Wealth Over the Edge

"Wealth Over the Edge: Singapore" is a Wall Street Journal article that has been popular with many friends on Facebook. It takes a look at how Singapore is now the playground for the rich, why they're gathering here more so than anywhere else in the world. It's refreshing, with a standard of reporting that's sorely lacking in local paper, and objective, stating the highs without ignoring the lows. Like the fact that you can't have a nightspot selling a glass of $26k champagne with a diamond in it without having a Ferrari crash into a taxi.

What's undeniable is that the same people who have brought their riches to Singapore are the ones driving prices up - property prices, car prices, food prices. Of course I do buy in to the logic that it's preferable that they spend their money here. With that comes their businesses here and talent! But it puts a lot of pressure on the average Singaporean who definitely has aspirations of being anything but average. We want it all - from having a place to call our own to owning items from luxury brands that have set up shop along Orchard Road and Marina Bay Sands. It all seems out of reach. 

That's why our priorities are a little skewed and work-life balance is a myth.

All these aside, the same things that attract the rich to our shores are the advantages that we take for granted. - order, predictability and control. Maybe, instead of whining about how difficult it is living here, we need to find ways of exploiting the situation,  using the winds to our benefit.  This moment, more than any other in the country's history, we're wealthy and there are opportunities abound. 

Rather than wallow in self-pity or angry facebook posts, maybe it's time to channel our energy into finding a way to get what we want and eventually, be satisfied with the life we lead.