In Celebration of the Spirit

In a recent mandarin singing competition, a visually handicapped contestant, due to overwhelming support by the public emerged the winner even though his competitors were arguably better and more suited to stardom.

It is interesting how much hype this competition has garnered, especially when whoever wins is not likely to end up rich and famous. There is simply no market here. And in the international mandarin music scene, seldom do you even see anyone last 3 years.

My mother was definitely rooting for him, I was just very much amused to see how the chain of events have unfolded. Whether he wins, is of no consequence to me. But I am really curious as to how far he can go.

Some think that it is a given that he will win, based on sympathy votes, I do think that he has a certain mass appeal. One cannot deny that while he does not have the charm or stage presence, his sincerity and his simplicity are endearing qualities. It is a like a breath of fresh air, and perhaps this is something that we need, something closer, something more akin to the unsophisticated us.

Perhaps he is to many others, a sign that if one puts one's mind and heart to it, one can succeed no matter how great the difficulties are. And can one be blind to what this means?

We are a society in need of a hero figure.

I laughed at the idea that our local idol cannot see; an idol so very representative of our general population. But our people are not so much looking for a symbol success as a symbol of hope, a symbol of hard work surmounting difficulties.

He might serve as an inspiration to those ladies and gentlemen who religiously pay homages to the Singapore Turf Clubs, or an inspiration to the local artists, or an inspiration to those fighting hard for the betterment of their lives...

And that probably includes all of us.

We are society that has forgotten to praise people for struggling....