Singapore's Strange Logic

Yesterday evening I went to a friend's place at Serangoon for Bible Study. To get there, I had to exit at the station on the Circle Line. Serangoon having 2 'different' stations situated on different train routes were linked via a short linkway. It was at this linkway, that I noticed the strangest logic of Singaporeans.

In this linkway, there is a travellator which technically is supposed to aid in the movement of mass blocks of people especially during the rush hour. What was strange and ironical here was the massive jam caused at the entrance to the travellator. People queued just to get onto the moving piece of steel instead of walking down the gently sloped floor. Goodness, people were that lazy to even walk down as opposed to walking up. And there weren't even stairs; it was simply a gently sloped floor.

I admit, I was one of the lazy ones.

So on the travellator, I was quite surprised to see a line of people standing to their left creating this nice passageway for people rushing to board the train over at the Circle Line. Within seconds since I 'boarded' the moving steel, I saw people walking down the right lane. I turned around and there I saw, hardly anyone standing static and holding the handrails as the law requires them to do. Everybody was brisk walking down the runway. It was past 7pm and the Little Nonya has finished its run already, so why the rush? Is Singapore literally a fast-paced society?

I admit, I joined in the fray - wanted to know what was it like to blend in with the crowd and not stick out like a sore thumb. The feeling of keeping up with the pace, since there were people less than an arm's length away from me, was pretty exhilarating. I don't believe I'm actually saying this, but I think I was somewhat stressed; Or at least, I was pressured.

What was even more strange here was that in all that relatively mad rush, as opposed to the calm state of those who choose to abide by the law and hold the handrail, they suddenly stopped. And it wasn't as if the travellator was coming to its end. No, there was at least still a good fifteen to twenty metres away from its destination, when the whole chunk of us stopped in our tracks. I could not see what was blocking us from moving. Even if it was a pram or a wheelchair, surely there would be ample room for us to stream in a line past them in the express right lane?

It was the strangest logic of Singaporeans I thought to myself. A mad rush for something and at the most inappropriate times, even if it was minutes from reaching/ attaininment, we somehow stop and rest. Shouldn't we press on further and finish whatever we need to complete?

This is the country I've lived in.

And this country bewilders me at times.

Singapore's Strange Logic.

Our Strange, Unique Logic.