There is no definite date for the exact origin of religion, though there is credible evidence that religious behaviour was already in place in the Middle Paleolithic era. It also means that for it to have existed in the Middle Paleolithic ages it must have started and evolved possibly in the Lower Paleolithic period.
As the concept of religion grew, the evolution of Good and Evil , Order and Chaos, and Virtue and Sin also came forth. When we think of Sin, immediately images of a nubile luscious Eve, the sensuous Serpent and the delectable fresh Apple flood through our brains.
But what is Sin? Merriam-Webster defines Sin as,
“ 1a: an offense against religious or moral law
b: an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible
c: an often serious shortcoming”
However due to our immensely wide and varied culture, one man’s meat may be another man’s poison, though of course there are still traits or behaviours that are universally frowned upon.
Hence I am proud to announce our very own Singaporean version of the Deadly Sins.
Jiak Chor
In our endless, extremely competitive society, we are always pressured with the need to be better than anyone else. And this also means possessing better and bigger(or smaller) material goods. Envy sometimes borders upon Greed, though in a literal sense, Envy is more of a classic case of Castration Anxiety, a concept put forth by Sigmund Freud.
Look no further than our uber ultra fantastic array of mobile phones of all shapes, sizes and colours that are available in the market. The Powers That Be knows that we are constantly driven green with envy over what our friends possess, and thus it was by no coincidence that Singapore was chosen as one of the mobile testing centres by Nokia
So if you have an iPhone, then I must have one too. And if we both have iPhones, then I must have some other fantastic gadget or app that goes along with it. And if you have it too… then… uh… I’m painting my iPhone bright pink with sparkles on it!
Du Lan
It has been proven that a large number of crimes were committed out of anger. It is an emotion that truly takes over a person in all but soul. The affected person becomes an utter monster when under the influences of the insidious entity, capable of any heinous acts of depravity.
It was anger that led Adrian Lim to murder two innocent children, in one of the most infamous and sensational cases in Singapore history. It was also anger that led to a series of rash and impulsive racist bloggings, which, incidentally, also became one of the biggest cases in Singapore law history.
Anger is everywhere. From the common housewives bickering over who gets the last of the fattest duck, to CEOs fighting over for the choice bit of land for development purposes.
The question is do we control it, or let it control us?
Kia Si
We are a very sheltered people living in a very sheltered country. We have no natural disasters to speak of, as well as being blessed with geographic buffers on all sides. We are also fortunate enough to have a benevolent and wise “gahmen” with the psychic powers of foresight who guides and nurtures us in every possible way.
Unfortunately the drawback of this immense, almost suffocating mothering, has resulted in many of us being desperately afraid of the harshness of the real world. Many of us live at home in the same flat as our parents because we are too afraid to foray out on our own. Many of us lack the capabilities to truly be independent, and because we were brought up being spoon-fed, the thought of moving away from familiar grounds terrifies us.
As much as we love to laugh, jeer and sneer at our Malaysian counterparts, at least they have the courage to leave their hometown to work in a totally different country at such a tender young age. Where were we at their age? Busy playing our xbox in our parents’ house?
And NO!!! Leaving home from Sengkang to work in Tuas does NOT count. Don’t even think about it!!
Hum Sup
Even though the Durex Sex Survey 2008 has shown that only a modest 62% of Singaporeans are having sex weekly, Yours Truly felt that it did not accurately portray us in the truest sense. Being Asian and Singaporeans, we were probably more self conscious and shy about admitting that we were actually the Duracell Bunny in human guise.
Yours Truly and the SO had been to numerous budget hotels at various times of the day, with the intention of having a quickie fling. To my immense surprise we were informed that the rooms were all filled! Yes the quickie rooms in the afternoon on a weekday!!! Wow don’t people need to work?!
And the scores and scores of people entering and leaving the building were truly astonishing! There were people of all shapes, sizes, race and ages! From the executive looking couple to the auntie selling vegetables at the wet market! Serious!! I kid you not!
So the survey about Singaporeans having less sex than our Asian counterparts? Ha!! Obviously they have never been to Hotel81. Imagine no rooms for a romp at 4pm on a weekday! Disgraceful sluts!
Tam Sim
When it comes to being greedy, we’re certainly no novices. Look no further than at a typical buffet lunch or better yet, a buffet dinner to see gluttony at work, especially if the menu features seafood like prawns or crabs. Sometimes Yours Truly feel that pigs at their dinner trough have more table manners!
However we are not merely just tam-sim in terms of food. We have managed to incorporate it and disguise it cleverly as donations for charitable causes! Anyone remember the infamous NKF Scandal, and even more recently, the Ren Ci Hospital scandal, involving the abbot Shi Ming Yi?
It is sad that the tam-sim-ness has managed to worm its way into the hearts of even the most altruistic of persons. There is a saying, that the Earth can satisfy our Need, but She won’t be able to satisfy our Greed.
So who is next to have gold taps installed?
Ai Swee Mai Mia
There is a reason why the beauty industry has always been flourishing and has never ever truly fallen short. We are all obsessed with the need to look young, thin and utterly ravishing beyond belief!! In fact it is probably the secret desire of every one of us to be like the legendary Helen of Troy, the Face that Launched A Thousand Ships.
In some cases, we value even vanity over life! Yours Truly believes that everyone remembers all too well the incident which involved “You Know Who” and her Magic Beans. Here’s a brief recap just in case if anyone is suffering from dementia, “You Know Who” felt that she was growing horizontally, and she was going all loony-tunes over it. Along the way “You Know Who” met a merchant who traded her some magic beans for a cow.
Except that these beans didn’t grow a giant beanstalk that led to a beautiful land with treasures. The magic beans instead claimed one of her organs, and Jack had to save her instead.
One can only wonder how much a person would go for the sake of looking Swee.
Si Bey Hao Lian
We love to showcase our successes, regardless of whether they are major or mediocre ones, and use them to compare against our neighbouring countries. In our attempts to boast and show off our modest achievements, we make the most ludicrous of claims, which makes me cringes with horror that they are being broadcast to the rest of the world.
Some examples are,
Asia’s Oxford/Cambridge
Asia’s Arts Hub
For starters, have you guys ever viewed the advertising for one of our local universities? Go check it out on Youtube. I promise you won’t be disappointed at our gall and “pride”.
Now if you would excuse me, I have to go throw up.
Bo Si Kang
Punctuality is a still a huge issue with Singaporeans. Whenever Yours Truly has to attend a wedding dinner, there comes the huge dilemma.
Should I be considerate and turn up on time? You know, out of respect for the happy newly-wedded couple. Never mind that legally they were already married months, and some even years before!
Or should I go late because everyone else will be late, and, if I were to go on time, I would end up sitting like an idiot waiting for the entire banquet to turn up!?!
Seriously why has this lateness mentality been so prevalent in Singaporeans? Where did this come from? Did it not occur to us to be actually early, if not on time?
Bo Ka Si
Despite the years and years of courtesy doctrine being brainwashed into Singaporeans, it’s clear that, for some reason, it is failing miserably. Everyone seems to truly believe that their father built the road, the HDB flat, the shopping mall, the public toilet, the mrt, the buses… etc.
While we are relatively “restrained” in Singapore, we show our truest, real, absolute colour when we are out of the country: slime green and mud brown. The amount of bad behaviour we exhibit when we are truly free is so appalling that at times Yours Truly feels “slightly” embarrassed to admit citizenship to Singapore.
Try going on a holiday with a bunch of middle class Singaporeans to a less developed country. Take along a mask to hide your face, and be sure to proclaim no affiliation to them when they start to behave like a flock of vultures!
You Queued Or Not?
Quite simply put… “YOU AIN’T SINGAPOREAN IF YOU HAVE NEVER QUEUED FOR SOMETHING USELESS BEFORE!!”
It is the most Deadly, most Evil and most Diabolical Sin ever!
We queue for truly utterly useless stuff like…
1. Bubble Teas
2. Coffee Buns
3. Pork Floss Buns
4. Donuts
5. Hello Kitty
This ailment afflicts any Singaporean regardless of age, religion, sex, shape, sexuality and creed. Only a few people are truly immune to this Sin, of which one of whom you are staring at now. Me! Yours Truly!
From time to time, however, we do actually queue for useful items like the iPhone. But that’s extremely rare, and the impact is minimal compared to the useless-item-queues we habitate. We prefer to queue for hours for something that we can finish in one mouthful, or truly redundant items.
For those who protest and decry about this, let Yours Truly ask you one question. Your “hard earned” Hello Kitty dolls, those that you queued for hours, and endured scorching desert suns, blistering winds, climbs to the top of the bloody highest tower… where is it now?
So there you go folks… the 10 Singaporean Deadly Sins of which we are all so guilty of. In fact Yours Truly is so guilty of some of the Sins that I have to leave you now for confession!
Yours Truly
