In this article, Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple, states that “Apple could never have happened in a formal culture of Singapore”. Whilst there have been Singaporeans, driven by their national pride, who were quick to disagree, I will have to disagree with the disagreement, as I somewhat agree with the other Steve.
I believe that the problem lies with our educational culture, and our culture in general. Sure, supporters of Singapore's schooling system will dig out the 2003 Third International Math and Science Study (or TIMSS) results, where Singaporean students were ranked first place internationally. I'm not denying that the education system have been successful in the areas of mathematics and science. In fact, I'm thrilled that the Ministry of Education have gotten something, which even the United States got wrong, right. It's something worth being happy about. However, knowing how to solve mathematical problems in a pre-dictated way or substituting numbers into pre-solved scientific equations does not in any way contribute to creativity. It, I feel, hinders creativity. In fact, the “only-the-teacher's-way”ness way in which these subjects are taught prohibits the fruit of innovation from growing from our nation. Solving problems only in ways which we were taught to by those higher up in the hierarchy, isn't creativity. Sure, it will make us successful. Successful followers, successful robots, successful slave-workers. Never a leader, never a boss, never something great.
It is in the very fabric of our culture which makes us uncreative. Perhaps due to our education, perhaps not, but we suffer from the 'No U-turn Syndrome'. 'No U-turn Syndrome' was a term coined by Sim Wong Hoo, perhaps one of the few creatively successful people from Singapore, having founded Creative Technology. That phrase gives the example of how Singaporeans do not make a U-turn in a traffic junction, unless a sign allowing them to do so exists. This is used as an analogy to describe the excessive adherence to rules and formalities which is exhibited by Singaporean bureaucrats. It is the rules which disallow our creativity from emerging. It seems oxymoronic to ask Singaporeans to think outside the box by following a set of instructions. How are we supposed to break rules by following rules?
That said, I now come to the meat of this issue. I have agreed with everything Steve Wozniak have said, except for the reason which I quoted this article for: that Apple could not have happened in Singapore. Although I may sound like I'm contradicting myself, I disagree with that statement. Apple could very well have emerged from this tiny little island.
But, you may now ask, the culture? The education? Didn't I say that the very fabric of our society was what was preventing Singaporeans from becoming creative? Yes. All who was raised by and follows our nation's culture will have his or her creativity chained by the weight of our tradition. However, for every group, for every culture, there exists non-conformists. There will always be people who deny the familiar, reject the accepted, and boldly walk the path which no one had ever walked before. Whether the motivation for doing so was derived from reason, or opposition merely for the sake of opposition; it doesn't matter, as counterculturalism is a prerequisite for creative success. That is the reason why so many successful entrepreneurs are high school or college drop-outs. It's not their termination of education which makes them successful, but rather their mindset of doing things in ways never done before which makes them drop out of conformity, and which results in their eventual success. Sim Wong Hoo's nonconformity allowed him to found Creative Technology; he could very well have founded Apple.
Essentially, Singapore have created an environment which allows hippies to thrive. Whilst I'm afraid I'll never be one of those who do, I believe that rebels of the Singaporean culture would be the ones who eventually succeed.
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