A subconscious theme
Nope, this is not a spooky story about the lady in white or Big Brother spying on your income streams. The concept of “the one behind” is a subconscious one, for many. However, it is an evident theme on a personal, national and even global level.

The One (standing) Behind
You may not notice this, but TOB is present in several courtesy campaigns or lessons in morality. For instance, SMRT’s “Standing Left is the Right thing to do” encourages passengers to take root on the left-hand side of escalators so that other passengers in haste can dash up (or down) on the right side. Holding the door open for those behind you is always much appreciated. A series of Chew on it comics highlight the karmic consequences to those who fling water on toilet floors or sleep in libraries. Seen from a superficial level, this is literally caring for those visibly behind you.

We are The Ones Behind
On a more serious note, cross-generational TOB is a problem that politicians and ministers alike are losing sleep over. In the US, 43% of citizens have less than $10,000 for retirement (see video on US Melt-up). At home, we are now The Ones Behind who will have to provide for 95% of the elderly population (Asia Times), with a mere three persons paying entirely for an elderly person’s survival. Coupled with the fact that Singapore is going to be the 2nd oldest nation by 2030..splurging on that iPhone4 doesn’t seem like such a good idea now (http://techielobang.com/blog/2010/06/08/it-is-official-singapore-will-have-iphone-4-in-july-2010/)

Leaving our earth intact for The Ones Behind
The facts are undeniable – we are depleting our earth of its resources, slowly but surely. In fact, the World Wildlife Fund predicts that our earth will expire by 2050. Our children, TOB, will have to magically colonize two planets of their choice because we, their parents, have left them with an earth devoid of resources. A bit less air-conditioning, a pail of water reused, a stack of paper recycled will go a long way. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/jul/07/research.waste

P.S. This article originated because my sisters left dishes in the sink behind for me to wash ):
-stella