One of the
great joys I got from the pandemic was to make my friends with Netflix and a
series called “Lucifer.” The premise of the series is simple. Lucifer, as in
the devil of Christian Theology gets bored and moves to Los Angeles, where he
becomes part of a crime fighting duo. The series portrays heaven and the entire
cosmos as one large dysfunctional family. The devil is not so the incarnate of
all things evil but a very troubled child or the first being to have major
“daddy issues.” God the father is literally a distant father who has problems
relating to his children.
Whilst the more
devout would find the premise of the show offensive, there is a certain amount
of charm to it. In a certain way, we end up feeling for the main character, who
is trying to solve several millennia’s worth of personal issues. As with many
shows, there are gems of wisdom that should be applied to everyday life.
One of the
greatest scenes comes from the final season, when Amenadiel, Lucifer’s older
brother talks about how he would “reform” the cosmos as the new God. He
inadvertently admits that the previous God was a little distant from humanity
and proposes that every angel should spend time on earth walking among humans
to understand them. Part of the reason comes from a few scenes prior where
Amenadiel finds out that the world has been going to the dogs because the
various angels have been messing up prayers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcGnd14CZco
What made this
scene so particularly interesting is the fact that it reflects the state of much
of the world where there is a disconnect between people in the same society. In
places like India, the disconnect is inevitably about wealth. There is Mukesh
Ambani who spends on wedding what most people can’t earn in a lifetime and
there’s the average Indian who doesn’t know when his or her next meal is coming
from. In America, it is increasingly about whether you want a reality TV star
as president or whether you would rather chop of your arm than to watch the
same reality TV star on TV. Here in Singapore, the disconnect is usually
between those who live in spreadsheet land and those who don’t. The good news
in this situation is that none of the groups mentioned can claim to be
celestial beings (however much they might like to think they are) and so, the
disconnect can easily be solved. How can that happen? The answer is as what Amenadiel
suggested – the “Angels need to walk among humans.”
In this case, one
should always understand that the “angels” are inevitably the people with power
and money (or both), in as much as these are the proverbial voices that count
in society. Then, there is the question of why should the said angels bother to
walk among human beings. How does it affect Mukesh Ambani, for example, if most
of his fellow countrymen earn in a lifetime what he earns in a matter of
minutes?
The answer is
simple Whilst it may not seem like it, the proverbial angels need the mortals as
much as the mortals need the angels. India’s billionaire businessmen for
example, do need India’s teaming masses to buy their products and services.
Singapore’s politicians need the votes of ordinary Singaporeans to get into
power and the taxes paid by ordinary Singaporeans in order to claim their
salaries.
Take Singapore
as an example. On the surface, everything works beautifully. Singapore looks
prosperous and is environmentally friendly. Crime remains relatively low and if
you look at Covid statistics, our death rate is one of the lowest in the world –
or at least low enough for every death to make the news.
Yet, if you
troll through cyberspace, you’ll notice that there is obviously a disconnect.
Take the issue of “foreign labour” as an example. The locals complain that their
being screwed out of the job market. The government inevitably comes up with a
load of statistics to show how the “open-door” policies have helped
Singaporeans. Both sides are saying something. Both sides are not understanding.
So, what can be
done? One might suggest that the answer is for the proverbial celestial beings
to walk the ground and listen to their residents. This would require some work
but then again, on the amount given to the celestial beings, one should expect
this to happen. In the five-years that I’ve
lived in my estate, I’ve seen more posters of my member of parliament (MP) than
I’ve seen him in person. Covid has reduced the opportunity to meet with the MP.
While I don’t expect my MP to be on Christmas card terms with every resident, I
don’t believe its unreasonable of me to expect him to be visible in the estate
more than once a week. Why wait should the MP (who is in Singapore speak something
of a celestial being) be absent for most of the time, especially when he gets
an allowance seven times more than my salary.
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