EDITOR’S NOTE

The past year has brought a few major issues like inequality to the fore. And, I have been thinking how in most cases there’s only a thin line between it and bullying.

Whereas the big bullying themes, like gender and race, are acknowledged, there’s so much more that goes on either openly or on a subliminal level. All around the world, it’s prevalent: countryman to countryman, gender to gender, haves to have-nots, governments to governments, industry to media and vice versa.

I was so shocked by the awful case here of a family starving their helper to death, and Sarah Everard’s murder in London – both intense forms of bullying in what should have been a safe environment. How Sarah’s vigil was managed is, I think, yet another.

Apparently, the word “bully” was first used in the 1530s to mean “sweetheart” or “lover”! By the1700s, though, the word had deteriorated to mean “harasser of the weak”. How did it go from something lovely to something that’s so threatening and, in many cases, fatal?

I know bullying is nothing new – it’s all throughout history. But that doesn’t mean it has to be swept under the carpet. So, now that it’s spring (since we are technically in the northern hemisphere), it’s as good a time as any to embrace a change. We don’t have to call it out necessarily, but let’s at least take a good look at it in all its forms.

Now to what’s in this issue! Unfortunately, travel content is still limited, but we do have a piece on Singapore’s secret places so you can explore your own backyard instead; plus, there’s a bit of just about everything else for you, from brunch ideas to which trainers our EL team recommends. (I asked around as I was needing a new pair for my walks!) And, as always, there’s heaps more online at expatliving.sg.

Grab a cup of tea, take a long breath out – and have a good read!