Last Wednesday, the hub and I were chatting about work over dinner and he lamented about the laissez-faire attitude of his staff.
Based on our respective interactions with the Gen-Yers, we reached the same devastating conclusion that their somewhat misguided sense of superiority complex and self-worth will create a bleak future for Singapore.
Strong accusations, I know. For those of you who know me well, you'll also realise that I'm generally very forgiving and patient with these young(er) adults, and I've often stuck my neck out defending them.
However, once they're out of school and join the workforce, I cannot help but wonder if they've turned too soft and as a result, become adverse to adversity, and whether the education system (with myself as an educator included) is inadvertently responsible for churning out these young, brash and self-centred individuals who care only for themselves.
I don't mean to generalise, but this looks pretty much like the trend these days. Of course, I've met a few rare gems who stand out because of their maturity and humility; those who respect their seniors and willing to learn, and pay heed to advice of their older, wiser and experienced colleagues.
In the last few years, the hub and I have met with a few bizarre characters who've really puzzled us greatly with the actions. And many of these people can be roughly classified into two categories: Book Smarts and Street Smarts.
The Book Smarts are typical academic achievers who've coasted the choppy education waves with relative ease, scooping up numerous distinctions along the journey to scholastic success. Teachers love them. Parents adore them. On paper, these people can do no wrong: they ace their examinations, schooled to produce model answers during interviews to land them dream jobs and kick-start their careers with their heads held up high.
And that's when many of them spiral down the abyss of reality. Equipped with high IQ (and usually little EQ or AQ) skills, they naively treat the workplace like another learning academy without realising that their training wheels were stripped off the minute their respective diplomas and degrees were conferred upon them.
Many expect to be entrusted with important projects and fancy titles to display their glorious might, failing to realise - and here I quote Benjamin Parker of Spiderman fame - "with great power comes great responsibility". Despite being cautioned and advised, they commit blunder after blunder, often refusing to admit mistakes. Even if they do own up, they brazenly shrug their shoulders with a caustic "Oops. My bad!" remark, oblivious to the damage their actions have done to the organisation.
Not that they really care because it's not their fault in the first place. Why should they even bother to apologise? They don't owe the bosses anything. If things don't work out, they'll just move on to the next job. And the next. And next. And next. Until the perfect company offers them the perfect career where they can hone their perfect skills to perfection.
It is without any doubt that these Brains would go far in any profession they choose - if only they perceive less highly of their own abilities and be less self-indulgent, less self-absorbed, less selfish. This is truly the "ME! ME! ME! ME!" generation.
As many old-timers would attest: being a bookworm may get you the grades and open the gates to success. But that's only the beginning. To survive the corporate jungle, you need the right amount of cunning, tenacity, drive and attitude to survive.
In other words, the perfect combination of hardware and heartware.
And at the other end of the spectrum, the Street Smarts reign. This group of people are by no means less capable than their bookish counterparts. In fact, they are equally, if not more, intelligent than the Brains. Regrettably, many of them have been cruelly mislabelled as "failures" solely based on their less-than-perfect academic grades.
It's a terrible state to be in because one's self-worth is not measured purely by the number of distinctions achieved in examinations. Yet, Singapore's obsession with meritocracy has unfairly relegated the academically weaker population to the bottom of the barrel where many will remain, walled in behind psychologically created barriers. Some will content to move with the lot and wallow in self-pity, criticising the system, finding fault with society, the government or the entire world for their "cruel" fate.
Naturally, there will be the defiant few who'll claw back from the brink of assumed hopelessness, beat all odds and establish themselves in society. These are the success stories you'll read about in the media: how they suffered in their childhood because they were deemed dim-witted or slow, how their families rallied to support and encourage them to overcome obstacles to become role models.
Again, these are few and far, far between.
It's worrying because a handful of these Street Smarts will resort to short cuts, thievery and quick fixes to get out of the rut. Without adequate paper qualifications, they're often left to their own devices by taking on lower-paying jobs which serves to frustrate them even further. Dissatisfied with their inability to reel in top dollars at a consistent pace, many of them will hatch ingenious schemes to earn money quick and scams seem to be their modus operandi.
That's right. Just lock sweet lil' Ethics up in the storeroom (or bomb shelter, in some cases) and throw away the key.
Ironically, the duped ones are usually the Brains who love to believe that they're on top of the world and over-confident of their abilities to be victims of con jobs.
Outwit. Outplay. Outlast. Sounds familiar? It's the tag line from my all-time favourite reality TV show, Survivor. Take note of the winners and observe their various strategies in winning a million bucks.
Needless to say, Trouble will definitely come a-calling for the Street Smarts once their luck runs out. The quicker ones bail out before they're caught red-handed. They opt out and run before the game is up. But even those who've been dodging bullets by the skin of their teeth will eventually trip over their own shoe laces and snare themselves in a trap they'd initially laid for others.
I believe in Karma. Retribution. Even Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys agree that "What Goes Around Comes Around".
Forgive me if I sound bitter and negative, but my personal encounters over the past few years have wizened me up more than anyone can ever imagine. I tend to give individuals the benefit of the doubt when we first meet. At times, I can be overly naive and let down my guard after I've warmed up to them.
So betrayal can be a brutal stab in the back (and heart) because I would reflect on possible reasons for the sudden change in attitude and wonder what I'd done wrong. Perhaps the main problem stems from that fact that I care too much and sometimes in my sincere efforts to help, I overstep my boundaries.
At the ripe old age of 35-going-36, it's incredibly stupid that I still get affected by comments and remarks made by others. And then I take a step back and realise that there's nothing to be upset about because these individuals also have issues with other people, besides me.
2010 has been a mentally challenging and emotionally year so far. Thank goodness the hub's been supportive in his usual silent but reassuring stance. I know he's not having a whale of a time either, and I reciprocate by offering him my listening ear and accompanying him to his de-stress zone e.g. fishing trips. After 11 years of marriage, I've learnt to appreciate him more, and hopefully the feeling is mutual.
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