Many in the US wonder nowadays if the American Dream is still possible. It is based on the ideal of democracy, freedom, and equality for everyone to achieve success through hard work. American writer James Truslow Adams popularized the phrase “American Dream” in his 1931 book The Epic of America, which he wrote during a severe global economic downturn called the Great Depression that began in 1929 and lasted for about ten years. Other countries followed in later years with their own versions of a dream for their people. In November 2012, President Xi Jinping used the phrase the “Chinese Dream” to mean a better life for the people through socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Singapore’s new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke recently about the Singapore Dream, which he said should no longer be just the 5Cs, which means cash, car, credit card, condo, and country club. He said chasing after such materialistic things causes stress and anxiety in society. The adjective “materialistic” means believing that money and possessions are the most important things in life. Wong wants to build a society which values every Singaporean, not just top people such as doctors. He said Singapore should respect late bloomers and people who get their second wind after many failures.
A late bloomer is someone who becomes successful or acquires skills later in life than other people. A second wind means the return of strength and motivation to continue after being unsuccessful or too tired. I agree with Wong that societies should redefine success so that people don’t blindly chase materialistic things, late bloomers are as valued as super achievers, and every type of job is respected.
今時今日，許多在美國的人都在思忖，「美國夢」仍然可能嗎？這是建基於一個理念，就是人皆擁有民主、自由與平等，透過勤奮工作可達致成功。美國作家詹姆斯‧特魯斯洛‧亞當斯以其一九三一年的著作《美國史詩》，將「美國夢」一詞變得通俗流行，此書是他在經濟大蕭條（Great Depression）期間寫成的，這一全球經濟大衰退於一九二九年開始，持續約十年之久。過了好些年後，亦有其他國家仿效，給予人民自己版本的「夢」。於二零一二年十一月，國家主席習近平就曾用上「中國夢」一詞，意指透過具中國特色的社會主義，給人民實現更好的生活。
新加坡的新任總理黃循財，最近亦談及「新加坡夢」——他說那不應只是5Cs，即現金、汽車、信用卡、私人公寓與鄉村俱樂部。他說，追逐這類物質主義（materialistic）的東西，只會為社會帶來壓力與焦慮。形容詞“materialistic”是指信奉金錢和財產為人生中最重要的東西。黃希望能建立一個重視每一位新加坡人的社會，而非只看重上等人，例如醫生。他說，新加坡應該尊重大器晚成的人（late bloomers），以及經歷多次挫敗卻能再次振作（second wind）的人。
A late bloomer是指比其他人更遲成功或獲得技能的人。A second wind就是在失敗或疲倦過後，恢復體力或鬥志。我認同黃的看法，社會應該重新定義成功，好讓人們不再盲目追求物質主義（materialistic）的事物，大器晚成的人（late bloomers）與成就非凡者也能獲得同等的重視，以及每一個工種都能獲得尊重。
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
