Material Comforts vs. other important aspects of life (essay)

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In our pursuit of material comforts, we have ignored other important aspects of life. Is this true?

It is human instinct to seek comfort. It was such for our ancestors hundreds of years ago, and it is still the case for us in the present. The fact remains the same. Just that instead of seeking physical comfort such as shelter, we seek material comfort such as a nice big house and maybe even a car or two. People educate themselves so that they can get a high paying job which allows them to acquire the material desires of their hearts. With the advancement of society, competition for these high paying jobs is increasing and only the best will get the best. Thus, often in our pursuit of material comforts, we become so focused on earning a high income that we ignore other important aspects of life such as our family, our health and even the environment. Money may make the world go round, but money cannot after all, guarantee happiness. Thus, I agree to a large extent that we have collectively ignored various important aspects of life in our pursuit of material comfort.
                       
The increase in the cost of living has resulted in people seeking money to provide for themselves as well as their families. The responsibilities a working adult would primarily face would be to provide for their family’s needs and wants. 87% of working adults in Singapore work at least 9 hours to ensure that their families have ample food and are contented. Although it is tiring for providers to work for long hours, they persevere on as they would do anything for their loved ones. The ever-changing fashion trends must be kept up with. Moreover, buying the latest Apple product would buy them an affectionate hug and bring a smile to their teenage children. It is pleasant to see our loved ones happy, even if it means burning a hole in our pockets. They do not forget nor ignore the most important aspect of life- their families. With the satisfaction of their families in mind, they would feel the spur to pursue material comfort. However, in their pursuit for material comfort, parents have neglected their families as they are barely home. In Singapore, 72% of households have both parents working to provide for their family. Also, with most men being the breadwinner as well as more women pursuing their education and career, less time would be set aside for their children. This would then increase a child’s chances of going astray as guidance is important for a child’s development. Thus, although it may seem that we are not neglecting our families in our pursuit of material comforts, we actually are. Hence, I strongly agree that we have ignored other important aspects of life in our pursuit of material comfort.

Developing countries, in pursuit of money, make use of their natural resources to earn more revenue and improve their economic standing. In fact, Vietnam earned US$884 million in the first quarter of 2011 from the export of 1.85 tonnes of rice. However, as the country strives towards a better quality of life for its citizens, its natural environment has been severely damaged. In Kalimantan, Indonesia, forested areas have decreased greatly in size from 1900 to 2000. This is mainly due to the logging industry, which plays a significant role in Indonesia’s economic development. Rapid deforestation has resulted in many environmental problems: loss of biodiversity, air pollution, soil erosion and flooding. This shows that our environment has been neglected in our pursuit of material comforts.

People constantly seek degrees to rise in the ranks of education as having a higher level of education would increase the chances of a higher paying job. In order to achieve their degrees, many of them would sign up for the relevant courses and just study the relevant topics in the course without having any genuine interest in the subject. They do not bother to do further research for more details about content that may not be covered in the syllabus. This shows that we have lost the thirst for knowledge and would only study what is given to us.

Due to the higher standard of living and rising prices worldwide, more people find themselves putting material comforts as their priority and soon they get sucked into their own temptations and wants. Hence, they forgo religion and replace it with the pursuit of materialism. The absence of religion in part of our daily life means that there is a lack of moral education and also lack of a set of self-guiding principles which is an essential aspect to us living a fulfilling and motivating life.

Lastly,working long hours causes health problems. In Singapore, the rate of osteoporosis, particularly at the hips due to office work for long hours, has already surged five-fold among women and 1.5 times among men. This shows how poorly people regard health. Hence, with people being too focused on getting the worldly pleasures in life, they ignore the more important aspect of taking care of their health.,

In conclusion, I feel that we have ignored other important aspects of life such as our family and friends, our health, the well being of the environment, even our religions, in our pursuit of material comforts. Besides neglecting the important aspects of life, we also lose our thirst for knowledge and education becomes nothing more than just a stepping stone to our success in the workforce, which gives us access to the material satisfaction that we desire. Moreover, we may have the money to view the wonders of the world and to travel to various countries to explore and experience the rich and diverse cultures, but we may end up with no time to do so due to our busy work schedules. I believe that we should strike a balance between the material and other aspects of our lives. Only then will we be able to live a fulfilling life.

Ferrari Crash Fuels Singapore's anti-foreign sentiments

A wealthy Chinese expatriate who crashed his million-dollar Ferrari into a taxi killing himself and two others has sparked outrage in Singapore, where anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise.
Websites were swamped Monday with postings attacking Chinese and other foreigners in the city-state after it was reported that a 52-year-old local cabbie had died of his injuries following Saturday's pre-dawn accident.


The crash instantly killed the 31-year-old Ferrari driver, Ma Chi, while the taxi passenger, a 41-year-old Japanese woman, died in hospital two hours later, a police spokeswoman told AFP.
Police gave no other details but local media said the Ferrari driver was a financial adviser from Sichuan who was applying for permanent residency and already living in a Singapore penthouse with his family.

 Copyright: Yahoo! news SG

HFMD cases rise to a new high

The number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases saw a 14 per cent spike, even as efforts have been stepped up to curb the current epidemic.
The Ministry of Health’s (MOH) latest statistics showed that the number of cases rose to 1,590 during the last week of April, breaking the four—year high of 1,394 cases seen in the previous week.

Inspections have been intensified at pre—schools and spot checks will be done at enrichment centres, said MOH.

Noting that the reported HFMD cases so far have been mild, a MOH spokesperson added high standards of hygiene are also being reinforced in primary schools and childcare centres.

Credits: Yahoo! News

S'pore is 4th most desirable place to live and work

Singapore has moved up two spots to become the fourth most desirable place in the world to live and work, according to a survey by recruitment firm Hydrogen and business school ESCP Europe.This is because Singapore has become an increasingly popular destination for multinational corporations over the past few years, said Hydrogen.

"We have seen companies from sectors as diverse as technology, energy, pharmaceutical and wealth management open offices here. The big question here is whether Singapore will become Asia’s Silicon Valley or its Switzerland," said Simon Walker, Hydrogen’s Asia MD.

While the three most popular places for survey respondents to live and work remain the US, the UK and Australia, their dominance is waning.

The report showed that 12 per cent picked the US as the top relocation destination, down from 18 per cent last year.

The UK and Australia each got 9 per cent of the votes, down from 10 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.

As Singapore becomes an increasingly attractive relocation destination for expatriates, Hydrogen said employers in the city state are finding that they have the pick of the world’s top professional talent.
Mr Walker said: "Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, and it offers a clean and healthy environment free from traffic pollution.

SBS to raise S'porean bus drivers' salaries by 16%

In a bid to attract more Singaporean bus drivers, SBS Transit will increase the starting pay of new Singaporean drivers by 16 per cent from next month onwards.

According to local media reports, new Singaporean bus drivers can now expect a basic salary of S$1,600 compared to the current S$1,375.

With overtime pay and allowances, drivers can earn about S$2,250 a month in gross salary in their first year of service, SBS Transit said.

The existing 1,900 Singaporean bus drivers will also get to take home an additional S$225, reported The Straits Times. Non-Singaporean drivers will get a smaller increase of between $75 and $150.


Credits: Yahoo! News Singapore

Another breakdown hits SMRT

Train commuters dashing to work yesterday morning faced delays and disruptions on the new Circle MRT Line, which was struck by its second breakdown since it opened fully last October. The rush-hour breakdown between one-north and Bishan stations lasted from 7.40am to 10.10am and was the result of what operator SMRT called a "disrupted power supply to the communication backbone network".

It seems to be a similar glitch that happened top the same stations last Dec 14, when about 1,400 passengers suffered delays. The problem then was reported to be due to a "communication network problem". This time, about 18,000 commuters were affected, said SMRT. Some reported hour-long waits in trains that ground to a halt between Buona Vista and Holland Village and Farrer Road stations at around 8.30am. Others heading to the eight affected Circle Line stations found them shuttered and scrambled to find alternative routes.

Credits: The Straits Times :)

Aceh's road to recovery

As the showpiece project of the multi-billion dollar Aceh recovery effort, the new 240km highway traversing Sumatra's tsunami-ravaged north-western coast is already revitalizing commerce and changing lives in the 74 villages along its path. But after innumerable obstacles and a two-year delay in its completion, it is perhaps not surprising that last October's official opening of the American and Japanese-funded undertaking was marked by a distinct lack of fanfare or celebration.

In Jakarta, it passed almost unnoticed. For all the goodwill involved at the outset, contentious land purchases, graveyard and mosque relocations, bad weather and the sheer complexity of finding a new track for a quarter of the road all conspired to make it more of a challenge than anyone had imagined. Indonesian government critics say the Americans also paid little attention to the post-conflict conditions in Aceh and as a result were not prepared for the Free Aceh Movement's role in representing land owners, including many who had died in the tragedy.

Credits: The Straits Times