It's been interesting to learn a little more about Singapore than I knew in the past. Singapore may seem like a first world country, and on the surface it is in many ways. But it is certainly not a western country. It is a developed Asian country. But the real reality is that there are a lot of migrant workers here who get paid very low wages, and the country could not survive without them. This is not the true mark of a developed country. We have had some discussions about the fact that life is not valued very highly here, and that people are not very generous. It leads me to wonder, how many of the things we see as marks of a developed society in the west are actually there from our Christian past, but are aspects of society that are fading, as we become more selfish in the west. Development of society on an economic level is not a good indicator of the health of a society. Generosity and compassion are much better indicators.
Some photos of Singapore for you.
Singapore is very hot and humid. Nevertheless a lot of activity happens outdoors. There were lots of markets on the street which distinguishes this as Asia, not a western country.
Gary and Kim, old friends from Students for Christ, and their boys.
A car license is expensive in Singapore, around $100 000. So there are a lot of motorbikes on the road.
Need something frivolous to spend your money on? Shopping is a national pastime in Singapore.
There are three main segments of society in Singapore. The Chinese who speak Mandarin and are either Buddhist or Christian. The Malay are usually Muslims. The Tamil Indians are Hindu. Below is a Hindu shrine I saw in a back alley. In addition nearly everyone speaks English. The four official languages of Singapore are English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
I couldn't hold the camera straight.
The masked migrant whipper snipper.
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