Generational Dynamics in Singapore

I consider myself a student and follower of Mr Xenakis and his works on Generational Dynamics. It has influenced how I see my children and students and my relationship with them, and also how I see the politics of my country Singapore (where I am a political and community activist).

Generational Dynamics is based on a simple idea: That societies and nations make mistakes and then learn lessons from those mistakes. But generations grow older, retire and die, and are replaced by new generations who are too young to remember those mistakes and those lessons. When that happens, the mistakes are repeated.

Generational dynamics explains a lot about history.

1. It basically implies that people will ALWAYS forget the lessons of history, because of how generational memory of history create generation gaps, and how these generational gaps create forces that change history.
2. It also explains why history tends to repeat itself about every 80 years, and why the Chinese saying 富不过三代 (wealth does not transcend three generations) rings with alarming regularity.
3. It finally confirms the old saying, that "Hard times make strong men. Strong men make good times. Good times make weak men. Weak men make hard times."

In generational dynamics, every group of men (a nation, a tribe, a family, etc) goes through 4 eras of change. Each era is about 20 years, and corresponds to a generation.

1. Crisis Era. A time of great difficulty, when people die like flies, when hunger and loss was the order of things.
2. Recovery Era. A time of rapid growth to overcome the losses of the previous era, when optimism is high, with a determination to make the necessary sacrifices to make things happen.
3. Awakening Era. A time of great changes, a time when the individual is more important than the group.
4. Unravelling Era. Uncertainty and a loss of direction in society, creating a situation when any spark could ignite a firestorm to tear down society. The firestorm pushes the group into the Crisis Era once again.

The result of each Era creates a different generation of people and attitudes.

1. Artist Generation. They grew up during the Crisis Era, and are generally children who suffered from a generation of child abuse. They grew up conformist, indecisive and sensitive. They work well with the Hero Generation to rebuild the world in the Recovery Era.
2. Prophet Generation. They grew up during the Recovery Era, indulged by their parents, and tend to be narcissist, arrogant and moralistic. They look down on the Nomad Generation as "lazy and unmotivated" and push the weak Artist Generation to make changes in the Awakening Era.
3. Nomad Generation. They grew up in the shadow of the Prophets, and are displaced in a world dominated by the previous two generations. They are the ones most likely to strike out and find their place.They disrupt the world of the Prophet Generation and thus help bring about the Unravelling Era.
4. Hero Generation. They grew up in a world of bickering between the Prophets and the Nomads, and all they want is peace and respect in society. Together with the Nomad Generation, they will face the issues of the Crisis Era, with the accompanying changes in society depending on the results of their resolution of the crisis.

How does Generational Dynamics look like in Singapore?

1. Singapore went through a Crisis Era during the Japanese Occupation (40s to 60s), when murders and fear ruled the nation, when a realisation that the British cannot protect us came about and brought about a sense of nationalistic determination. Mr LKY was the Hero Generation then.
2. Singapore went through a Recovery Era during the 60s to 80s. It was a time when we got our independence, when the nation went through a rapid stage of growth, when Mr LKY and a generation who grew up abused by the occupation made the necessary sacrifices to make things happen. Personal rights of individuals were subordinate to growth, and jailing of political prisoners was the norm.
3. During the 80s to 00s, Singapore went through the Awakening Era, a time when we become more aware of personal rights and where changes in many institutions begin to relax controls to cater to the needs for personal rights. Political agitation for change (any change!) grew stronger as the Prophets push for their rights.
4. During the 00s to 20s (now), Singapore is undergoing the Unravelling Era, a time when the Hero Generation has already died off (and with them, their wisdom), a time when bickering and fights between the Prophet and Nomad generations result in a paralysed government, indecision and a lack of imagination to make things happen among the political leadership. The Hero generation is growing up in this environment and would eventually fight alongside the Nomad generation during the Crisis Era (20s to 40s).

My formative years were the late 70s till the late 80s, during the Recovery and Awakening Era, and I am smack in between the Prophet and Nomad Generation. It is interesting that my personal values and thoughts are exactly in between these two groups. May the Lord remember Singapore and my family, as we move into the Crisis Era soon.