The New 5 C’s For Modern Singapore

It’s long been said that the main focus of Singapore is the economy. Everything has a price and productivity is the top concern of government officials today.

“Productivity must increase so that wages can increase,” says Minister So-and-so on an almost daily basis. I am unsure how exactly productivity is measured, but I’d reckon it is GDP dollars generated per hours spent. I always say that too much emphasis is spent increasing the numerator, and too little spent decreasing the denominator.

Our founding father Lee Kuan Yew placed the economy above all other matters, because he saw it as the way to get Singaporeans out of poverty, and to propel the nation forward from third-world country to first-world. He was right on that count.

However, this created a materialistic mindset among Singaporeans and to acquire status in society, we chased what became known as the 5 C’s: Cash, Credit card, Car, Condominium, Country club membership.

Along the way, we lost some Cs, such as Courtesy. Our government tried to remind us of the need to be courteous. Children of the 80s and 90s grew up knowing Singa, the lion, who was the mascot of the courtesy campaign. Singa resigned in 2013, probably burned out after working for so long without seeing much success. Along with that, we forgot about Compassion. In the fight to be first, we left behind those who could not keep up.

In this past year, I’ve had the privilege of associating with a new generation of young adults who think very differently from the previous generation. This community seems to reject the materialism that pervades the Singapore society, as if they were saying, “Enough!”

If I were to ascribe 5 C’s to them, here’s what I’d use:

1. Consideration
What immediately strikes me about this group of young adults is that they care about others. It’s not that the typical Singaporean does not care. We do, but only after we’ve taken care of ourselves. This new generation looks beyond their own needs and wants. They are observant to the needs of others and they take the initiative to reach out to others, creating

2. Connection
These young people connect with others, not just across social media but in person. They see the value of taking those online relationships offline into the real world.

The typical Singaporean is so busy all the time, never making time to connect with old friends and acquaintances. Any connection made is usually for professional reasons, all in the name of pursuing career development which leads to higher income.

The new generation is different. They connect with people from all walks of life, and everyone who meets them are drawn to them. Everyone who engages them wants to be a part of what they’re doing. Everyone wants

3. Collaboration
As connections grow deeper, everyone wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It’s a stark contrast from the materialistic world where every one looks out only for themselves and their own survival. Here, people come together to collaborate in win-win situations not just for themselves but for the greater good of society. This collaborative nature leads to

4. Community
It’s a group that grows over time as people get added to it. It’s not a passive group, but everyone wants to contribute in some way. The spirit is infectious. I’ve seen how even the most reserved who keep to themselves eventually open up and share their gifts with the community. When everyone does this, the next thing that happens is

5. Creation
Stuff gets created when two or more people come together, work together, live together. Thanks to synergy, the stuff that gets created are more than the sum of their contributions. Something magical takes place, something that changes the world, not just for the contributors, not just for the community, but for the society at large.

These 5 C’s which characterise this generation of young people will save Singapore from itself.