ISSUE VII: Aspirations of youths and why parents matter.

I must state that this entry may not reflect the aspirations of all local youth. The scope of 'local youths' in this article is confined to the youths that I know. Obviously I do not know all the youths in Singapore.

Three years ago, I was forced to listen to a very typical and boring election speech. A prefectorial board election speech. It cannot be considered a rally because if its agenda was to rally the feelings of the crowd, it would have failed miserably. Anyway, back to the speech: The speaker was the prefect nominee by the name of Barry Tng or Barry Ting or Barry Tang. The surname is of minimal importance here. Barry was a small boy. In fact, if his growth hormones are still not fully activated, he can be considered a midget. Anyway, the size is of minimal importance too. But, Barry, if you need to change your name to Sam or Frodo, you can go to any law firm. Anyway, the name is also of little importance here. The important subject is that little Barry had huge aspirations. He was very power-hungry. He wanted to achieve greatness. He wanted to be Prime Minister.
I am sure Barry would not mind his name being plastered all around the place here because if he wants to achieve his aspiration, he would need all the publicity he can get. And Veritas Post shall help him, right here, right now. You're welcome, Barry.

It was very bold of Barry to exclaim, "I want to be Prime Minister!" in his speech. He sounded determined. He was a boy of burning ambition. He had lofty aspirations. He was marvellously humourous. He was also superbly unrealistic.

Singapore youths are perfectly normal youths. We have aspirations, both short term and long term ones, both realistic and far-fetched ones. Some of my friends want to be doctors, bankers, engineers, dentists, lawyers, soldiers (rank to be debated further), environmentalists, teachers, etc. I respect their aspirations, their ambitions, because they work hard for their desires. They plan ahead and are realistic with themselves. For example, my friend who wants to be an engineer is a brilliant student in Math and Physics. He focused on his niche areas. He worked hard and humbly. Another friend who wants to be a doctor dropped physics to study biology. He is diligent and honest with himself.

But the startling question is: Why do youths here not aspire to be entrepreneurs? Entrepreneurs are the richest people around. In addition, the open houses of the business faculties the various local universities received an overwhelming response this year. Many people want to earn business degrees. Yet they do not aspire to be entrepreneurs.

There are factors aplenty, but the only one that I will discuss today is that of parents. Let's examine one typical example: My parents work in the financial sector. After reading the recent news regarding the tumble of the US dollar, I did my calculations immediately. I worked hard doing research about currency investments. I asked my dad for his opinion. I checked the Internet for past trends. I read about Greenspan and all his economists friends. Since I was moderately confident about the rise of the dollar in the future, I wanted to invest a sum of money in the US dollar soon. I knew when was the right time to buy the US dollar. I could earn some dividends, some real money.

But my mum outrageously vetoed my decision to withdraw money from my bank account. I was shocked. All my research was thrown out of the window because my mum does not want to introduce her son into the precarious and risky world of investments. I immediately argued my case with her, but in the worse judiciary system in the world, even the most eloquent arguments could not sway the single juror. I mentioned Mr Buffett, she didn't listen. I presented my research, she didn't listen. I said if I can earn the money, she can cut down on my allowance, and she use the saved money to buy her clothes or whatever shoes. She knew I could earn some money. She just didn't listen.

And that was not her first time shooting down my desire to earn some cash of my own. For many years, she stopped me when I wanted to sell some of my products and services. She simply wanted to destroy my entrepreneurial spirit.

So parents play an important role. If they are adamant not to let their children learn how to take risks, how can they cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship?

Parents influence the way their children think and act. Directly or indirectly. My interest in political and social issues was kindled by my dad. George Washington learnt the value of honesty from his father. My sister caught the shopping infection from my mum. Most likely little Barry's parents were the main influences behind his aspiration. If we have people who aspire unrealistically high political positions, we can easily attract youths to be entrepreneurs.

So maybe the government should look at this issue from another point of view. Instead of engaging youths to chase more entrepreneurial aspirations, they should target the parents. Haul the parents in for a major brainwashing session. Encourage the parents to encourage their children. Start with a lady named Mrs Hu.