Cultural Thoughts

A few cultural topics came into my mind today while travelling on the bus.

First of which is the pace of Japanese culture and in particular, as Brad mentioned in class, punctuality. I think many of us do not realize how important being on time is in Japanese culture. Being late reflects you as rebellion and even egocentric. It is a big deal in Japan- even a minute late could scratch a much lucrative deal.

My father is a trader/businessman who works with a Japanese company for almost 20 years. At home, my family always say he is always excited and early about doing things. For instance, if we have a dinner appointment at 7pm, he'll say that we'll leave house at 6.15 - more than sufficient time to reach our destination. But more often than not, he would be ready by 6pm and start to hassle everyone else to hurry up. Perhaps working with the Japanese have unconsciously made him part of that culture, in terms of punctuality.


Singapore has a population of just over 5 million, but only about 3 million are born and raised in Singapore. 1 million are permanent residents and the other 1 million are non-permanent. This figure is startling to me because our true culture is essentially only 3/5. One might say that having the other 2 million adds color to the original culture. Our country has always been a multi-cultural society, adding to the diversity of Singapore- and public holidays. I just feel that somehow, somewhere, Singapore is losing it's true identity. We are so focused on achieving economic growth that we just leave behind the past. Singapore's alittle bit like a kid fed with growth enhancing drugs- great in the short run, but the long term effects might not be too rosy. 3rd world country to 1st in one generation: now that's scary. Singapore is fast losing it's "country" status, and instead becoming a business corporation.