Poverty of Mind is worse than Poverty of Pocket

RE: TODAYonline | World | Landslide win for Yingluck's party

Over in Thailand, the majority is not desperate to put someone with an elite background on the pedestal. Being Oxford-educated ain't gonna win them votes.

Over here in Singapore, we have desperate insecure voters with poverty of mind (not pockets) who still believe academic achievement means EVERYTHING.

It's especially tragic when you realise that you have highly-educated (read: ivy-league) friends and ex-boyfriends who think this way. They feel the uncontrollable urge to hang onto whatever (little) they think they have.

What's more... Throw in a sob story of having humble beginnings (e.g. despite being from single parent poor family, he beat all odds to become President Scholar and now a Minister), these SG voters with poverty of mind are even more impressed with this politician.

Later, these voters can't understand that this is exactly why this guy has not been able to stop and listen to them.

Very simply, this guy is also afflicted with the poverty of mind disease. He believes in the same story as they do.

That his experience (of humble beginnings x perfect grades/ECA records) has made him believe that he is indeed invincible and thus does not have to listen to lesser beings who have not been through and/or achieved what he has.

Akin to the 'make less money = less dignity' rule,
this is the 'achieve/experience less = less important' rule.

But he is, in fact, not any wiser than any of those voters. He has the same poverty of mind disease.
So why place him on the pedestal in the first place?

I saw on TV recently, a Thai person in financial poverty speaking passionately about politics. She said,

"All politicians and parties in Thailand are corrupt, 

but at least Thaksin looked after the poor."

When will Singaporeans shake off their poverty of the mind and begin to develop this kind of wisdom?

After a certain threshold, politicians are all the same. This is when they realise that they have finally accumulated the power and have 'sacrificed' a lot in the process, i.e. 'for the people'.

By then, it doesn't matter whether they are paid S$3mil and more over the table or under the table. What matters is that they get the job done.

Hence, as a responsible voter, you must know what 'the job' means to begin with.

If not, you are merely signing a blank cheque by giving them your vote.