The Dreaded Economics
Just days ago I was elated to find out that the JC1 students at our church all seemed to have passed Economics (at least a borderline). Ezra passed with an E (Seems like crash course worked :p), and although Min seemed disappointed with a E due to her final year papers, I was satisfied knowing that all of them made the cut. Why? Cause Economics isn’t a stroll in the park. Its not a subject which you can score just by diligently memorizing the mechanics of the subject, nor is it possible to ace it with flair and fluff but no substance. To many people, it is a subject worth burning the notes once the A levels were over -_-”‘, to some the subject itself is an illogical and complex look at the world’s simplest things. To a rare few, its magic. I happen to fall into the later.
My teacher once told me that economics is common sense. Typical example: two coffee shop uncles discussing amount the rise of the minimum bet for Singapore Pools. Deep down in the bottom of my heart , I acknowledge that what she said made some sense. However, I do not think that it is the true reflection of economics, because that does not sound at all awe-inspiring. A taste of the beauty of economics can be felt when one looks deeper into the reason behind the company’s actions, the cause and effect, the accounting of the company’s new revenue due to it actions, and, treating this rise as a policy for profit maximizing, see that the course of the company was correct or wrong. What are the social, financial or political implications of this rise? In terms of the consumers, producers, the company or the industry as a whole? Would this rise cause the expansion of its black market (illegal betting, bookies), interventions from external sources? Would a small decision like this affect the whole nation’s micro or macro economical goals? Even the most discrete movement within an economy can at any period of time form an anomaly on any graph. The thought is amazing. The link is incredible, the explanation astounding, the subject oh so magical. I for one would not mind speaking to someone else about economics. I have spent countless hours staring at great discount signs trying to figure out the elasticity of each good and seeing whether such actions benefit existing parties (consumer or producer), ogling at Adam Smith’s theories and stopping on the road looking at economics working its magic in the various shopping centers in Singapore.
In Cambridge examination terms, however dead and mundane the subject can get due to the repetitive use of similar topics, economics is still surprisingly fun, as it requires a certain amount of astuteness to be able to explain any point of view to an examiner who acts like a 12 year old child. I for one, feel my adrenaline pumping when I learn new topics every economics lesson, and writing a whole chunk of simplistic reasoning behind each point made in preparation for my A levels, and fail to comprehend the people struggling to keep awake during the lectures (though sometimes I empathize with them, knowing full well the ability of certain lecturers). However, the method in which the economics paper should be tackled, although having improved since its primitive and humble beginnings, is still very structured. Looking at the requirements to fulfill and writing in terms of these requirements stripes economics of one of its rudimentary mechanics which the subject is bound to: interaction. Instead of needing to tediously explain graphs, theories, policies, economics is most exciting when two or more people with prior knowledge talk about a certain movement in today’s ever changing society and trade views about its implicit or explicit implications. The spectrum of views can vary depending on which theories each individual is has affinity to. Beautiful. Magnificent. Marvelous. To geeks, it should be the same as the new 16 by 16 Rubix’s Cube. To Game Maniacs it should be the same euphoria when playing a challenging console game released just 1 1/2 hours ago (time taken to queue, buy and speed home to play). To Otakus, it is the same feeling as obtaining a limited edition hand-signed copy of the newest whatever. To nerds, its like the discovery of a new part of science. If you do not find that economics provide you with the above mentioned feelings, consult your nearest doctor, or just spend 24 hours writing out the pros and cons, structures, and findings the profit and revenue graphs of 24/7 shops in Singapore to see the beauty of such a decision. I personally did that with Breadtalk 
Economics is a work of art, oblivious to the naked eye, but blinds those who puts in a little effort to snuff out its existence in this galaxy. Thank God there is economics.
