From "Middle"-Class To "Low"-Class

I was reading this nostalgic blog that I stumbled upon, and it really brings me back some memories, not all, but just a bit. The blogger is only a little older than me, so by right, I should have about the same kind of childhood memories as he did, but I guess he remembered more things because he had a more "normal" childhood.

 

I did not have the "normal" kind of childhood which most people have. My childhood was spent studying, shuttling from all kinds of enrichment lessons, and visiting my grandmother. I have never lived in public housing, so I never have that kind of fun playing marbles in the corridor or skipping in the void decks. My grandmother and uncle's family do not stay in public housing too, so except for the collecting of saga seeds that fly from the nearby trees, otherwise I did not play in those old playgrounds that were so prominent in public housing estates.

 

Hence, I did not have many childhood friends. The only people I played with were my cousins, who preferred reading indoors and doing cross stitch to outdoor playing. The only outdoors we went was the swing at my grandmother's house, which still exists until now even though the house has been torn down and rebuilt twice and renovated three times after that.

 

Anyway, in this nostalgic blog, the blogger talked about his own childhood of living in public housing when it was at its peak, as well as going back even further when his parents lived in villages, which have all since been gone to make way for residential and commercial areas. Honestly, I would have love to have grown up during those times when we still have villages and the pace of life was still slower. Now, just about every building worthy of being a heritage site is being knocked down to make way for roads, train stations and highways. And our government is wondering why the younger generation does not seem to have a clue about our heritage and history!

 

My mum said that her generation is lucky, as she belongs to the baby-boomers era and actually witnessed how our country has grown from post-war mess to a developed nation. So she is priviledged to be able to work herself up to become middle-class from poor.

 

However, from our generation onwards, it is getting tougher. We start off middle-class, but by the time we are able to buy our own housing and start our own families, chances are we may be struggling to make ends meet just to meet housing loans and whatnot, because the cost of living here is just getting higher and higher everyday but our own incomes are not. Even bare necessities cost a fortune. Hence, we may go from middle-class to low-class, and that is what many people may not be able to understand and tolerate, as after the comfortable life we have had, who is willing to go lower?

 

That is why many people are not being realistic when they look for jobs. They expect the incomes to be of a certain range and unwilling to go down to anything lower. I cannot say I blame them, but on the other hand, if you are desperately looking for a job, should you not just take whatever comes first and then after a while, either get promoted or move on after gaining experience? But many people are not willing to start off lower, as they feel if they are graduates, they should start off being middle-management at least.

 

I guess I have to start adapting to being "low"-class then if that is the case! Unless I ever get my dream fulfilled of relocating, otherwise I just have to bite the bullet and try to survive here like always, and struggle to make ends meet for myself and my future family.