Breach of Contract

"Keeping the elderly employed (at cleaning up tables, washing toilets or some other back-breaking job, at 80 years old) is top priority for the Ministerial Committee on Aging, according to its chairman Lim Boon Heng, who will be spelling out the details of the committee's plans in parliament this week" - Channel NewsAsia 4 Mar 07. Words in parenthesis by this Human Battery.


There is a social contract in every developed (and even developing) country, which works like this: you agree to work and to pay tax to the government for X number of years. In return, upon your retirement, the government agrees to pay you a monthly pension, till you pass on to the next world.

Singapore used to have such a social contract too, and it's called CPF (which is a form of tax). Alas, it has failed, thanks to how the money was siphoned away to pay for unsubsidised public housing and under-subsidised tertiary education, in addition to the low interest rate earned and a host of other reasons, beyond the scope of this short post.

The Matrix Master knows that it has breached its social contract with the Human Batteries. Did it choose to find better ways to fulfill its end of the bargain? For example, increasing earned interest rates for CPF, start subsidising housing so that less cpf need be used for mortgage etc?

No! It chose instead to abandon the contract, and to find ways to "keep the elderly employed". In fact, it made this its "top priority"!

66.6% of Human Batteries said "No problem, Sir. We will oblige and work till we drop dead". They have indeed been conditioned well since young - 1 blue pill a day (courtesy of the Shitty Times) keeps the Oppositions away!

These 66.6% do not seem to realise that they will grow old one day too. They also don't understand that there is such a thing called a cruel twist of fate - no one can guarantee that he will remain rich, healthy and employed his entire life. Most importantly, they dont seem to comprehend what retribution means:

Today, they voted to bully the sick, the poor, the disabled and the aged. Tomorrow, when they themselves become....

Searched high and low, but cannot find even a remotely relevant matrix quote - the Machines seemed not to have breached any contract that they had made with the Humans. Looks like our Matrix Island is even more "matrix" than the movie. haha!