Ask any kid where they would like to grow up and they would say they would want to be exactly where they are because they do not know any different. Ask any adult where they would have liked to have grown up and you could get a myriad of responses because having seen the world and all it has to offer, we adults are always craving for something better.
As a child growing up in Ipoh, life was idyllic. Traffic was minimal, life was simple and uncomplicated. Girls went to girls’ schools and boys went to boys’ schools. Entertainment was the occasional film show at the local cinemas, Lido and Cathay. You never hung out at shopping malls because there were none to speak of. A day out with friends would be a show and maybe a visit to a coffee house nearby.
This was in the 60s and 70s when families were close knit and life revolved around school and home. On weekends, it was church services. Black and white TV sets were not found in all households till the late 60s and the dial-up telephone was found in most homes only in the early 70s.
When I look back, I wonder how we managed to pass the days and nights in those days. This is especially so when I look at the younger generation today. Our parents would never have dreamt of buying us a notebook or a handphone. These would have been considered luxuries that we could do without. We managed to survive without these luxuries. Even clothes were considered a luxury and we lived on hand-me-downs, not only from siblings but also from cousins and close friends.
How times have changed! How fortunate (or unfortunate!) the younger generation is today. I pity the parents who are forced to give their children the best, for if they do not, their children will not fit into society. If I was asked when I would have liked to be born, then or now, my answer would definitely be then, not now. Not having what I really wanted and using hand-me-downs has made me a more understanding, caring and compassionate person, I am sure!
Introspection
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Laws and Values
Values are instilled into our lives from the time we are born by our parents and caregivers. Values come in the form of religious and cultural beliefs and traditions. To instill positive values into our lives, rules or laws have been formulated. Some say that laws have to be made because of a lack of values. To make sure that the rules are adhered to, there is enforcement.
Just recently, I heard of a case where an intruder molested a senior citizen as she was entering her house after visiting her neighbours. Why are our neighbourhoods so unsafe? We have grilled our doors and windows. We have even installed alarms and fixed locks for exits to the airwell. We dare not even walk in the park nor take up jogging as a form of exercise. We are too afraid of the consequences.
Across the border, however, windows of bungalows are left wide open. There are no grilles and no locks. People can be seen jogging and taking their dogs and children for a walk at a leisurely pace at any time of the day or night. Life seems so safe and secure.
Why is there this disparity between the two neighbouring countries? Have Malaysians lost their sense of values? Haven’t these values been successfully instilled into the lives of the residents of Malaysia? With the teaching of Pendidikan Moral (Moral Education) in schools, why is there still so much crime? Are the perpetrators not afraid of the punishment if they are caught? It is time that we try to find a solution to this problem. We should try to deal with the cause and not the symptoms.
Just recently, I heard of a case where an intruder molested a senior citizen as she was entering her house after visiting her neighbours. Why are our neighbourhoods so unsafe? We have grilled our doors and windows. We have even installed alarms and fixed locks for exits to the airwell. We dare not even walk in the park nor take up jogging as a form of exercise. We are too afraid of the consequences.
Across the border, however, windows of bungalows are left wide open. There are no grilles and no locks. People can be seen jogging and taking their dogs and children for a walk at a leisurely pace at any time of the day or night. Life seems so safe and secure.
Why is there this disparity between the two neighbouring countries? Have Malaysians lost their sense of values? Haven’t these values been successfully instilled into the lives of the residents of Malaysia? With the teaching of Pendidikan Moral (Moral Education) in schools, why is there still so much crime? Are the perpetrators not afraid of the punishment if they are caught? It is time that we try to find a solution to this problem. We should try to deal with the cause and not the symptoms.
Choices
One of my student’s responses for everything under the sun is “I had no choice.” Are our lives really devoid of choice? In ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost, we can see that we need to make choices at every step of the way from the moment we wake up in the morning till we lay our heads on the pillow for the night.
Yes, we do have choices. However, most of the time, we are afraid to make the wrong choice. What do we do then? We decide to join the crowd and do what everyone else is doing. Life does not become a threat then! We ‘go with the flow’.
If, on the other hand, we decide to break free, there will be a lot of opposition from friends and relatives. This is when our true lives as human beings will be tested. Can we take up the challenge to be different? Will we be ostracized? If we dare to venture into unchartered waters, what will our lives be like?
Yes, we do have choices. However, most of the time, we are afraid to make the wrong choice. What do we do then? We decide to join the crowd and do what everyone else is doing. Life does not become a threat then! We ‘go with the flow’.
If, on the other hand, we decide to break free, there will be a lot of opposition from friends and relatives. This is when our true lives as human beings will be tested. Can we take up the challenge to be different? Will we be ostracized? If we dare to venture into unchartered waters, what will our lives be like?
Of things bizarre!
How many times have you come across incidents that were bizarre. An acquaintance considered my life bizarre as I had stayed in the same house for more than 40 years. On the other hand, I considered his life bizarre as he had shifted home on a yearly basis, not only within his country but also internationally (because of various job opportunities that came his way).
Pondering on life, I sometimes can’t fail to wonder why our lives are so very different from one another’s. What would happen if we were in the other person’s shoes? Would we have taken the same precautions and actions that he or she were taking and doing? Life indeed has many routes and each of us has taken our own course of action. Some bizarre, some not so.
For example, I recently heard of a lady who pays her live-in boyfriend RM30 per day to look after their baby. She works twelve hours a day while he stays home with the baby. Somehow, it would not sound so bizarre if it were the man who was earning and she was a stay-at-home mum, don’t you think? Or am I just biased and prone to stereotyping?
Pondering on life, I sometimes can’t fail to wonder why our lives are so very different from one another’s. What would happen if we were in the other person’s shoes? Would we have taken the same precautions and actions that he or she were taking and doing? Life indeed has many routes and each of us has taken our own course of action. Some bizarre, some not so.
For example, I recently heard of a lady who pays her live-in boyfriend RM30 per day to look after their baby. She works twelve hours a day while he stays home with the baby. Somehow, it would not sound so bizarre if it were the man who was earning and she was a stay-at-home mum, don’t you think? Or am I just biased and prone to stereotyping?
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