##[19]peaceful leisure@waterfront park: rude awaken`

Posted on by tiger40490 rendered_on [ Thu, 6 Mar 2025 ] 09:53 UTC

 

k_soul_search

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In 2020, I told grandpa that I often felt happy (satisfied!), peaceful (stress-lite),,, when spending time at a well-maintained waterfront park like east coast, Bayonne, Bishan park,,, Since then, this blogpost has slowly shifted focus from Happiness to Peaceful leisure. Peace meaning absence of stress. Now I think many individuals in many countries can enjoy the same /amenities/. But let’s focus on my peers in China, SG and U.S. Again, my immediate focus is the common or persistent stressors, because I’ve found myself rather sensitive to stress. Stress is the enemy of carefree, peaceful leisure at waterfront parks.

I realize that the VAST majority of the world population (and majority of my broad peer group) struggle against some common adversities, that threaten to spoil their brief peaceful leisure… rude awakening!

  • — a random list of rude awakenings, half ranked by the (unpleasant) impact on peaceful leisure. I prefer specfic details
  • [X] divorce or unsatisfactory marriage .. the severe cases. I now feel divorce has permanent legal consequences, though some divorcees do overcome those consequences almost completely (few “completely”).
  • family disharmony .. domestic aggression, in-law conflicts
  • [aLS] (chronic) health conditions, contributing to rising healthcare cost
    • infertility, eating disorder, hair loss, hearing loss (my mom), allergies, aging eyesight, sexual difficulties
  • [5] overwork, burn-out, work stress, abusive boss .. the severe cases
  • [5] lack of spare time for unwind, recuperation, recharge, and rest, perhaps due to long commute, long work hours, parenting, care-giver duty, long wait time on the phone
  • [5aLSX] housing cost, or poor housing condition including long commute.  Residents would presumably have less time but would want to spend more time get-away…
  • [5LSX] job insecurity (esp. older workers, unskilled workers), displacements. Remember the covid19 mass layoff affecting thousands of Singaporeans. Many are seriously worried.
  • mortgage rate hike as experienced in 2022 .. often increasing monthly int accural by $1k for many years. A rude awakening
  • See also [4]. This bpost was initially a 2023 snapshot of long-term recurring stressors
  • ~~~~~ the generic, the vague, not directly relevant to peaceful leisure, or items marked with [a],  ….
  • GreenCard long queue affecting Indian H1b holders .. often generates good news and bad news
  • [5SX] unhealthy lifestyle due to lazybones, overeating, busy work/parenting
  • conflict or grievances at work .. the severe cases
  • [SX] kid’s academic trouble, behavior, drugs, bullying
  • [S] short-term (effect of long-term) inflation, esp. in housing, education and medical
  • [L] major investment woes that threaten to wipe out 5Y of savings (250k).
  • bedbugs
  • [5aX] weight, body image, fitness # my son was slightly overweight
  • [5aLS] cost of basic (“luxury” for the cmcUS) education
  • [aLSX] below-average income, often due to lack of specialized skills # wife, Bayonne roommates… My kids may land there too.
  • — legend:
  • [a=these /struggles/ are long and hard, but the individual gets adapted to them so the damages don’t keep growing over time]
  • [L=livelihood stress]
  • [S=a focus of the Singapore nanny state, but NOT U.S. governments]
  • [5=affecting more than 50% of my peers]
  • [X=my own effort is at least half the reason for my carefree situation]

So yes most of us can find joy in a lovely waterfront park, but I’m more protected , more blessed than most of the people in the world.

— portrait of affluence .. The image of waterfront leisure park has been increasingly popular and prevalent, for 20Y+. This imagery is a common theme online among 1) the overseas Chinese 2) westerners [Caucasians]. These are two groups of authors having the deepest influence during my formative years.

The overseas Chinese authors often include the images as a /glimpse/ of their “good life” in the west relative to China. A related portrait would be a family road trip in a SUV, or the busy trip preparation, in a family yard.

This theme symbolizes affluence (or wealth) in time and $. That includes work-life balance, reasonable working hours,,. At a secondary level, it also suggests street safety, a sustainable ecosystem, a resourceful local government, plenty of well-maintained green space for a given human population (no overcrowding), ,,,