EVERYONE WANTS TO be happy. Only the degree differs. How avidly one wants to pursue this happiness depends on how much it matters to the individual. This quest starts from satisfying the basic needs of having a home, nourishment, good health and family. Yet somehow it morphs into an obsession to possess more and more things, as if somehow material acquisitions can satisfy the inner longing of the spirit.
Modern Singapore has all the trappings of material success.
This is not something to belittle, as it has taken hard work, dedication and good leadership, for our country to transform itself from a swamp-infested island, where many people lived below the breadline, to a striving metropolis where the majority of the population are in comfortable housing and living well. And yet there is a growing sense that this never-ending race to acquire all the material comforts isn’t giving us true happiness. People are beginning to look at other worthwhile pursuits that would satisfy the deep yearnings within their psyche.
It surprised many modern Singaporeans to discover that the Singapore folk, particularly those who had lived in our now-vanished kampongs with their lack of material comforts, of proper sanitation, of running water in the houses, of electricity and even food, had still seemed rather happy with that life. What was the quintessential quality that these rural people had, which had helped them get through their challenging lives with smiles on their faces and gratitude in their hearts?
It was the ‘Kampong Spirit’: Gotong Royong.
Gotong Royong is a Malay word which describes the coming together of the community to help and sustain each other. Multi-racial communities lived in the kampong like an extended family where everyone’s doors were kept open, neighbours kept a look-out for each other, and the children played with one another without any thought of discriminating against the others for being of a different race. This is kampong spirit at its best.
Everyone needs someone. When the kampong spirit is in evidence, nobody needs to feel alone or abandoned. This warm feeling of being cared for mak es life meaningful and brings happiness. And being happy, one possesses a stronger foundation, better able to take the knocks of life more easily.
The stories in this book show how the villagers of Kampong Potong Pasir coped with their deprivations and their challenges. Though having little, their joy was expressed because they lived together in a real community, in the spirit of sharing.
Each story has its own title and can stand alone without reference to the others, except for the first story, Balik Kampong, which acts as a kind of introduction and a general umbrella for all the other stories. The second story begins in 1955 and then the stories move progressively through the years till 1965.
This book will evoke memories of old Singapore for those of you who have lived through it. For the young, these stories will provide you with a view of the foundation your heritage is based on, and show you how far Singapore has come from its colonial days, and therefore you can be proud to celebrate your belonging to this marvellous nation.
Happy reading!
Josephine