We're Screwed, Still

I was watching Idol Gives Back last night and it reaffirms the fact that we've farked ourselves as people. It's quite depressing to know that a kid dies every 30 seconds because of malaria, that there are 14 millions orphans in Africa because their parents died of HIV/Aids and kids in the US can't play outside because they might get shot in a drive-by gang shootout. The developed world is concerned about money, oil and not getting blown up while teenagers in Africa can't go to school because they have to look for food each day for 3-4 younger siblings.

Carrie Underwood sang George Michael's Praying For Time, and suddenly the weight of the tune hit me.

"These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars and the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But we'll take our chances
Because God's stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us alt out to play
Turned his back and all God's children
Crept out the back door"

It seems that way doesn't it? We've all just run off and done our selfish things. Left to our own devices, we have carved out the world and exploited its resources and each other to feed the greed and our love of money. I suppose it was a natural progression of survival of the fittest, survival against competition. The competition is us. Cavemen beat each other up for the nicest cave and hairiest women. The Greeks beat up anyone who wanted to picnic on their beaches. The Roman Catholic Empire used religion to drive the non-aligned out of town. So did the early Arabs. We even fought wars over salt and pepper. Sounds all quite dumb now.

In Singapore, we are ingrained to be the best. Maybe it started from us getting kicked out of Malaysia and having to fend for ourselves. After we got into a cushy state, we started to get snooty. Unashamedly, many Singaporeans rub in it our neighbour's face. What we hardly appreciate is how lucky we have been and are now. If you keep your food in a refrigerator, your clothes in a closet, have a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in, you are richer than 75% of the entire world population (Miniature-earth.com). It's so easy to take what we have for granted. Worse still, we have become immune to bad news, apathetic to the pain of those less well off. Out of sight, out of mind. "It doesn't happen in Singapore". We are more concerned about clothes, cars, parties, promotions and wedding dinners. Me, me, me mostly.

Given our state of screwedupness, I think some people were hoping that Christ did come around and wiped the slate clean when we toasted the turn of the millennium. In Star Trek, we, as a planet, woke up our ideas when the Vulcans accidentally came across a light speed signature and paid us a visit. Then we met some bad ass aliens but that's another story. If there's ever a time for divine intervention, this could be it.

I know I wrote a similar post after I watched Blood Diamonds last year. Don't think we have changed very much. Sigh. I visa-ed $20, and went to sleep, and had a hard time waking up this morning.