Nation Of Kindness

Being a Gen Y member when most of our fellow peers are well educated and drawing a decent pay, we sometimes neglect to acknowledge the existence of the poor and needy in our society. This is because when we look around us, we realize that most, if not all, of our friends seem to be doing quite well. Most of our friends are holding a diploma/ degree and having office jobs so life can't be that bad. However, just because we don't have friends who are poor and needy, it does not mean that there are no poor or needy around.

The income gap between the poor and the rich is widening and those who are earning considerably less will be swept behind by the tsunami of inflation and high cost of living. Some may think that it is the government's job to take care of the poor and needy, but can we as fellow citizens do more? Some may ask why should we even bother. It is better to work hard and save the money for myself, never mind who is suffering out there. Then again, we should try to eradicate this kind of "I only care for myself" mindset if we really want to progress as a society and more importantly as a person.

We should care for each other because we are all members of the society and citizens of the same country. If it is within our means, we should try to do something to help these group of friends, so that everyone moves along and the society progress together, leaving no one behind. If Singapore were to go to war one day (touch wood), are we going to segregate the poor and the rich? No! We are going fight as one army and we are going to defend our country together. If we are not caring and helping each other now, how are we going to have that trust and team spirit when the crunch time comes?

When the poor gets poorer, they will be ones who suffer most, as their pay is unable to catch up with inflation. There's a recent article which states that the "working poor" (someone whose income per household capita is less than half of the national median per capita household income of Singapore, which stands at $1,920) are not getting enough pay to make ends meet. The government may come out with policies to help them but it may still be a struggle for them. Can we be kind enough to do a bit more for them and lighten their load?