why the elite envy?

It all boils down to the human quickness to judge, doesn't it.

What are we to the rest of the population? We're arrogant, bossy, ungrateful and everything along those lines. We're selfish, and we look down on them. But before we make further judgement, we should ask ourselves: why do we appear this way? I use the word 'we' not just because there shouldn't be the segregation of 'we' and 'them', but that all of us, whether elite or not, should question ourselves this. We all have a part to play, we all need to take some blame.

Years back, when I transferred from a neighbourhood school to an elite school, the transition was fairly painless; there didn't seem to be much of a difference between primary four kids from the neighbourhood and primary five ones from an elite school. Well, there was the income gap and the bigger houses, but that didn't matter to me - they treated me all the same.

But back then, I was young, and probably less knowledgeable.

It's quite strange that as we get older and know more about the world, our tendency towards hostility and strife increases. Somehow, as I continued my secondary and tertiary education in elite schools, the disparity between my childhood friends and myself became iminent. At a recent primary school gathering, I realised we spoke differently and had different interests. But I took the effort to understand them, and eventually the ice broke.

I cannot trace the origin of the disparity - it could be the financial gap, meritocracy, or even the book that we got after our PSLE that listed all the schools and their reputations. However, I can see that we all have a part to play in this hostility. I, as an elite, must confess my weakness. I confess that I do take my position for granted sometimes, and I do have some difficulty identifying with the common woes of a student in a neighbourhood school. Readers out there who belong to neighbourhood schools may also have been viewed as being sour grapes. But is this entirely our own doing? It seems that both classes of society have become exclusive primarily because there is hardly any chance for both of them to interact. Of course, it will be hard to initiate that - both would probably give each other a cold shoulder - but if we do not take the first step it will get worse. Besides, the reason for the cold shoulder (and the amounting strife) is the mutual lack of understanding, and the mutual lack of patience to make the effort.

After many years of education, I must say I'm still none the wiser, regarding this issue. Maybe it is timely to put aside all judgement, and interact with each other as humans, with no labels attached.