So I saw this ‘ad’ for coloured pencil’s in a Singaporean supermarket.
Can you see the mental bit?
Go on – look a bit harder.
Got it?
Yep, they’re saying WRITING is the most fun you can have by yourself!
Now while there are other things you can do by yourself which are way enjoyable [allegedly] – that is not what I’m whinging about.
What bothers me is that this ad talks about coloured pencils interms of writing instead of drawing or exploring your imagination.
Now I’ve said this before, but if Singapore continues to undermine the importance and value of creativity/imagination – especially with kids – then I believe it will severely affect the prosperity of the country, because not only will they find it much harder to keep talent in their country, they will be reliant on people who have been ‘trained’ to follow orders rather than develop their own thinking which can – and probably will – have sever ramifications on the economy of the CityState.
The irony in all this is that Singapore – as I’ve said plenty of times – is one of the greatest examples of creative and visionary thinking in the World, however it seems the current leadership don’t realise what Lee Kuan Yew did – nationalistic success comes from creative thinking, not just corporate thinking – so I can’t help but feel that interms of Singapore’s economy, it’s more a case of ‘hanging on’ than expecting great leaps forward.
[And when you consider the re-balance of Global Economic Power towards the East, this is especially concerning]
I truly hope the powers-that-be realise this before it’s too late because whilst I am not devaluing the importance of classic academia subjects – without creativity and imagination – you end up restricted in what you can do/think/achieve and in a place as small as Singapore, this is something that they cannot afford to let happen.
To anyone Singaporean – especially a parent – I encourage you to watch the clip below …
… and to the people who did the ‘ad’ for the coloured pencils, I suggest they check out this classic Lego spot and learn from it before they fuck up with their next bit of work.
Finally, I leave you with this absolutely brilliant quote from Peter Ustinov …
PEOPLE WHO REACH THE TOP OF THE TREE ARE THOSE WHO HAVEN’T GOT THE QUALIFICATIONS TO DETAIN THEM AT THE BOTTOM.
Remember that next time you stop your child from exploring their creative side. 🙂