Lava Flow

Onboard my usual SBS Bus Service Number 147, after an appointment in Chinatown, some ladies in their mid-thirties or so boarded the bus. I was among the few standing on the right side of the lower deck, where the middle right portion is for standing passengers. As per the most common sight, the rear of the lower deck could accomodate more, but few passengers bothered to shift in. The 3 or 4 ladies squeezed their way through to the rear end, voicing aloud in Mandarin "See, the rear still has so much space, why do the rest don't want to shift in?"

Nothing spectacular, amazing, fanatic, crazy - just the normal day-to-day scene in public places, especially for public transport, less the loud comments that some dare or are crazy enough to make. But the word is that the crazier ones are those who don't spare a thought for others. And the craziest ones are those who always have words of being gracious, or those parents who teach their children about grace, courtesy, politeness etc but YET don't practise the exact qualities themselves, sometimes even demonstrating the exact opposite right in front of their children.

Should our home be a starting point for parents to inculcate those desired qualites in children? Or should we leave it to the formal and official educators in the schools? Nevertheless, it's essential that parents should set a example for their children to follow. This brings us to the focal point: Are parents leading a good example? Are the young parents of our modern society doing the right thing? Good intention there might be, but the style, delivery and approach might be going way too off.

To be fair, there are indeed kind souls right here who bother to offer their seats to the elderly, handicapped, pregnant ladies, or ladies carrying their beloved baby etc. There are parents who bother to constantly "drum" in the classic teachings to their kids. The usual saying goes "YOU pay peanuts, YOU get monkeys". Parents' efforts in educating and bringing up their children would be shown and proven ultimately, though years or many years later.

I seriously wonder when we would see that our SBS buses need not allocate designated seats to the elderly/pregnant ones and display prominent signs for "us" to offer the seats to the former. When that day comes, then I can proudly "declare" that OUR society has indeed progressed, in the humanity aspect. 2020? Am I too far fetched here? A big NO, I don't think so. We are not that different from our counterparts in SEA, Asia, US etc. But the environment(not the physical environment as in geographical surroundings) and ambience differ. And that is a major obstacle for us to conquer, that is if we aspire to progress to a more gracious, compassionate and accommodating society.

DREAM 2020?