Have we truly lost our soul as a nation?
Posted by yesterday.sg under Blogging, Buildings and Monuments, Personal, Reflections
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There was an interesting forum letter in today’s Straits Times (ST Feb 24 2009).
The writer was lamenting about a loss of many familiar places and quoted an earlier letter saying that in clearing many historical landmarks, Singapore had lost part of its soul.
What was even more stark were many of the comments which seemed to more than just a tad pessimistic to say the least!
No one can deny that there is a ring of truth in all many historical buildings are no more. It is always regrettable when places which held fond memories are torn down in the name of progress. But it’s also a matter of balance. In a country where land is always in short supply, there must be some give and take. And many buildings of historical interest have been preserved. Should we be preserving a kampong for its own sake or just as a backdrop for some touristy snapshot? Does the soul lie in brick and mortar or in the hearts and minds of the people?
I would like to think that a balance of sorts has been struck here in Singapore. What are your thoughts …
Anyways … here’s the Forum Page letter:
Where did you go, my Singapore of old?
I AM a 45-year-old Singaporean much in love with this country, which I am proud to call home. Over the years, I have visited a few other beautiful countries, but I cannot see myself living anywhere else but in Singapore.
However, as much as I call Singapore my home, there is almost nothing of it I can connect to when I try to look back in memory.
A few weeks ago, I decided to drive my parents around to revisit places to try to recapture the fond memories of our earlier years. There was almost no place familiar left to go. Almost everything has been eradicated. It was a sad morning.
I am sure, to the zealots of change and development, this means nothing at all, and others may say people like me are like a broken record (nostalgia) that gets stuck and plays the same thing over and over, but I feel it is very sad.
The little we have left is also about to go: the last kampung in Buangkok, the New Seventh Storey Hotel and so on. Who needs the kampung in Buangkok when there is the shiny plastic version in Geylang Serai, right? After all, it is clean, safe and pristine.
With reference to last Monday’s letter by Ms Lisa Healey-Cunico, ‘Let Singapore shape itself naturally’, I fully agree that Singapore has lost much of its soul. It truly seems we have an unquenchable need to wipe out and develop anything and everything. Alternatively, if a place is deemed worthy of heritage, redevelopment sets in with the original tenants, who contributed to the colour of the place, removed because of high rent and commercialisation.
Maybe I am just getting old, but I would like to be able to visit some places in Singapore with nothing added but a few coats of paint over the years. I resort to flea markets for photocopy pictures sold at three for $10. I used these to share old stories with my parents and daughters. That is all there is. Needless to say, one of my favourite haunts is Sungei Road. I am certain it is already in someone’s plans for eradication.
I appeal to whoever can make the difference, please leave some things as they are.
I love you, Singapore, but I fear I do not remember you.
Vincent Paul Carthigasu
+2
(10) Comments
Posted by: acroamatic
Posted on: February 24th, 2009
Does the soul lie in brick and mortar or in the hearts and minds of the people? No doubt it lies in the hearts and minds of the people. But it is our nature to associate memories with physical objects and places. They help us to remember. Sure, we have tons of photos - memory aids - now since many people have a digital camera. That in itself is no guarantee of capturing a place - we take it for granted certain things will be around as long as we are. So, when I look around and don't see much from my youth (and I'm barely past 30), it makes me feel a sense of loss.
Posted by: P.J.
Posted on: February 24th, 2009
Yes acromatic, I can understand and share that sense of loss but the practical person inside weighs that against the need for the country to move on - uncaring as dat may seem. It would be great to have the Singapore of old live side by side with the city of the future but where would you put everything?? So while we remember the old, let's not forget that there are new memories out there waiting to be made.
Posted by: vickoo
Posted on: February 25th, 2009
Whenever you feel nostalgic, there always be yesterday.sg for you to do a virtual tour.
Posted by: Samuel
Posted on: February 25th, 2009
I take the view that home is where the heart is. How can the heart stay here when your home and supporting buildings is demolished? Also, where else has it to go when your entire environment is in flux, constantly changing and moving? It is arguable to say that the people's hearts should belong to the country, not just a housing estate. However, what is more intimate to you, you will remember and long for more, even if it is a boring old block of flats. We do not always go to memorials like Cityhall or the Istana, but we do go back home every day. The feeling of familiarly and safety is hard to relinquish and not easy to regain. I am not opposed to progress, in fact I do admit that the only constant is change, but this massive and constant upheaval can only do harm to a young nation which has precious few roots of it's own. Case in point, I was moved from my previous home of 10 years, where I made good friends and moved into Jurong East, into a condominium. Fast forward 10 years, and I have adapted to the area and it's surroundings. It would be difficult to uproot myself from this area and move another place. I might be inclined to move overseas then and the loss is on Singapore. This is also why I will block any moves to en bloc. Anyone that treats my place as a monetary opportunity can jolly well move out him or herself. In conclusion, the bulldozers will come, the shopping malls will come and the shophouses will come down. But for pete's sake, lets have some stability, especially in our homes. Samuel Koh
Posted by: jing
Posted on: February 26th, 2009
Memories are not built on physical objects. Memories will live long after buildings are torn down. I feel that memories or history and heritage are passed down from one generation to another via word of mouth or books. That's what's important. Singaporeans, in general, do not make such special trips to reminisce. Most Singaporeans also do not appreciate old buildings or areas until they are about to be torn down. Take the last kampung in Buangkok for example. People are only rushing down now because it's reported in the news that it will be gone soon. It makes sense that the government would have to replace the old areas and buildings with newer ones because Singapore has limited land space, but more people are coming into Singapore to stay.
Posted by: acroamatic
Posted on: February 26th, 2009
@P.J. ...the practical person inside weighs that against the need for the country to move on. To me, that is a false dichotomy. Progress at what price? @jing Memories are not built on physical objects. Memories will live long after buildings are torn down. I feel that memories or history and heritage are passed down from one generation to another via word of mouth or books. While interest in heritage is picking up, I don't think most parents or grandparents are passing down stories through word-of-mouth or books. Otherwise there would be a proliferation of community-inspired and produced heritage books in the stores! Or even many more contributors to Yesterday.sg.
Posted by: P.J.
Posted on: February 26th, 2009
Progress at what price? ... Let's get real here people .... everything has a price. You live in a country that has one of the highest standards of living in the world - think that happened by accident? As jing rightly pointed out, there are way too many people who bemoan the loss of a building when it's gone. They wail with indignation after the fact but did nothing but did nothing to appreciate it when that building was around. Guess some people just don't appreciate the water till the well runs dry.
Posted by: acroamatic
Posted on: February 26th, 2009
Thanks to our pragmatism and devotion to progress, we apply what I call the 'disposable mentality' to most things. Building a bit old? Demolish and build bigger. Mobile phone slightly dated? Trade-in and get the latest model. Aging parents in the way? Send them to an old age home in JB. It's cheaper there. Vincent asks whether we have truly lost our soul as a nation. Perhaps we should ask if we ever had one, or whether we are only about prosperity and progress. (The assumption being that happiness flows from those two.)
Posted by: seenthisscenethat
Posted on: February 26th, 2009
I feel that reshaping our landscape by tearing down old places affects people's lives and our shared sense of belonging. What define our personal lives and sense of belonging are the layers of relationships we forge in the physical places that we grow up in. Our shared memory comes from the daily moments spent at places that touch our lives - like the flats we live in, the primary schools we attend or the markets we shop at. We build connections whenever we interact with our families, neighbours, shopkeepers, classmates, teachers, etc. These physical places serve as common foundations for people to interact, and in the process build up our sense of belonging to a community. Taking away these places will tear the physical linkages to a common past. Without a physical place to peg our memory to, memories will fade away as we age and pass on. If nothing is done, time will eventually leave us with no trace of who we are and no trace of what we stand for. Present-day progress and development have been remarkable, at some expense to our landscape. When a familiar place gets torn down, the sense of loss to me is real. You could argue that I should face up to the change and move on. But it is difficult. For those who have lived in the same place for decades, where you've spent your growing up years, only to lose it to redevelopment is a bitter pill to swallow. Measures like sharing photographs, video recordings, word-of-mouth transfer, writing history books, yesterday.sg blogging, or even heritage conservation can only help mitigate this sense of loss. They can never replace the real things.
Posted by: nanie
Posted on: April 22nd, 2009
Yes!!!...I thought I was the only one feeling this way...I am only in my 20s but when I go back to my childhood places, I can't even recognise it anymore!..bt anyway...me n my frens are doing a game for NHB...it'll be available soon!!...its abt singapore's history n culture...we're hoping to use a game platform to target youngsters and adults alike...our company name is square root 25..keep a lookout...
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