Graciousness & Social Responsibility...

there has been a lot of discussion lately on being gracious and socially responsible in Singapore...
from “Reserved Seats” on the MRTs to using tissue paper to “chope seats” to standing on your left on escalators to H1N1...
we can argue until the cows (or pigs in the case of H1N1) come home without a solution...
but all we can do is to start with ourselves to make that change...
do we blame the person standing on the right for blocking our paths or should we blame the one directly behind the person for not educating the person in front??

the problem with Singaporeans, in my opinion, is that we do not speak up when we are faced with an issue...
instead we will let it pass and then complain like nobody’s business about the issue...
but complaining does not solve the problem, does it??

if we really need the seats on the MRT, is it so difficult to ask the person sitting on the “Reserved Seating” to give up the seats to us??
but instead, we expect everyone around us to give in to us...
of course there is also the embarrassment when the recipient does not accept your kindness...
and then what do we do?? plonk our asses back on the seats?? or “ungraciously” walk away??

with the recent increased in H1N1 cases in Singapore, many of which were imported from countries like the US and Australia...
people are still travelling to these places for their holidays...
they do not stop to think for a moment about the health and safety of their families...
maybe we should blame the Government for this...
on the one hand, advisories were issued for travelling to these countries...
on the other hand, the Government is asking us to go on with our lives...
so being typical Singaporeans who listen to the Government all, if not most, of the time...
we continued with our travelling...
hoping and praying that we will not be the unfortunate ones to return with the virus...
the “it will not happen to me” mentality could prove to be fatal...
the worst is when one returns from an infected country, they pretended nothing has happened and continued with their lives...
not knowing that the virus is developing inside them...
risking the health of others whom they come into contact with...
where is the social responsibility in us??

just like in any situation, it takes two hands to clap...
the giver and the taker have to do play their roles...
and maybe the Government should take the lead too...
but i still believe each and everyone of us has to play our part...
to be the giver at times... and the taker at other times...