Empty At The Core?
There has been some outcry over the comments of one minister in Singapore, after he spent some time with an elderly box collector. He had surmised that some do the collection as a form of exercise, and others do it to get out of their homes rather than to be cooped up there.
I wonder whether the minister would even consider if he would engage in such an activity in his retirement, and whether he would even dig deeper beyond the thinly-disguised replies to protect the few shreds of pride remaining in these lives. For all these people definitely do it for the little money that they earn ($1 for 80 cans and $2 for 16kg of boxes), which points to a more serious issue that an extra $2 means a lot to them!
Without delving into whether $2 is the right amount to pay them, perhaps we should, as citizens, think about how we treat our elderly. These are people who have spent their lives contributing to the economy, and yet they never get to enjoy any fruits of their labour, even into their eighties. Is this how we would like to be treated when we grow old and are have exhausted our utility in the offices we work in?
It is also disturbing that younger Singaporeans think it normal that an older person cleans the table at a food court, or works behind the counter at a fast food outlet. They might think that these are the lesser-educated folk who neglected to save for their old age. However, if we only consider the rising cost of living, that everyone is getting better educated, and that wages have not risen by the same measure, then who will be needing to work these jobs in their silver years?
As Singapore, I think we should rethink how our country is progressing/regressing. We might be getting richer on the outside, but are we empty at the core?
I wonder whether the minister would even consider if he would engage in such an activity in his retirement, and whether he would even dig deeper beyond the thinly-disguised replies to protect the few shreds of pride remaining in these lives. For all these people definitely do it for the little money that they earn ($1 for 80 cans and $2 for 16kg of boxes), which points to a more serious issue that an extra $2 means a lot to them!
Without delving into whether $2 is the right amount to pay them, perhaps we should, as citizens, think about how we treat our elderly. These are people who have spent their lives contributing to the economy, and yet they never get to enjoy any fruits of their labour, even into their eighties. Is this how we would like to be treated when we grow old and are have exhausted our utility in the offices we work in?
It is also disturbing that younger Singaporeans think it normal that an older person cleans the table at a food court, or works behind the counter at a fast food outlet. They might think that these are the lesser-educated folk who neglected to save for their old age. However, if we only consider the rising cost of living, that everyone is getting better educated, and that wages have not risen by the same measure, then who will be needing to work these jobs in their silver years?
As Singapore, I think we should rethink how our country is progressing/regressing. We might be getting richer on the outside, but are we empty at the core?