A scholar and an academic have warned against the dangers of national complacency. In thinking that Singapore has arrived, as a first-world country, and feeling a patriotic pride that is beyond normality, Singapore may unconsciously become inert in her development, thus allowing less developed countries to catch up with her and even surpass her.
Humility is sorely needed in order to prevent such a phenomenon. I am not being protective over my nation's developed status however. Other countries have the prerogative to improve their developed levels too and there are other countries which are more developed than Singapore. Another reason is that if the quest for improvement and the bettering of oneself fades, it would be as if failure has replaced it, not just inertia.
In the last line of our pledge, it states that we aim "to achieve happiness, prosperity and PROGRESS for our nation." Progress comes with the desire to improve oneself and prosperity will follow, which can be linked to peace and stability. Happiness is then the eventual result. With the aim unrealized, we would have failed ourselves and our hopes for this nation, the hopes of the future generations in this nation and the hopes of our forefathers in this nation when they left their own homelands to come seek better lives here.
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