once again, another member of the older generation finds it fit to write an article criticising 'Gen Y' for not being able to endure hardship and worrying about what Singapore will be like, ruled by a whole generation of softies who 'take the luxuries of life for granted'. yes, this article by Lee Wei Ling in the Sunday Times pissed me off, allow me to indulge in a little rant:
firstly, i'm plain sick of older people lamenting the lack of hardship that our generation faces. it is a matter of fact, but let us not forget that this should be something to be celebrated, not lamented. why did our forefathers, who were the generation that endured hardship, work so hard in the first place? so that their children would not need to suffer the same fate as them. in that sense, their wish has come true, and we are the chief beneficiaries of their hard labour. now i submit to Ms Lee, and the many others who concur with her: have we done anything wrong? were we the ones who wished happiness, prosperity and progress on ourselves? certainly not! yet, does not one sense the irony of the issue? the older generation works hard, pampers their kids, and then blasts them as softies. what's a Gen Y-er to do?
secondly, Lee Wei Ling is hardly the best person to talk about hardship. the example of hardship in the article was of her living overseas, and she provided anectdotes of how she travelled a long distance to Chinatown to get cheap food and how she never ate out unless invited to do so, all to save money. i think many Singaporean overseas students, even from this generation can identify with what she wrote. so i think it's a poor example if you're using it to contrast hardships faced by the older generation and the younger. as a matter of fact, many in her generation would even be happy to get past secondary school, much less study overseas.
so i felt it was a very unnecesary article, and a poor critque of the younger generation. it barely even showed hardship. if anything, it showed that Lee Wei Ling was a humble, unassuming lady who refused to tap into her the privilege and status of her family to achieve her ambitions. so enough about how young people can't endure hardships. while we don't know what it's like to live in poverty, we are by no means immune from financial problems if our parents lose their jobs. young people nowadays live in a society that is an emotional and psychological minefield. divorce rates are edging higher, and the chief victims are the children, with greater access to technology, young people are exposed to porn, violence and addiction like never before. when parents join the rat race and make big bucks, children are left emotionally unattended to and many turn to destructive behaviour like self-mutilation, pre-marital sex, etc. so stop with the 'young people are so lucky nowadays' and stop assuming that this generation has no problems or no worries just because we are richer. it reflects an outdated thinking that with money all problems can be solved. no, with money comes new problems. the older generation need to see that in a different era, in a different society, there are different struggles and challenges and people will either overcome or succumb to them. don't tell the child who is raised by his maid and hardly gets to see his parents that he doesn't face any difficulties, or the girl who had to get an abortion because she engaged in underaged sex with her older boyfriend she has it lucky. i am genuinely offended by comments that we don't face hardships. we do, just not the same kind as before.
in other news, i found out that my mental faculty for mathematics has diminished to the point of no return. i bravely offered to help boon teck with his J1 maths after service today, after he told me about getting poor results in his recent tests, and i was dumbfounded at the questions. yes, i still vaguely remember how to do the questions, but vaguely remembering your maths doesn't give you an A in A Levels nor does it help you to help your friend who is struggling with his H2 maths. so i was quite shocked at how much i have degenerated since november, when i took the exams. it's been 10 months and really, i can't believe such a long time has passed. i now worry about the SATs. i think i can still do the questions if i start mugging again. maybe i've just turned lazy, lazy to use my brain.
after church i went to parkway to do some shopping for my mother's birthday. it's been awhile since i've bought something nice for her, so i thought i would spend a little bit. i wanted to get aromatherapy candles and stuff but i the shop creeped me out a little, so i decided to do the thoughtful and practical thing and buy tea and a mug for the office. not as decadent, but definitely more practical.
going back to camp soon. friends make army life more bearable, and it's too early to say if the friends you make will become lifelong friends, like those in secondary school. however, the people one meets and interacts with in the army will no doubt form lifelong memories that would put a smile on the face as one recalls the antics and pranks played, the jokes made and the arguments had. so as i trudge back to Sungei Gedong camp, i continue my quest to stay alive to blog another week. haha!
a song about growing up, it's beautiful:
So why don't you meet me Down behind the old school We'll waste away the weekend With perfect regard for how Cavalier we used to be That beautiful insanity The apathy's surrounding me Don't close your eyes or we'll fade away...
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
The Life You Always Wanted - John Ortberg
21: How Six Students Took Vegas For Millions - Ben Mezrich
John 3:16 - Max Lucado
Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction - Klaus Dodds
The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East - Kishore Mahbubhani
Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things, Vol. 1 - Amir Muhammad
The Post-American World - Fareed Zakaria
Life on the Edge - James Dobson
The Case For Christ - Lee Strobel
International Relations: A Very Short Introduction - Don Wilkinson
Just Like Jesus - Max Lucado
Fireseeds from Korea to the World - Nils Witmer Becker
Prayer: the Key to Revival - Dr. Yonggi Cho
If You Want to Walk On Water, Get Out Of the Boat - John Ortberg
In The Grip of Grace - Max Lucado
The Shape of The World To Come - Laurent Cohen-Tanugi
