} just a thought

Sometimes when I have a lot of things on my mind, and I go to sleep without resolving all these things, I will wake up feeling worried. The first thought of my conscious mind would be something along the lines of, �Oh no.�

I was reading a public law article, something about the Constitution, and I started wondering how it must be like to be the Prime Minister, or the President*, or the leader of a country, whatever you call yourself. There must be a lot of things on your mind all the time, you have to keep thinking about your country, and I wonder if you ever get a break from it. I wondered if that is how the Prime Minister (or the President, etc) wakes up every single morning � with worry. Who knows what the morning news will bring... Maybe the stock market crashed overnight, maybe your neighbouring country decided it would be fun to start developing nuclear weapons.

And then, of course, everyone is watching your every move. Everyone will critique whatever you do. And at some point, surely, you start pulling your hair out wanting to scream, �OK, SHUT UP AND LET ME DO MY JOB!� but if you do that everyone will just go silent for two seconds, and then the whispered rumours will start.

And at some point, surely you will go crazy because these people � these people who are always complaining � they were the ones who decided to entrust their lives in the sole judgment of one human being. No wonder Prime Ministers/Presidents/etc get so defensive. Or start having affairs.

Not that I am saying that we should go easy on politicians. For a law student and probably potential lawyer I am very bad at telling anyone that they should do anything. But I actually appreciate those who can critique, and those who can critique intelligently, because to be honest I much prefer, and find it easier, to sympathise than to criticise. So to those who are capable of it � by all means, please. But I think (and know) that personally I would stay out of the public sphere.

* When I said �President� I don�t mean, of course, the President of Singapore. I honestly think the job of a President here is the slackest one around and the only post worth running for. The current President I think, is only respected because he is called the President of Singapore. But otherwise, he hasn�t really earned that spot to go around waving from his car during the National Day Parade.

2010-02-16, 11:22 p.m..
before } after