I wonder....

What have become the people of the Little Red Dot? Have you observed our fellow countrymen lately? It seems that wherever I go, I never fail to notice some selfish behaviours demonstrated by the people around me.

For example, technology has advanced and handphones have evolved from being more than a handset that can make/receive phonecalls, to one that can play your favourite music. People (and I'm not just talking about the youth) seem to have forgotten that there are others travelling in the same transport as them, and they play and 'share' their favourite piece of music with the entire MRT cabin or SBS Transit bus! Regardless of whether you're able to understand (& appreciate) the language at all! A few days ago, I sat next to this Indian man who was happily choosing and playing Hindi music off his handphone! Or the youth that I encountered in a bus, watching a 'live' recording of an event he's just been to (though it was a funny one, but who cares?!).

Or the many examples of reckless, selfish drivers who seldom signal their intention to change direction; or squeezing into your lane when it seems almost impossible and risk YOU knocking into their rear; or simply going against traffic rules, at the risk of causing danger to the other motorists.

Have we become too oblivious of our surrounding that we thought we were living in some lonely planet that people can actually sieve out unwanted noise, and adjust themselves to suit people's actions; or have we simply become too self-centred to be considerate? In this new generation of seeing just "me, myself & I", have we subconsciously or deliberately chosen to do things at our own convenience, thus adding to others' inconvenience?

I'm honestly sad and disappointed to see such behaviours, even in our young ones, as they imitate the adults' behaviours. They are simply not aware and do not comprehend what is their surrounding (people and environment) and how their actions can cause disturbance or inconvenience to others. No wonder the Ministry of Education is now advocating Social Emotional Learning/Competencies in our classrooms. The students need to learn about Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Management and Responsible Decision-making. We need to be taught how to be responsible people who aren't living in our own private planet.

What has become our society?