This morning while working at my computer pre-9am I heard BBC interviewer quizzing Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computers, about the counter-culture that Steve Jobs apparently embodied.
Steve W talked about creativity, and noted that -- especially in schools -- the length of one's hair is not important relative to how creative that person is.
You may or may not agree with him. I say, it should be entirely up to you. But then I sat up as he went:
"... look at structured societies like Singapore where bad behaviour is not tolerated. You are extremely punished.
"Where are the creative people? Where are the great artists? Where are the great musicians? Where are the great singers? Where are the great writers? Where are the great athletes?
"All the creative elements seem to disappear. Of course everybody is educated, has a good job, a lot of pay and a nice car.
"You know, some rituals in life, you are never going to get away from all rituals. 'Let's sing and cheer to our school,' you're taught in school, you know, 'My school, right or wrong, and I'd always oppose the other.'
"'And the referees if they make the call that is against our team, the referee made a mistake ....'
"That's not really what it's about. You're just taught this 'nationalism', not to think about what is right and wrong but to take a side, just like in politics at an early age ... and that's not lined up with creativity.
"And they will take a side because [of] other people, it's the thing to do. Somebody else made that rule, not you. You did not think for yourself. So thinking for yourself is creativity.
"And that goes right down to what we were talking about dress, the clothing that you wear. It's like you wear what you want to wear."
Clearly Steve W knows enough about Singapore to talk like that. (And this is going to be broadcast to all of Britain later on tonight.)
I am so embarrassed. But he is right.
This is exactly what my husband has been saying about Singapore. So "thinking-inside-the-box", so sticking to rules, so toeing the line, we are unlikely to produce a Nobel Prize winner.
Talk about a wake-up call. I'm not sure my breakfast sat very well after this.
Singapore the laughing stock -- again.