Category: Social Issues

Selflessness is the concern for needs and wishes of others than with one’s own. People generally believe that being selfless is a quality that is desirable. Altruistic qualities are often associated with being selfless, while negative qualities are often associated with selfishness. Many people distinguish selfish people as those who take and selfless people as those who give. However, it is a generalisation and there is a need to view selflessness from multiple perspectives. It cannot be denied that selflessness is a desirable quality to a large extent.

Selflessness is often promoted as a positive quality in religious texts. Many religions are linked to people becoming more altruistic. Globally all religions promote altruism, by helping others, individuals feel good about themselves. In religions like Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam people are encouraged to be selfless and keep the needs and wants of others at the forefront. In Hinduism for instance, Bhagavad Gita describes selflessness as the essence of karma yoga and the basis of all existence. Similarly, in Christianity, people are encouraged to be selfless. This is evident from the two commandments “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” is first, and “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. Selflessness in a religious sense is a desirable quality because it encourages people to help others. Therefore, selflessness is a desirable quality as it encourages a humanistic nature in people.

Selflessness is not considered a desirable trait because people falsely believe that their needs are not valid. Opponents of selflessness believe that selflessness is a way of morally bullying an individual. They often argue that even religion promotes selfishness and not selflessness. For example, in Christianity, it is believed that if people help others and keep others needs at fore, they will get a place in heaven. They, therefore, believe that even acts of selflessness require selfishness. Therefore, selflessness is not a desirable quality.

Despite this, it cannot be denied that selflessness is desirable because it makes life better for an individual and also others. Selfless actions are helpful to people who live around us and fosters a sense of self-identity.  Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi are notable examples of people who have truly been selfless and helped society in a myriad of ways. Gandhi’s selflessness awakened the national consciousness of people. Similarly, Mother Teresa accepted the rejects of the society and transformed them trough her selfless acts. She always believed that “the most horrible disease is not leprosy or tuberculosis. It is the feeling to be undesirable, rejected, abandoned by all.” Selflessness is morally desirable as it helps people to make the lives of people around them better.

Selflessness within societies as it encourages people to progress and prosper together. In every society, it is desired that individuals cultivate selflessness because it helps people. Many societies go to the extent of fostering selflessness through various activities and programmes.  For example, in Singapore, there is a Kindness Movement, that provides people with volunteering opportunities to help those in need. Selflessness allows people to open their hearts and understand the problem of others. Some might argue that Singapore as a competitive country is selfish especially in terms of education and economics. However, it can not be overlooked that movements like these encourage people to grow and prosper together and show that selflessness is valued and desired in many societies. Thus, selflessness is a desirable quality.  

Though selflessness is the desired quality, people often fail to work selflessly in certain circumstances. Many times people do not act selflessly, for example, many rehabilitated criminals are not accepted back into society. Recent pandemic has also shown that though selflessness is desired not many people practice it. For example, there have been instances across the world where sellers are hoarding hand sanitizers and masks and selling them at a higher price. These examples clearly show that ideally, people would like to work selflessly, in reality, it is not possible. Thus, even though selflessness is a desired quality many do not act selflessly.

Selflessness is a moral principle that is highly desirable. Selflessness allows people to widen their perspective and understand people better. Religion and society also prove that selflessness is the desired quality because they promote acts of helping and volunteering for the benefit of others. Even today many people act in a selfless manner. This is evident from the fact that many doctors, policemen, cleaners are working tirelessly during the recent pandemic and helping people. Selflessness has the power to change the world and is, therefore, a desirable quality.

In conclusion, selflessness is to a large extent a desirable quality as it helps people and society. Though being selfless is desired, people need to realise that it cannot always be practised. In our materialistic world where people thrive in selfishness acts of selflessness are truly desired because they keep us in touch with our humanity.

People feel the presence of rules everywhere. Oppressive presence of rules, both written and unwritten are a norm in some societies. Rules are prescribed to dictate people’s every move and keep their behaviour in check. Many believe that rules are an affront to their freedom, and argue that they are there to be broken. However, rules are necessary for any society so that it can run smoothly and progress in a stable manner. Increasingly, many hold the view that rules are usually meant to be followed but, in some cases, when rules hinder progress and are unjust, then the rules can be broken.

Rules are the building blocks of a harmonious society. Rules in society are meant for the well-being of the individual and society as a whole. As such rules in society must be followed so that everyone can stay peacefully. In society, rules are in the form of laws that help society to progress. For example, many developed nations have rules and laws in place that make education compulsory for children. As good education is the sign of a progressive society, with responsible citizens. Similarly, there are laws or rules against crimes like murder, robbery, bribery and other so that people can be protected from practices that oppress them in any way. Even following the simplest rules in a society leads to harmony and smooth functioning of that society. For example, not smoking near schools, following the traffic signs, queueing in an orderly manner, not littering are all rules that are meant to prevent society from falling into anarchy. Therefore, rules must not be broken in society as they are there for protecting the well-being of the individuals and communities that stay within that society.

However, sometimes people need to break rules to achieve success and revolutionise people’s lives. Most influential people all had to break rules to initiate change and bring on multitudes of new ways to people’s lives. If people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had stuck to following the rules, then we may not have the technological advances like we do and thrive on today. Similarly, if Galileo did not propose Heliocentricity, people would have never established that Earth is not the centre of the universe. There is a need to strive for more especially when people are innovating. Rule-breaking in innovation helps to make a positive impact not only for an individual but also the lives of others in society. Therefore, to create something path-breaking rules need to be broken.

Societal and cultural norms need to be broken when they prove detrimental to the well-being of society. Unspoken rules are responsible for many of the atrocities that happen in society. Honour killing in countries like Pakistan and India is due to the rule in which the perpetrator believes that the victim has violated the principles of a community or a religion. Similarly, in China, the foot-binding practice was considered a status symbol as well as a mark of beauty. However, the cultural practice was painful and limited the mobility of women, resulting in lifelong disabilities for most of its victims. With many campaigns in China, the practice finally came to an end in the early 20th century. In many parts of the world, discriminatory practices are entrenched into the cultures.  Thus, breaking rules is necessary when it comes to discriminatory practices rooted in cultural and traditional norms.

Rules in most cases should be followed, however when it comes to discriminatory practices or creating something new rules need to be broken. Individuals and societies, face a continual battle over rules, however, what needs to be understood is that rules are meant for the benefit of the society. Only rules that hinder innovation and lead to discrimination should be condemned.

The city – full of zest, glitz and glamour and all that jazz.  It is said to be the pulse of a country and where economic progress is centred at. Amidst all that are its people who create the city as it is, living in six degrees of separation.  As life becomes profoundly more mercurial and intricately complex with tectonic shifts, the labyrinth we live in today has robbed most of us, to say the least, of something we yearn for, desire, need, want – creating an empty space that is loneliness.  Though loneliness is a major problem in city, it is not necessarily the only problem given the myriad of troubles that plague the world today.

The advent of the internet has enhanced the connectivity between two people regardless of geographical boundaries.  It has created various matchmaking and online chatting services that allow people to fall in love without meeting each other prior. A burgeoning number of couples who are dating first got to know each other via online dating services.  For instance, Taiwanese author Gladden met his girlfriend of four years via her blog. Matchmaking companies use the internet to find a potential bride for someone. Family members have been able to stay in touch via skype. Thanks to technology, communication has been enhanced that diminish prospect for loneliness to be dominant in one’s life and create a major problem, especially in city life.

As people today adopt a more active lifestyle and are interested to acquire new skills, more are dining out, joining classes and spend a relaxed day somewhere out.  This has widened the breadth of interactions between people.  Through social interactions, we are able to make new friends that do away with loneliness. Social support systems available such as religious institutions too provide the opportunity for city dwellers to interact with each other.  In Singapore, more locals are actively joining marathon (Nike Race – within six days all spots were taken) and taking up speed dating services. One reason for lower loneliness too is that companies these days emphasize corporate social responsibility  (CSR) that create a compulsory requirement for employees to do community service.  It is refreshing for a city dweller to temporarily take leave from the fast pace, hectic working life that causes one to be caught up with it and lose social interaction that is vital for anyone being.

If one stays connected to world issues, the comprehensive problems that engulf us today, makes loneliness take a back seat.  The passionate debate about environmental issues, child trafficking and slow economic growth have wider and grave consequences. Solutions to these problems have not been absolute and abided to as promised which poses a more serious problem than loneliness which has available avenues for one to channel and suppress.  In fact, it is these problems that actually proliferated one’s communications with each other.  Demonstrators from all over the globe usually come together to protests against something they agree such as protests against the IMF and the negative impact of the capitalist economy.  As these people come together for a common course, the similar interest they share, allow one to forget loneliness and feel content to fight for something they believe in with like-minded people.  City dwellers, they no longer are, but unrecognized soldiers.

However, though on a majority scale, loneliness may not be a problem, for some it is a significant problem that would pose a major problem to their loved ones.  In a city, besides workers, students who live in one have access to various electronic goods that can strip away communication from the world.  Point in case – video games.  Consumers can become so absorbed in it that at times they forget they are actually living, forgetting their daily routines as they become preoccupied with the games.  In Japan, video gamers are known to have died from being obsessed with playing that they forget to blink.  It could be because they could be lonely and play such games to negate loneliness, self-immersed in it and worry parents.

Globalisation has sewn the world closer and has seen a greater influx of migrants to cities in hope of a better life by earning higher wages that are used to support their families.  The “city-dwellers” would feel loneliness as they are separated from loved ones and do not really know anyone in the place they have migrated to.  Moreover, they also do not have the financial means usually to afford electronic goods that allow them to remain in touch with the loved ones.  For instance, many Bangladesh, Thai and Chinese workers stay in Singapore in dormitories – evident of their low income to have a comfortable place of their own.  While their roommates may transiently erase loneliness, these migrants who live in the city are lonely but do not pose a major problem for a  government to interfere.

Loneliness – the feeling of being cut off, alienated and disconnected from the others in an urban environment that thrives on a high standard of living seems to have or inverse relationship between city and loneliness.  In view of the majority, it does not pose a major problem in city life but for the minor few whose character may not be appreciated by others or for those who do not speak the same language, do experience loneliness in large volumes, but it is more on a personal level than a national one to be seen as a major problem.