Can we be happy?

It's difficult living in Singapore. There are too many people here. There are too many vehicles on the road. Prices are perpetually on an upward trend while salaries dun seem to be reacting correspondingly. Gripes can be heard everywhere from Holland Rd to Geylang. This year alone, petrol prices jumped 4 times. In the same vein, so am I

Heard on the radio that there's a contest of sorts to find The Happiest Person in Singapore. The general consensus is that Singaporeans are a very sad bunch, we all seem to look at the glass half empty, instead of half full. Personally, I think it's true. Many of us just want an easy life - that's the Singaporean dream. That explains the long queues in 4D shops whenever there's a big prize at stake. Heck, I've even seen a pakcik with a songkok and batik printed shirt in one of the lines, hopefully clinging on to that ticket.

It doesn't help that probably 70% of us don't earn more than $3.5K a month. With ever-escalating prices everywhere, increase in GST, increases in utilities bill, many Singaporeans are, in effect, living hand-to-mouth. Whatever we earn at the end of the month goes towards paying bills with little left over for luxuries. With so many worries on our minds, mostly financial, can we ever be happy?

It all depends on what one expects of their lives. While there are those amongst us who would be happy with a 5-figure savings account, there are many more who wouldn't be happy till they see a 7-figure number in their accounts. It's easier said than done to be happy, when our minds are weighted down by incessant worrying. That said, we all could do with a step back and take a deep breath, just to see how lucky we are that we don't have to dodge stray bullets and 500-pound bombs exploding meters away from us.

A few days ago, my wife was looking through this site and saw a few posts with regards to the few amongst the muslims who tarnish the name of our religion by openly eating non-halal food and chugging down alcohols. I think my friends post about the malay girl who bought fishballs was by far the funniest. I mean, it's common sense when someone highlights to you that it's not permissible for you to eat it, then you should refrain from eating it. Heck, even my vegetarian colleagues would avoid eating at places where there are no vegetarian food, much less eat something with even a hint of animal derivatives in it. And they don't even have a "halal" certification to assuage their fears of the food being permissible. We do yet we ignore.

I admit that I'm far from being a good muslim. However, I stay away from non-halal food, and I definitely stay away from alcohol. Once, I was one of those who hung around coffee shops till the wee hours with my bike gang. There were those amongst us who drank. While it did make me uneasy, I hung around - for friendship. After a while though, I decided that I didn't want to lead that kind of lifestyle - the Mat lifestyle. So, I began to stay away, detaching myself from the group.

I reasoned that even though I do not drink, being around them and keeping quiet about it means I'm condoning them. I knew that I'm in no position to lecture them or advice them. I know that the sense of companionship and belonging to a certain clique may seem worth it to some, but to me, I wouldn't want to be in that position where I am morally in conflict with myself. Thus, rather than be privy to their party, I kept away.

Think of it this way, in any court of law, if you are privy to a robbery or an act of terrorism being planned and you kept quiet about it because those planning it are lifelong friends, you are as equally culpable. Case in point, the guy who did not report to the police when he saw the friend with his rifle in a Geylang hotel. He's charged and subsequently convicted. The same goes for us. Knowing a fellow muslim drinks and us doing nothing about it makes us equally culpable.

Yeah, I know I may have brickbats coming my way with the "lu punya kubur lu jaga, gua punya kubur gua jaga" jibes but me keeping my mouth shut means I'm condoning the actions of some of my friends. Thus, here I say it with the hope that when I go to the grave, I go with a clear conscience