On learning to be grateful.

The discourse in Singapore concerning foreign workers is not kind. Often, it is clear, that the writer or speaker thinks ill of the foreigner. In the case of foreign workers who are doing menial jobs like construction or domestic work, it is usually the case that the Singaporean is looking down on the workers, as if on a lower form of life. They are spoken of as "something" to be avoided and shunned, "something" not to be allowed to congregate in public places, "something" to be wary of. There is a depersonalization of these foreign workers by many Singaporeans: they are, it seems, seen as less than fully human. At least, that is the impression the discourse gives.

In the past week or so, I have had cause to evaluate the contributions of these foreign workers to Singapore's success and prosperity, up close. Recently, foreign workers have been busy doing a job I challenge any Singaporean to try: standing on the roof of my apartment block, cleaning the tiles with a high pressure water hose.

Think about what that job means. You are high above the comforting land far below. If you make a mistake, it could cost you your life. The water you are using to clean the roof actually makes it slippery and dangerous, increasing the risk. On top of that, the job pays a pittance, slave wages being the tradition in the construction industry for foreign workers. Would you do that job?

The answer, I would guess, is no. Yet, these foreign workers are making an invaluable contribution to Singapore by putting their lives on the line doing jobs which Singaporeans would never do - yet, without which, Singapore would not be what it is today. These foreign workers, far from being people who should be looked down upon, are an essential part of the success of Singapore. Without them, Singapore could not continue to develop in the way that it has.

So, as I looked at the foreign workers standing on the roof to my apartment block, this past week, I felt a certain gratitude that they were prepared to do jobs that no-one else would do. These jobs are necessary to the maintenance of the quality of the environment in which we live - and yet jobs which have unacceptable risks. Quite a few foreign workers die on construction sites here, in Singapore, every year. They lose their lives trying to build a better Singapore. Is it right, therefore, to look down on them? I think, in some ways, they should be looked UP to. They should be looked UP to for having the courage and resilience to take on such unenviable jobs, no doubt to help support their relatives back home. They live hard lives, so that we might live better ones. That deserves a certain respect, I think.

I did note something about the workers. I only ever saw a safety harness once, on any of the workers. On all other occasions, no such harness was visible to me - yet I am on the top floor of the apartment block, able to see out onto the roof on which they stand. I saw one worker, who appeared to be unharnessed, as far as I could see, standing on the edge of the roof, blasting water onto it. Looking at his precarious position, I rather thought I wouldn't want to be doing what he was doing. Yet, he calmly proceeded with his work, as if he stood on the ground, and not at the top of a fall which would kill him, were he to lose his footing. Now, that deserves respect.

So, far from looking down on the foreign workers in Singapore, I value their presence and contribution and respect the courage they show in their daily work. Perhaps their working lives would be a little less hard if such a welcoming attitude were universal among Singaporeans, too.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

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