WHY??!
Sep 22, 2008 Uncategorized
On my way to the office this morning, I waited for a connecting MTR train in a queue behind a lady who was visibly pregnant. When the train arrived, the cabin was rather crowded and there was no available seat. The pregnant lady walked in to the centre of the carriage and held on to the railing. No one looked ready to give up his/her seat for her.
A lady who was standing at that time noticed the pregnant lady. She quickly walked over to the pregnant lady and signalled for her to sit down, pointing to this young girl (she looked like she was in her late teens or early twenties) who was in a seat directly infront of the pregnant lady. While pregnant lady insisted that it wasn’t necessary, the lady insisted otherwise, signalling stronger that the young girl, who was on her mobile phone, should give up her seat. It now became apparent to me that the young girl was some relative of some sort of the older lady.
The young girl then peeled her ear away from the phone and blurted, “Why??!” in an American accent. She looked entirely chinese, nothing American. Her mother (I’m assuming this) then told her in Cantonese that the pregnant lady was…pregnant and so, young girl should give up her seat. Then, she pulled young girl out of her seat much to young girl’s annoyance. They then had their little argument right at the door of the train.
This is not the first time I’ve seen youngsters oblivious and insensitive to needy people around them. I’ve also read a report in Singapore of a young girl who called a pregnant lady a “bitch” because she stared at her who was sitting in a “needy” seat.
What’s happening to our new generation?
Child’s Play
Sep 5, 2008 Uncategorized
When my nephew was 3 years old, he suddenly came up to the dinner table where the family was gathered for Christmas and said, “Popo (Granny) is Gong Gong’s (Grandpa) wife, Mummy is Papa’s wife, Ah Yee (Aunty) is Yee Cheung’s (Uncle) wife. And Cherry is my wife!”
Cherry, by the way, is his family helper or maid, as they are called here in this part of the world.
We all burst out laughing and his parents were quick to correct his “mistake”, “No, no, Cherry is not your wife. She is our helper.”
After further probing, we discovered how he arrived at that conclusion. He drew the “wife” relationship conclusion by observing which couples slept together. Since Cherry slept in the same room with him, it “naturally” meant that Cherry was his wife.
While his hypothesis was not accurate, his observation of the pattern was absolutely right on target.
Is that not how we learn? We observe patterns and draw conclusions. The problem with adults is that we have a huge ego and prefer not to chance sounding or looking stupid. Hence, most times, we keep our conclusions (sometimes, judgements) within ourselves and never learn that they are inaccurate, if they were. These becomes our perceptions and beliefs and filters what we see and hear everyday. Our actions, consequently, are shaped by these.
Thinking back to my nephew, no amount of telling him that his conclusion was wrong will help him understand the true concept of husband and wife (i.e. marriage, man, woman, etc.). He has to experience it for himself throughout his life.
