to rest and enjoy the fruits of their labour. And when it is our time to finally (reluctantly?) enter the workforce due to scholastic/national service commitments, we are determined to ensure that each ounce of work earns its full worth in pennies, pardon the colonial reference. Our parents are thankful to the establishment for its work done during those years, and tend to use elections as an opportunity to express their gratitude. This may seem anathema to most of us; returning a favour in the past is alright, so long as we are referring to the term of about 4-5 years, if not last quarter ;-)

Singapore’s boomers worked hard to forge a semblence of order amidst the chaos of the early 1960s, which none of us have experienced. They are wary of any threat to the status quo, and are reluctant to discuss ’sensitive’ issues, not for fear of their own safety, but for the safety of their children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, not many of us have given such issues as race, language or religion much thought, preferring instead to entertain ourselves to distraction in this island of plenty (or not enough, which again I suspect is a trait pioneered by us). After all, we have been placed in multi-racial schools, so we are all alike, aren’t we? And all of us Singaporeans speak English, right? For that matter, why bother about religion now that we have the almighty dollar (please forgive me as I don’t mean to blaspheme, only to make a point crystal clear)?

My friends, we are watching ourselves to the point to silly paralysis, and if we are not careful, we will watch the Gen Ys whizz right by us. These are the hyper-active, hyper-deficient attentive, hyper-courageous, hyper-internet savvy yet hyper-unguided conquerors-to-be who, beneath the cool veneer of multi-tasking bravado, seek for words of wisdom from those slightly older than themselves. In the absence of such leadership, Gen Y will find its own way, and hurtle headlong into either paradise or oblivion. Should they take the cue from the consumerists, the apologetic-environmentalists, or their erstwhile-distracted brethren?

If you’ve been reading this thus far and not gotten the point that we can indeed do something for this nation (and yes, it is in our best interests…), think about what stories you would be able to share with your children about your time here, however long it lasts. What values will we Handover to the next Generation?