WHY, WHY, WHY?
Did you read the forum page today (22 Feb 06) in the Straits Times? If not, I had extracted the article as I find it speaks of something our youth ought to ponder on. The article is as copied …
“ ON FEB 11 at around 7.30pm, I saw an old woman with a crooked back dragging a cart full of cardboard boxes and old newspapers while I was walking along South Bridge Road near Chinatown. Apparently she was going to sell them to earn some income further down the road. When her load fell off the cart near Cross Street, a young Singaporean man assisted her and helped to push the cart to her destination. He also gave her some money out of his kind-heartedness.
As a visitor to Singapore, I did not expect to see this in a First World country. Isn't there a pension fund so that the aged do not have to survive in this condition? Has Singapore become so selfish in its quest for economic prosperity that the poor and the aged get discarded along the way? The sight of the old woman pushing a heavy cart on a busy Saturday night is something that I will not forget for a long time. It has certainly changed my impression of Singapore.
And to that young Singaporean man, I salute you for your compassion and generosity.
Richard Tan
New South Wales, Australia”
Some people believe that such old folks were doing it because they are a little bored with nothing to do!!! Sincerely I never believe anyone would like to do such manual work. My father in law once tried to occupy himself by trying to work as a cleaner in the toilet (he does not need to work, as he is well provided for) but this job lasted not more than 2 hrs before he gave up. No, I don’t believe that any old folks will want to occupy themselves in such work, but rather they need to survive. In such a country like Singapore, why are there so many old folks seem to be working for a living even when they are so frail or fragile. WHY, WHY, WHY!!! To me it is so saddening. What had happen to our generation? I may not have the perfect answer, but I believe I may have one of the answers to this sad predicament. So what is it? I will post my thoughts on this issue the next time I blog! So keep Reading!!!
Mr Chu
“ ON FEB 11 at around 7.30pm, I saw an old woman with a crooked back dragging a cart full of cardboard boxes and old newspapers while I was walking along South Bridge Road near Chinatown. Apparently she was going to sell them to earn some income further down the road. When her load fell off the cart near Cross Street, a young Singaporean man assisted her and helped to push the cart to her destination. He also gave her some money out of his kind-heartedness.
As a visitor to Singapore, I did not expect to see this in a First World country. Isn't there a pension fund so that the aged do not have to survive in this condition? Has Singapore become so selfish in its quest for economic prosperity that the poor and the aged get discarded along the way? The sight of the old woman pushing a heavy cart on a busy Saturday night is something that I will not forget for a long time. It has certainly changed my impression of Singapore.
And to that young Singaporean man, I salute you for your compassion and generosity.
Richard Tan
New South Wales, Australia”
Some people believe that such old folks were doing it because they are a little bored with nothing to do!!! Sincerely I never believe anyone would like to do such manual work. My father in law once tried to occupy himself by trying to work as a cleaner in the toilet (he does not need to work, as he is well provided for) but this job lasted not more than 2 hrs before he gave up. No, I don’t believe that any old folks will want to occupy themselves in such work, but rather they need to survive. In such a country like Singapore, why are there so many old folks seem to be working for a living even when they are so frail or fragile. WHY, WHY, WHY!!! To me it is so saddening. What had happen to our generation? I may not have the perfect answer, but I believe I may have one of the answers to this sad predicament. So what is it? I will post my thoughts on this issue the next time I blog! So keep Reading!!!
Mr Chu
posted by Sebastian Chu at 7:58 PM
