gakuseisean

Firstly, I’d like to start off by saying that writing this feels really pretentious… Oh and this is a wee bit short, I don't really know what to write about.

The grass is greener on the other side of the fence. That’s what we have been brought up to believe, that everything else around us, is faring off better. It is this very mentality that drives many locals to yearn to live overseas. They all have their reasons – the elderly usually believe that living overseas would give them a peaceful retirement (especially in countries that seem quaint and quiet), or those who believe that uprooting would give them greater prospects in life.

On a different note, some Singaporeans are moving overseas due to work commitments. It seems that nowadays, Singaporeans have become more desirable in the global market, with many being foreign expatriates, especially in our neighbouring nations. I suppose that more locals are being employed by MNCs due to Singapore being such a globalised city – locals have the chance to experience different cultures in one hotspot. The same can be said for other globalised cities such as Dubai or Hong Kong (although Hongkies have a difficulty at grasping the English language).

I do believe the grass is greener on the other side, and that is why I would like to live overseas. I find Singapore simply too small, too hot, too restrictive for comfort. There is very little room for creativity here, everything’s expensive, and shopping isn’t that great either. I was almost born a citizen of Hong Kong as my dad was from Hong Kong… well the shopping there is way better, but I’d still prefer not being born there as they can barely grasp the English language. That being said, Singapore is not all that bad. It’s safe, definitely, but I do prefer the idea of being able to live in different places worldwide.

Reading of books as a pastime is beginning to suffer from mortal wounds in this day and age, with an increasing number of youths invest less time with books.

This phenomenon is seen to be a worldwide crisis, especially so among the developed nations, where reading’s biggest rival – the internet, is ever so prevalent in the lives of 21^st century youths. The internet is so diverse, encompassing all forms of media, while offering entertainment bigger and better than ever before. Other forms of entertainment also woo youths from reading, such as films, music and video games. Despite the fact that these forms of entertainment were invented to benefit people, it seems that they are doing more harm than good, proving that the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions. All these alternative entertainments triumph over reading with their glorious graphics, engaging tunes and vivid action – which are more embraced by youths as compared to books.

Traditionally, reading has been associated with increasing one’s literacy. This seems to be proven true as more youths succumb to the hypnotic spell of the media. Statistics prove this, as fewer youths are doing as well academically as they did before in the past, with the advent of a greater variety of entertainment to fill the void that is left without the presence of reading. With academic results plundering, is our generation of youths destined to become, bluntly put, stupid? The absence of reading leads to a loss of knowledge that could have been imparted into youths, be it the news or an expanded vocabulary.

Apart from causing academic results to drop, alternative forms of entertainments such as films, music and video games steal even more from youths. They plunder youth’s minds of creativity, draining them into a lone vision – be it the vision of the director of a film, a band or the video game designer. Youths’ lose the power of imagination that makes reading such a joy – the ability to fantasise about a scene from a piece of literature. Are we going to, as put forth in a song from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, be made dull and blind by the lack of imagination that comes forth from reading?

Despite playing a role in diminishing the popularity of reading, it is unfair to entirely condemn the media for masking over the joys of reading with its glitzy forms of entertainment, as our society itself, despite upholding great value for literacy, does not do much to promote reading. School children who read heavily are often ridiculed as being geeks. Without a proper culture that encourages reading, how are we ever going to make reading popular amongst the youths?

Singapore has tried repeatedly, with ever so little success, to implement campaigns promoting reading. These flop, almost on a yearly basis, with the number of teenage readers having almost no fluctuation. So what then can we do to promote reading amongst youths? The internet itself is a treasure trove of reading materials, so one way to promote reading amongst youths is to make use of this powerful tool. Even though teenagers may not want to read a physical book, online books, accompanied with pictorial references and vivid imagery may prove a success among youths. This has been tried and tested mainly overseas, with moderate success. The standard of literature online at the moment is not currently up to par with physical novels, but as more authors see the power of the internet, many are posting short stories and literary texts on blogs, which are accessible to the masses, such as youths. Besides making amends to the current problem, it is important to nip the lack of the reading culture at its roots. We should try our very best, to inculcate a society that embraces reading and knowledge, so that all children are brought up with such values, and grow up into youths that read. This is easier said than done, as it requires a massive overhaul of the education and society’s systems.

As mentioned earlier, alternative forms of entertainment such as films, music and video games are fast replacing reading as a common pastime amongst youths. While I personally like watching films and listening to music, I feel that reading should never be tossed aside, as both films and music complement it to enhance a person’s cognitive development.

Racial Harmony, something tha governments worldwide (well, most at least) strive to achieve. What is it about this utopian idea that seems to be so unachievable? Is it the default human drive to like those that they share something in common with? Is skin colour, language and race really such a great issue that drives people apart? Well this is what you think about other races, then something is definitely wrong with your mentality towards them.

In most societies, racial harmony is what keeps the fabric of society together. This is especially true in places that comprise of a migrant population, such as London or Singapore. All over the world, in both past and present, racial conflict have caused many problems for society. Take for example the recent riots against Asians in Australia. A closer to home example is the 1964 race riots. All these caused great tensions in society, and led to heightened fears and suspicions through the social divisions.

Instead of just tolerating people of other race, it is important of us to accept people for who they are, and integrate them into our lives, as everyday aspects, especially due to the fact that Singapore is a diverse multicultural society. Take for example the Apartheid government in South Africa, it was that very little acceptance of another's race, let alone integrating the Blacks into the lives of the whites, that led to great social tensions. Nelson Mandela brought hope, a hope of a society where both races live side by side, not just in tolerance, but accepting and getting to know one another, and integrating the latter into each other's lives. The very same thing is necessary here in Singapore, that we should accept the Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Caucasians and various other races that reside here in Singapore. Open interaction and integration leads to a better understanding of one's ways and cultures, and it brings out the best in people, that whatever adversities one faces, there are always many people to turn to.

Of course, it is known that saying something is always easier than actually putting something into practice. While society will never totally be unbiased against one of another race, due to the fact that people favour others that they share something in common with, integration can take place at any location or situation. Just look at how well our various races in Singapore have lived together, interacted together and socialised. There are always ways to improve on this, and one way to further develop integration is through facing adversities together. People are known to bond and work together, especially if a crisis arises. That happens everyday, in everyday situations, such as work. It is thus through our everyday actions, that integration can be improved on and/or materialised.

With this, I end off by saying that Racial Harmony is more about understanding, appreciating and integrating others into our lives, rather than putting on the facade of tolerance.

All across the world, people are seen struggling to cope with the rising food prices, that is contributing to the global food crisis. Food is a necessity of every human, animal and plant worldwide, and this current food crisis has, and is causing political and economic instability, especially among the poorer and less-developed nations.

The issue is a multifaceted one, but one proposed reason as to the current food crisis is the increasing usage of biofuel by developed nations, in a bid to reduce global warming through alternative fuel sources. Biofuels come from organic material, such as crops and plants. The increased usage of biofuel results in less crops for consumption, which, despite it's good intentions, further aggravates the current food crisis situation.

Biofuel itself is a better option for the environment as opposed to the conventional crude oil used so liberally in our everyday lives, and is at the very least, a sustainable energy source. However, it is viewed by many globally as a dilemma, whether to sacrifice crops for use as fuel. It is a good innovation in the field of green energy sources, however, it is a pity that it comes at a wrong time, at a time when the world is suffering from every escalating food prices.

In the current food crisis, it is the poorer nations that are affected the most, countries like Zimbabwe have been affected so badly by inflation, that even ten million Zimbabwean dollars could not afford one a burger. The case is similar for many other people who live below the poverty line. These are the people who cannot afford to purchase food, and it is the job of governments worldwide, it is their MORAL responsibility to offer aid and support to such nations.

Singapore is currently well-off enough to survive through such a food crisis, given our small size and prosperity. However, that is not stopping many Singaporeans from stocking up on food, such as staples like rice. This global food shortage scare happened not only in Singapore, but also in many developed nations, which also, only further aggravates the situation. Therefore, it was very responsible for our government to step in with an assurance that food supply is sufficient, so as to calm the situation. The needy are also being offered help by respective agencies, through various charities and welfare schemes.

Thus, I feel that with a little help from everyone, this current food crisis is something that the human race will pull through, after all, have we not survived thousands of years of adversities?