SINGAPORE: With the internet pervading more aspects of
people’s lives, face-to-face communication has been reduced,
causing human relations and awareness of the feelings of others to
take a hit, said Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong on Friday
(May 29).
Speaking at the launch of an exhibition by the Singapore Kindness
Movement (SKM), Mr Goh called for more considerate conduct online,
saying that words and action in cyberspace have a long-lasting
impact.
“Hurling vitriol online may feel ‘shiok’ to the sender instantly,
but bad vibes reverberate across cyberspace and fester in hearts
and minds long after,” he said. “Conversely, being considerate and
thoughtful online perpetuates and multiplies goodwill.”
Mr Goh also noted that while Singapore’s rapid economic development
had driven wages up, the opportunity cost of time had increased
too, leaving people feeling more hurried and overlooking the need
to be gracious in everyday life. “If competition drives people to
look out only for themselves and their own families, it would be
tragic. I do not want to live in such a society even if it is the
richest country in the world,” he added.
At the event on Friday, 10 individuals and organisations were
awarded for their efforts to make Singapore a more gracious place.
Their initiatives include encouraging youth to help the elderly and
getting people to share home-cooked dishes with their
community.
The SKM’s two-day multimedia exhibition at *SCAPE Playspace, which
opens on Saturday, is held in commemoration of Kindness Day SG.
Visitors can walk through zones featuring stories on acts of
kindness. One of the zones features an interactive short film,
SW/TCH, which was created by local award-winning director Kirsten
Tan, and shows two contrasting views of Singapore through a
split-screen narrative.
Meanwhile, pre-schools were involved in commemorating Kindness Day
SG for the first time this year. A total of 564 companies and
pre-schools islandwide committed to the initiative, with teachers
conducting daily classroom activities in the weeks beforehand, such
as card games that teach kindness.
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Goh Chok Tong, what is your definition of considerate conduct
online?
