What are Pro-Human values anyway?

Ways to resist the creeping mediation, monetisation and atomisation of humanity.

In my last post I wanged on about wanting to tell more stories about people and projects that embody Pro-Human values but I didn't actually explain what they are. If my intention is to advocate for the value of being human in an increasingly inhuman world I should probably be able to articulate the difference between being human and not, and for that I need to go back to Singapore in the 1980s.

I've lived in Singapore for 16 years and the change I've seen in that time has been...disorienting. When I got here the Marina Bay Sands didn't even exist and now it dominates the skyline. On August 9th we celebrated the country's 60th birthday and I took the opportunity, when I got back from my Malaysia trip, to flick through a book of by Singaporean photographer Lui Hock Seng called Passing Time.

Mr. Lui was born in 1937 and began taking photographs in the 1950s and 60s. His work won recognition from international photography salons and competitions and was exhibited in Argentina, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Romania and the UK where he was accepted as an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain in 1963. However, it wasn't until 2016 that he finally received local recognition in an article by The Straits Times. This was seen by a Frenchman, photographer Nicolas Genty, who collaborated with local non-profit arts org Objectifs to arrange an exhibition of Mr Lui's work in 2018, which resulted in the book that contains an incredible visual history of Singapore's recent past.

Tanah Merah, c. 1960s – 1970s by Lui Hock Seng

When Singapore declared independence on 9th August 1965 (read: was kicked out of Malaysia for harbouring communists!), it had nothing. You may think you understand what that means but, trust me, you don’t. Singapore has no natural resources and a tiny population. At the time it had no military, hostile neighbours, 10% unemployment, few farms and next to no fresh water. The Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew - young but no less imposing - famously had to break this news to the population via a tearful television address. He then, as legend has it, disappeared for three weeks and returned with the master plan for modern Singapore.

Key to Mr. Lee’s plan was increasing domestic economic activity. He made the island an outstanding prospect for inward investment by promising safety, stability, zero corruption and a highly educated workforce. As money rolled in, jobs multiplied and salaries increased locals aspired to a much more salubrious, some might even say Western style of life. This resulted in the concept of the Singaporean 5 C's, an aspiration of upwardly mobile locals for Cash, Car, Credit Card, Condominium and Country Club.

The upside of this was a thriving economy that has led to the space age metropolis I live in today. The downside was it made people materialistic and ‘kiasu’.

Photo by Keming Tan on Unsplash

Kiasu comes from the Hokkien dialect term meaning ‘fear of losing out’. It refers to a deeply rooted mindset of avoiding any disadvantage or missed opportunity, often manifesting as highly competitive or gatekeeping behaviour. It is, needless to say, not so Pro-Human.

Thankfully things, as ever, are changing. At this year’s National Day Rally Prime Minister Wong declared, ‘Developing human qualities key priority for schools in age of AI’. Nonetheless I want to offer up a new set of 5Cs, not just for Singapore but for everyone who wants to practice being more human in an increasingly inhuman world. Here are my five Pro-Human values.

Pro-Human Values: The New 5 Cs

1. Creativity - Create more and consume less, express yourself through art, music, movement, writing. Flood the world with human expression and, as a by-product, drown the AI slop.

2. Community - Resist the desire to keep interactions on the other side of a screen. Why WhatsApp when you can call? Why call when you can have coffee? Why order online when you can shop locally, support small businesses and get to know the people who inhabit your community.

3. Compassion - Give people the benefit of the doubt; you don’t know their situation or circumstances and even if you disagree profoundly with them, accept that their views and behaviours are rooted in an experience you may never know or understand. Most people are good, don’t let the news and social media convince you any different.

4. Cooperation - There are those who would have you believe we reached the top of the food chain due to competition. I prefer to believe, as Rutger Bregman does, that we reached the peak due to cooperation; our ability to work together to achieve feats far greater than the sum of our individual parts. Put your faith in others and never betray others’ faith in you.

5. Charity - Give of yourself; give your time, your money, your talent, your expertise when and where you can spare it. Recognise your privilege, count your blessings and bestow them upon others when the opportunity arises.

That’s it. Now I’m off to find the people that embody these values so I can tell their stories and provide tangible evidence of the positive impact we can all have if we practice being Pro-Human every day.

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To Do List

My recommendations for new things to read, watch, look at, listen to and do this week:

• My new favourite podcast is ‘Talk ‘90s To Me’, which provides a nostalgic wander down memory lane led by the people who lived it in the UK:

• New music is courtesy of perky Kiwi punksters The Beths and their new album ‘Straight Line Was A Lie’:

• Also, one of my favourite local bands, Sobs, finally released a video for my favourite song from their album ‘Air Guitar’ called ‘Friday Night’:

• I saw a gorgeous short film (starring my friend Karen Tan) this week - a humorous take on Chinese death rituals and the enduring nature of relationships helmed by the charming Kelly Choo. It’s part of a competition and I would urge you to watch the full film here and vote for it here.

• Finally, The Guardian says Waterstones are opening 10 book stores a year in the UK as younger adults embrace reading - that’s got to be good news, right? The bookshop says people are keen to escape their screens (at last!).

Right, that’ll do ya! Cheers, Nx