08.18.07
The Selfish Nature of Man
(Note: Man here refers to humankind in general rather than a specific gender)
A random thought flashed across my mind today when I was reading some texts. While our society are evolving into something more sophisticated and advanced, how has personal character development progress? It is with a tinge of regret that I believe we are actually moving backwards in terms of our cultivation.
Oftentimes, we observe on public transports how people take pleasure in their conveniences at the expense of others. Sitting on floors on a crowded train and occupying more seats than required are all displays of our egotistic nature. I’m not even telling you to exercise altruism by giving up your own seats. Speaking of which, there are much tact to go about offering your seats. Have anyone of you ever encountered a scenario of trying to give your seat to someone else in need (an elderly person perhaps) only for a young strong male to swiftly maneuver through the meandering crowd and plop his ass onto the seat?
People are also frequently insensitive to the needs of others. Nobody is stopping you from listening to music on long journeys, but it is a matter of how loud do you really need it to be. People requiring a quiet peace of mind after a long day’s work are not going to be delighted with your attempt to share some music with them. Blasting music through the roofs, and especially trying to configure a ring-tone on public transports are acts of selfishness that many youths still fall into. They think it’s hip, trendy and cool. Unfortunately, it is not. Not everyone else appreciate your preference and taste.
I can go on over here, but I do not see a point in this, as most of you people no doubt have similar experiences and even more coming to mind. The important issue to tackle is to examine why such a trend even exists. In fact, much of this degradation can perhaps be largely attributed to the rapid technological advancement. While we marvel at the connectivity of wireless roaming, globally connected internet, and the mobile nature of so many things familiar to us, are we forgetting that the basis of connections lie in genuine human relations?
Nowadays, many people assume a unique cyber-identity. It may or may not be a reflection of their true persona, but it is reasonable to suggest that it is easier to “hide” behind this identity. People give less thoughts to how they express and conduct themselves on the net. Over time, inadvertently, this behaviour permeates into their real self. The crudeness and fury in how certain netizens lambaste others are shocking.
Perhaps we need a rethink on certain ideologies? We must realise that humans are not who we are because of our superior brain processing power, but because we function as a society above of that. The world does not revolve around an individual, but you will soon realise that simple acts of gestures and assistance for others may very well help build a great social network around you. Take some time to digest the blabbering I posted above.
jh said,
August 18, 2007 at 9:21 pm
then i shud not take a seat on a bus or train when it’s crowded since i take up so much space =(
i wonder how rampant this trend is over at other countries… havent stepped out of singapore in years and years, not that i have taken much of public transport when i went overseas years ago.
The Ignorantsoup said,
August 18, 2007 at 10:35 pm
[...] been in everyone’s mind. To give or not to give? I thought about this subject when I read Waikit’s [...]
ryushin said,
August 19, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Well, I’m not just talking about manners on public transports. It is about the way humans treat one another in general.
And you should not take offence in your size if you naturally take up that much space.
ignorantsoup said,
August 19, 2007 at 1:33 pm
I can’t help but feel that what if we have been too quick to judge a person? What if the person who rushes to take that seat did not know that there’s a person who’s much more needy than him? Personally sometimes I felt like I deserved a seat because I felt really sick and I was taking a train from Bedok to Lakeside. Haha.. I’m just introducing the concept of what if the person didn’t know. His ignorance should be given a benefit of the doubt?
But I guess its ok unless you take his picture and send it to stomp..now that’s really irritating.
jh said,
August 19, 2007 at 3:27 pm
ignorance isn’t an excuse at times you know…
oh well, as long as you dont act like some selfish twit i guess it’s usually acceptable in my opinion. 
to reply to wk’s comment, sometimes on a crowded bus even if i sit on the inside which i dont really like (you can imagine why), people tend to not want to sit beside me anyway, making me look like i’m dominating 2 seats. hehz, though i really prefer to sit alone for better comfort when the bus is rather empty and such. hicz.
ryushin said,
August 19, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Of course I’m not trying to discount the fact of ignorance that can happen sometimes. If nobody seems to want to take an empty seat near where I’m standing (I usually wait a lil while), then I will gladly take the seat. Sometimes, it just seems wrong for a guy who is not even next in line to rush through and grab the seat for whatever reasons he may have. It is a matter of perception and I admit that I cannot always make the right judgments, thus I do not stomp it for example.
Again, I highlight the point that this entry isn’t just about giving up seats on public transports. Many people have become rather egocentric, rude and insensitive to others.
ignorantsoup said,
August 20, 2007 at 8:58 pm
especially the mobile phone turn into mp3 player kinds of people..lol
jh said,
August 21, 2007 at 12:53 am
i’m actually thinking of making my future hp my mp3 player as well. of course it’s for personal enjoyment, not as a loudspeaker or hifi system