I don't think moral education alone helps. You're
talking about being gracious (a topic that has been brought up many
times).
Giving up your seat to someone who needs it more, clearing your
table after eating, not leaving a mess when you leave a cinema (or
anywhere else), giving way to each other on the roads, using your
signals appropriately so as not to inconvenience other road users,
using traffic crossings appropriately (by that I mean, realizing
that you are crossing a road, not walking in a park. That
people are waiting for you to cross so that they can go about their
lives too), not playing with your phones in a dark theater cause
it'll be glaring into other peoples faces, etc, etc, etc, etc,
etc...
That is extremely difficult here. Simple reason - the
environment we live in.
An example, I was in Perth a long time ago running to purchase a
ticket and the train to Freemantle was about to leave. The
conductor actually smiled, waved me on board and said, "We won't
close down cause we miss out on one fare.".
Can you imagine that happening here in $ingapore?
It's things like that that make a person realize that we are all
human beings living together and should do what we can to help each
other out. It builds empathy, sympathy and the desire to help
spread that joy.
Here, we are squeezed in every direction. Over priced
public housing, need to pay for parking on every inch of road, you
get fined following the letter of the law even if you aren't
obstructing any traffic if you don't pay to park, even if you drive
a taxi you need to pay ERP (cause some taxi drivers will go to town
with their families sometimes. So WHAT???),
etc... Essentially, laws put in place to make
sure you can't do a single thing without them making money off
it. That there is no room to rest and enjoy life.
All of these have geared us into a "what can we get away with?"
mindset. Hence, grabbing all the most expensive dishes
at buffets without thought of anyone else, hogging overtaking lanes
with the, "If the police isn't pulling me over, why should I give
way to you" attitudes - same thing with crossing roads, or
signalling.
To make it worse our Government broadcasts the need to look out
for ourselves FIRST!!! By paying themselves millions of tax
payers money, "Or else we will become corrupt and steal
it"... continue to draw HUGE tax payer funded pensions even
after they retire, then turn around and tell the rest of us that we
must not expect too high pay and fund our own annuities in our old
age. After paying taxes all their lives, we are
not going to take care of our old.
Is there really room for grace in our society?
This same government is now asking us to be
gracious. Simply amazing!
i agree. perth is really really really a gracious country.
polite, gentle..
it works both ways la. if singapore were to have that kind of
attitude to allow someone to board without a fare, firstly, the
boss upstairs will fuck them, and once singaporean consummers hear
of it, they'll take advantage of it.
it really disgust me somehow.
but it also helps that its easier to be gracious to others when
everyone is gracious to you. you'll find it easier to be gracious
to others in perth because everyone is like that. monkey see,
monkey do. someone bumps into you, smile and apologises and pat you
on the back. you can't help but smile and apologise too.
can this ever happen in singapore?
