A song to remind us

I found this video when I was trawling through the web looking for pictures to make into a slideshow for my school's IC Collection Ceremony, of which I am in charge of. I was really excited when I found it because this was just what I needed; images to remind my students of their Singaporean identity and what Singapore means to them. I am really grateful to Pastor Rony Tan, the creator of this video for putting this video on youtube just when I needed it, and more importantly, this video has rekindled my love for Singapore at a time when it has dropped to an all-time low.

I have been pretty patriotic most of my life; as a kid, I led the school in the daily reciting of the pledge. As a cadet scout and later a scout, I promised to do my best, to do my duty to the republic of Singapore (I did!). As a soldier, I was trained to obey instructions and lay my life for Singapore if need be. I grew up reading about Lim Bo Seng, Lt Adnan Said and Force 136. I told myself I wanted to be like these brave souls. But over the years, this feeling of patrioticism has died down.

This video is a timely reminder to me of the great steps that Singapore has taken; from a struggling young nation to where we are today. We have gotten where we are, not only due to the vision of one man, but also due to the sacrifices of many people. These people have overcomed all sorts of difficulties so that we can have the life we have now. Just as they went against the odds, so we will also persevere and make Singapore the home that we long for. We must not let Singapore rot, otherwise the efforts of those before us will go down the drain.

Press on Singapore!