Being Considerate
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Yesterday, in The New Paper, I read a touching account of a lady and her li'l son who waited for the people who cleared rubbish in her neighbourhood to turn up so they could give them packets of cold Ribena drinks just to show appreciation for the work that they do.
I don't think I can reproduce the article written by Leong Ching in its entirety, though I really wish I could cause it is such a meaningful article, but here is an excerpt :
""Remember, when the truck comes by later, the uncles will come and pick up our rubbish. It will be smelly but please don't shout that it's smelly," I told him.
""Why?" he asked.
""Otherwise, they will be sad," I told him.
""Why?" he asked.
""Because they are doing something miportant to us, and they get thirsty, So we are helping by giving them a drink. We don't want them to feel that they are doing something that is smelly," I explained desperately.
Wow! You see a lot of people walking past the rubbish trucks / trolleys with utter disdain on their faces. We seldom hear of, nor see a fellow Singaporean teaching his/her children to respect the domestic help, much less a 'waste management worker'. I really applaud this lady for teaching her son to respect all humans, regardless of status, race, and occupation. Too many parents pass teach their children, either consciously or unwittingly, to segregate between the have's and have-not's, the 'successful' and the 'failures' in society. We definitely need more enlightened parents like this lady around to ensure that our society remains gracious!
This is definitely something to think about as we go about our busy lives. -
Unfortunately, in Singapore, most parents will point at those workers and tell their kids "see lah! if you dun study hard you will end up like these people!!"
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Originally posted by av98m:Unfortunately, in Singapore, most parents will point at those workers and tell their kids "see lah! if you dun study hard you will end up like these people!!"
True! True!! That's the sad reality. Here, we have learnt to determine a person's worth based on his/her occupation and status in life. That's why I found the above article so refreshing! 
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tat's really noble.... and the best education a parent can give to their children...
usually when i go makan at hawker / foodcourt, i will thank the cleaner when she cleans up my table.... i rem most of them usually have a grouchy face... then a look of shock when i say thank you... then the smile -
i tot those rubbish collectors men now earning 1k plus?
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I make it a point to give the cleaners who sweeps the blocks a red packet during CNY (esp to those who do not disturb the stray cats).
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If they are, then they truly deserve it and I'm happy that they are earning at least that amount. THey're doing a job which is essential but yet nobody here wants to do it because it's a job with some kinda stigma attached. We should be thankful that they are around otherwise, our HDB estates will quickly turn into pig sties!Originally posted by mhcampboy:i tot those rubbish collectors men now earning 1k plus? -
Originally posted by Wanda:I make it a point to give the cleaners who sweeps the blocks a red packet during CNY (esp to those who do not disturb the stray cats). Good on you!
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Originally posted by mhcampboy:i tot those rubbish collectors men now earning 1k plus?
That would be the biggest misconception ever! The foreign workers only earn a few hundreds of dollars...perhaps closer to the domestic helper's salary, but it should more than that since they don't get free accom and food. -
how true. i make it a point to tell my children that this is honest living and someone had to do the job. "gin zi ai chai, che zi you dao"Originally posted by av98m:Unfortunately, in Singapore, most parents will point at those workers and tell their kids "see lah! if you dun study hard you will end up like these people!!" -
My parent's version was: "If you don't drink your milk, the rubbish uncle will catch you, throw you in the truck and sell you!!!!!"Originally posted by av98m:Unfortunately, in Singapore, most parents will point at those workers and tell their kids "see lah! if you dun study hard you will end up like these people!!"
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To be a gracious and refined person is the true mark of a learned man which I aspire towards. It's a lofty ambition but at least I consciously try all the time. Sadly, many dun share this ambition - their aim only to get higher, fatter and richer so that they can have more men to lord over and trample on................
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x2... Seems like this thing has been going on for generations liao....??Originally posted by av98m:Unfortunately, in Singapore, most parents will point at those workers and tell their kids "see lah! if you dun study hard you will end up like these people!!" -
whats the point of giving drinks to those workers? then do you also give drinks to sweepers, grass cutters, window cleaners etcetc??
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cannot agree more.. the kids in my school, dun even help the cleaning aunties to open the doors to roomsOriginally posted by Rhonda: True! True!! That's the sad reality. Here, we have learnt to determine a person's worth based on his/her occupation and status in life. That's why I found the above article so refreshing! -
yup...
without them...it gonna be hard..
they do the job..nobody wants to do..
they deserve some respect -
The point is, they are humans too, but they usually get disrespected by the majority so the lady is just being considerate and teaching her son likewise.Originally posted by the.owl:whats the point of giving drinks to those workers? then do you also give drinks to sweepers, grass cutters, window cleaners etcetc??
These days, there's too much emphasis on "What do I get out of this?" I guess that's the crux of your question. True, by distributing drinks to them, you do not gain anything in return, but if life has been reduced to a very utilitarian "I-Give-So-That-I-Can-Get" kind of mentality, then that's truly something to bemoan and be a tad ashamed about.
It's always good to stop now and then to say "Thanks!" to those who work hard alongside us, but who are in a worse situation than we are in. In moving forward ourselves at a fast, blinding pace, we should not turn a cold, blind eye to those who are falling by the wayside.
It doesn't take a lot of time nor money, but I'm sure that kind gesture sure means a lot to the workers that day! -
Kindness has to be given to everyone.. that includes the undertaker, the mortician, the construction worker, etc etc...
Since it's difficult to be kind to everyone... i rather be selfish and uncaring... -
what a weird mentality..Originally posted by Misogynist:Kindness has to be given to everyone.. that includes the undertaker, the mortician, the construction worker, etc etc...
Since it's difficult to be kind to everyone... i rather be selfish and uncaring...
wouldnt being kind to 1 person be better than being kind to no one at all? if i may take being kind as giving out happiness (in a sense), it doesnt make sense to deprive everyone else of their happiness, just because you cant make everyone happy, eh? 99 out of 100 people being happy is much more better than no one being happy at all..right? -
Because if everyone cared for everyone, the world would cease functioning...
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well ... my parents give out ang baos and oranges to the dustmen in our private estate during CNY every year ... and I can tell you, we're not the only house in the estate that does that ....
methinks it's because the residents of our estates are mainly those phua chu kang chinese towkay types and older civil servants (mostly teachers) ....
I think those types are more humble and gracious than those yuppies and (*puts on anti-flaming helmet ) those english ed types ... -
That's a really lovely gesture!Originally posted by Fatum:well ... my parents give out ang baos and oranges to the dustmen in our private estate during CNY every year ... and I can tell you, we're not the only house in the estate that does that ....
methinks it's because the residents of our estates are mainly those phua chu kang chinese towkay types and older civil servants (mostly teachers) ....
I think those types are more humble and gracious than those yuppies and (*puts on anti-flaming helmet ) those english ed types ...
I think if one had humble beginnings and then made it rich, one would either have empathy for others who are struggling to make a living, or one might become arrogant and materialistic and greedy to acquire even more wealth.
I shall always remember being around for this doctors' rounds where a Professor brought his med students for a walk around the wards, discussing cases with them. I looked around at the med students... most of them looked like they came from well-to-do families. A few of them appeared to be a bit arrogant and haughty, from the way they behaved. Out of the whole lot of them, only ONE bothered to talk to an ah pek to reassure him and when his classmates all moved off, he stayed behind to button up the ah pek's shirt and say "Thanks!" to the ah pek for allowing them to put their stethoscopes to his chest for a listen.
I couldn't resist but to go up to him and tell him that because you see the ah pek as a human being first and foremost, you will do very well as a doctor, never lose that caring aspect of being a doctor. -
only a few people in my block does this.Originally posted by Fatum:well ... my parents give out ang baos and oranges to the dustmen in our private estate during CNY every year ... and I can tell you, we're not the only house in the estate that does that ....
methinks it's because the residents of our estates are mainly those phua chu kang chinese towkay types and older civil servants (mostly teachers) ....
I think those types are more humble and gracious than those yuppies and (*puts on anti-flaming helmet ) those english ed types ...
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Yar.. Agree, then are doing their part to save Green Earth..
I respected them for that.
But looking on accounting points of view, we paid fo the service. This is just a transaction. -
just because you're paying for the food and service doesn't mean you shouldn't say thank you to the waiters right ? ....Originally posted by Darkness_hacker99:Yar.. Agree, then are doing their part to save Green Earth.. I respected them for that.
But looking on accounting points of view, we paid fo the service. This is just a transaction.
and just because we're paying for them doesn't mean we needn't say thank you eh ? ...