Dreaming of Paradise...

Was reading my Twelve Kindgoms novel and the Japanese author really has a very clear and apt insight of the dynamics between the people and the ruling party. This paragraph especially struck a chord with me, esp in recent months observing the Singaporeans living in Singapore and reading about their discontent about everything...

Quote lifted from the novel:
"It’s easy to criticize others. Especially those of us (civilians) so proud of our lofty ideals. It is so very easy. I suspect we always lacked the ability to pluck those ideals out of the air and have what it takes to painstakingly fashion them into something solid and real.

Because the current govt had strayed from the the path, the people simply assumed that everything the King (Govt) did must have been wrong. The people on so many occasions spend time picking apart everything the King (govt) did and talking about how things ought to be and dreaming of the "paradise" they seek.

Their criticisms of the King and his policies had fertilized the seeds of those dreams of the "ideal kingdom". Every mistake the government made that came to light,  these errors ended up nurturing those "ideals" of the people and made them more concrete in their minds. If the King (govt) did it, then it must be undone became the default train of thought.

The people thought that criticizing the King (govt) had somehow endowed them with the ability to run the country better than the previous King had. However, mere observation of King's (Govt) heavy handedness and simply saying it should be lighter is the height of naiveté. " 

~Twelve Kingdoms, 

Dreaming of Paradise

by Fuyumi Ono