I have without any real basis aside from more subjectively better facial and bodily features of foreigners usually have had such a high regard for them foreigners, europeans to be specific. Besides they have the rich history and culture dating from since the earliest account that has been made of their civilization. They have always seemed advance or ahead in progress. I admire them and sometimes envy the seeming superiority of the western race. After all, from that part of the world came the most famous conquests, the most controversial or sadistic human murder,the first advances in industrialization,modern technology, advancement of all kinds.
I am currently reading the second book of the Millenium Series by Stiegg Larsson. This series is the first I have read written on Swedish background. I am not getting a very good picture of the country. All I know about it is its blue flag with a vertical cross in yellow aligned and regarded by me in the past with awe due to its association with the European Nations. Upon reading this, I read sick sexual relationships (the husband that concedes to the woman having an affair, the woman that regards a threesome as the most fulfilling sexual act for her), men in authority involved in base exploits (true for the movie The Whistleblower as well), and the overall disregard for humane values. With just the flag as my image of Sweden, this book is not painting a very flattering image of the country. I am just as lacking in information with regard the country's economy or present stature in the overall world ranking. I guess I am ignorant but I think I am right in asserting that the other European countries have advanced to such a liberated degree that they hold the same stance with regard sexual relationships. Spain.France.Netherlands.Holland for example. One. It just might be that sooner or later some movies will be based on some true story on the corruption and debased conjectures in one or those european countries.
I was led to ask myself:
Is this where progress leads to?
But then again here I am right now living in a first world country, declared as one of the three most uncorrupt countries in the world (together with Denmark and New Zealand) at least as of the time when that survey was taken which was last year (2010). Singapore is a country I have fallen in love with, a note of dejection on that statement since for the last two months and counting I feel like Singapore has not yet officially accepted me through a job offer. That is however beside the case. I was thinking of calling it quits after four months here without any job and just going back to the Philippines but then I remembered what it was like there. No doubt I can get a job again with more ease than before (I have been getting interview trainings here) and a high paying job at that. However, I remember the noise, the pollution, the daily emotional upset the people or the circumstances evoke from me because everyone was trying to get ahead or take advantage of other people compared to the ease and simplicity of living here because the people are objective, rational, think holistically, law-abiding. I would just like to add as a rebuttal to statements that Singapore can be easily managed unlike the Philippines because it is such a small country, often adding that it is not even bigger than the whole metropolitan region of the Philippines. To that statement, I would say that size is not the determining factor on a country's development. Singapore is not even in the top ten of the smallest countries in the world, without any need to mention but which I would like to add that none among the top ten smallest countries in the world make it to the top ten most progressive countries in the world. So size is not an advantage or a disadvantage.
Going back to the thoughts which formulated this entry, I am glad Singapore is a first-world country that still has its morals and values in tact. So I guess it is not about GDP or economy either, it's all about the management, how those with power accommodate their talents.
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