Is Singapore Too Crowded?
Current population: 6.1 million. Follow a Singaporean for one day.
8.23am.
Step into the MRT. You don't step in. You merge.
We are not overcrowded. We are emotionally close.
There is no personal space. Only national unity.
United cheek to cheek. United armpit to face.
Someone's laptop bag is negotiating with your ribs. Someone's hair is performing a shampoo commercial across your nose.
"Please move to the center of the car to make room for…"
We would. If there was a center.
12 noon.
Lunchtime.
You enter a food court. Every table is taken.
Eating out is a competitive sport. Chop first. Buy food later. You hover behind a seated uncle like a hungry ghost at a banquet.
You watch his last spoonful of laksa like a hawk watching a mouse.
Evening.
Shopping mall.
Every escalator feels like evacuation rehearsal.
You aren't walking; you are drifting in a human current. If you stop to tie your shoelace, you will be swept away and end up in a different constituency.
If you visit A&E, inform your boss.
You won’t be late.
You just won’t be back soon.
By the time you see the doctor, your flu has already evolved, recovered, and reached retirement age.
The Verdict?
Are we overpopulated?
Or just very efficient at squeezing?
