Mobile foolishness…..

Some months ago, a teenager in India got killed because he had headphones on and was listening to loud music from his mobile. Apparently, he was walking on railway tracks and people were frantically waving to him to get off the track of the oncoming train. He did not hear them, see them nor did he sense the vibrations of the train…..because of the mobile phone. Neighbours said he was a good boy on his way to visit his Grandma.

Then there are the folks who would not turn off their phones when reminded before a plane takes off, though the danger is shared by all passengers. And those who cannot wait till the plane stops to turn on their phones.

There are those who cross the roads or ride the bikes with ear piece on. Drivers who have killed innocent pedestrians because they were talking on the phone.

And they are those who would use the phone to make movie while a person is beat up, harassed, bullied, molested, run over, etc, instead of helping the victim.

Mobile foolishness not because of the phone but the human.

Life’s journey…

On a typical bus journey, i was getting off a bus and noticed another person was getting on…got me thinking of a sci-fi movie [starring Signoney Weaver?].

In the movie, the birth of an alien had to wait till a death happens…because earth can only contain a fixed number of souls.

Actually, the bus makes a good analogy…one gets on and another gets off….both are unique individuals not replaceable by another person….both are separate entities….

I certainly celebrate life and treasure the reality that there is only one me throughout the universe, and across all time span. I am not sharing another person’s soul!

Every year is all the more special!

A light hearted moment….

I was observing a peculiar moment….

A non-Singaporean providing information about Singapore to another non-Singaporean…..a scene on the bus.

Bus drivers have to answer a lot of questions from riders including tourists and other foreign talents working in Singapore. Foreign talents working as bus drivers do have an added challenge….

Truly a cartoon moment.

Excessive dose of positive psychology leads to rudeness….irony

Recent events at various places, including at airports, showcase a very ironic and sad reality…

A 3 year-old child beating up his 6 year-old sibling and getting away with it; the same child hitting his Grandma and getting away with it. The mother in fact chided the older sibling. Her own mother [Grandma] tried to correct the younger tyrant but ended up being hit by the child but the child’s mom said nothing.

So it is not ok to discipline a child but it is ok for that child to hit others? What kind of logic is this? The sad reality is the one whom the parent does not discipline eventually becomes a possible problem to society. All the justification of positive psychology and soft touch for misbehaving kids merely reinforce rude behaviours. Positive psychology can create little monsters just as negative psychology. These little monsters, unfortunately, never grow out of their tantrums, manipulation, self centeredness and even lying. Unless the parents, who are the guardians appointed to guide them, consciously mould them to be civic minded individuals.

I see children yelling at their parents, showing no respect to them, beating them and the parents do nothing to correct that inappropriate behaviour. Some years down the road, these parents will wonder why they have lost the respect of their child.

I am thankful for those parents who do guide, like the one who told his 2 year-old not to yell at a restaurant where i was dinning. Daddy said “shh, do not disturb others who are eating.”

In quite a number of western states, there is no more separation between family and state. The authorities are poking their nose into family affairs, restricting loving parents from doing any form of disciplining. Many do agree with such blanket restrictions. Interestingly, these same supporters of the state intervention would cry foul if there is speech censorship enforced by state governments…..a double standard that is downright ironic.

The world is heading for a sad state, if only people care. Now people can hide behind temporary insanity and kill…the law sanctions it. And so many people blame DNA….as if we cannot exercise choice to act with love and consideration…..Hmmmm….another irony, there are so many marches for Choice [we all know what these are] yet it is said some people cannot choose to restrain themselves from murder, destructive behaviours.

Just like children changing the rules of the game, in the midst of the game, whenever it suits their agenda so that they come out the winner, some adults still do it. Then again, who is the child and who is the adult?

Best of the east and west…

I love the meeting of the minds in this China talk show where the two guests embrace the balance of discipline [fosters values] and empathy [fosters creativity].

I have copied the url for you view the programme yourself…
  http://cctv.cntv.cn/lm/crossover/homepage/index.shtml

Indeed parents owe it to their children to groom them to be considerate citizens / leaders of the next generation. Most parents of the affluent societies have equipped their children with wealth, with financial security, with education that builds confidence to express self and self preservation, but few have equipped their children to be considerate, others centric, service minded, or that the world is much larger than themselves…

I find very few of the young adults are prepared for the real world….sadly.

The [temporary] power of gaga….

Lady Gaga is hot now, with huge following, and an idol to many youths because of her messages….

So was Elvis Presley for his fans, Marilyn Monroe for her fans, Michael Jackson for his fans, Madonna for hers….

Do notice the short life of several influential entertainment idols…..short and impactful entrance, and great following, and then gone just as quickly…[Madonna is still around, I know]

Contrast that with:

• Florence Nightingale died at 90
• Thomas Edison, at 84
• Mother Theresa at 87
• Thomas Edison at 84
• Einstein at 76
• Andrew Carnegie at 84

Another blazing star is around the corner waiting to replace the memory of gaga…So what legacy would gaga leave? We know what Mother Theresa and Florence Nightingale left behind.

But for now, we cannot deny the power of gaga’s influence on today’s youth. Self expression or rebellion are nothing unique to today’s youth, every generation had its own version. The question is who were the role models then and now. What values were promoted back then compared to now.

Many credit gaga for the notion that love and acceptance, compassion etc will preserve freedom. Yet many had been preaching this long before gaga. Jesus himself said this 2000 years ago and demonstrated with His own life and yet wars, family breakdown, children abuse and murder their parents / vice versa….continue.

Gaga’s existence and her antics are not a surprise to God…..the question is ‘what are the youths attracted to?’ Her singing talent? her looks? her body? her foul mouth? her messages? Or simply her audacity to challenge the existing? I don’t think the fans consciously think about it….the power of the masses has a mind of its own.

I saw a video of gaga’s message at the concert she gave in Singapore. A10-15 minutes speech had so many ‘f’ word that i lost count, she regaled every moment of it. The headiness of the power she commanded in that performance hall, which she obviously enjoyed, gave her even more oomph to challenge the young people to be rebellious. She talked like she is god. Actually it is not gaga who is scary but the audience’s revelry that is scary….

So it is said in the last days “..people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power..”

Irony of the current century…

Youth of yesteryears celebrate the coming of age at 13 and in many cultures it is still happening. By the way, that means assuming responsibility of a man or woman, accordingly.

Given that context, consider this:

• Youth today are sexually active around 12/13 years old
• More girls, at 15, get pregnant due to their own lifestyle [as opposed to being forced into child marriages]
• Most youth take decisions on abortion without need to get their parent’s approval
• These same youth spend their parent’s money and have no financial cares

These same youth enter the workforce as young adults with such an expansive experience and knowledge of sexual relationships but….

• they have no idea where they are heading in life
• they cannot discern the circumstances to decide the best course of action without being handheld
• they cannot remember the instructions given to them by their supervisors the day before
• they need specific instructions for every action needed
• they cannot withstand corrections at work
• they might think that time is unlimited or cash is unlimited
• they expect an organisation to change its policy or adjust its expectations so that the environment is tuned to their needs
• they expect that all things must be perfect for them to perform well
• they think they are doing the organisation a favour when they work

The list continues but you get the point. Yes, I will annoy many for generalising. Actually they do form a good part of the majority ….

[no offence intended, apologies if any taken]