Is Singapore truly unique?

Intro:
• Singapore is a strange little society. Situated at the crossroads of numerous shipping and transport routes, it has, over the years, under the confluence of external and internal societal forces, moulded what I believe is an extremely idiosyncratic and distinctive culture
• But is it unique culture? – Casts a shadow upon the originality of our culture
• Culture: set of beliefs, practices and lifestyles that is embraced by, and entrenched in, a common group of people. Ideology and value system that characterize us.
 
Singaporeans have cultivated themselves a global image which is synonymous with the infamous Singaporean trait of ‘Kiasuism’ (afraid to lose out)
• Pragmatism, political apathy, prudence and the desire to pursue material objectives
• Display the distinctive ethos of competitiveness
• Tracing its origins to the hard life that our migrant ancestors had to lead, the political system and the general Chinese desire for material gain and social status
• Engendered this spirit of ‘die die must win’
• Satirized by the international media and local commentators … calculative and self-preserving ways
• Ridiculed for packing food into napkins at buffets to get max value for our dollar
• Rebuffed for our conservative attitudes to seemingly frivolous things such as casinos
• Conservative, self-centred view that resembles that of Victorian England where social status, wealth and propriety were celebrated
• Still firmly rooted in tradition and exacerbated by the island’s competitive economy, such a distinctive Singaporean attitude will persist long into the future

Aside from attitudes and mindsets, Singapore also has a unique cultural scene that brims with the vigour of its Asian flavour
• E.g. Sumptuous spread of Asian hawker fare
• Thanks to diverse ethnicity of Singaporean’s population, local cuisine here is ruled by a gamut of influences
• Aromatic spices, the opulent cream sauces of Western society, traditional and modern cooking methods have manifested themselves in a gastronomic delight
• Characteristically Singaporean dishes touted as ‘must-trys’ for tourists include Hainanese Chicken Rice and roti prata. The list extends into infinity.
• Attributed to Singapore’s role in a converging point for the region’s different cultures.• Vast variety of influences manifests themselves in our local culture
Exemplifies the mingling of the Eastern and Western worlds
• Colonial roots and increasing penetration of globalization forces
• Culture has evolved into a cross-cultural fusion of East meets West
• E.g. Singlish effectively infuse their Asian roots into a Western language
•Influence of local dialects which stem from the ancestral roots of our migrant forefathers, Colonial


English has been transformed into a unique Singaporean form
• Words like ‘lah, ‘lor’ and other popular dialect terms have become part and parcel of the Singaporean diction.• Singlish is the idiosyncratic lingua franca of Singaporeans
• Demonstrates uniqueness of Singaporean culture and the ability of Singaporean society to assimilate modern influences into its tradition to produce its own unique lifestyle
Caught effectively between the past and present
•Retain and preserve its traditional heritage and keep up with the rapidly modernizing world
•Variety of cultures interact to adapt to the traditional and yet modern Singaporean mindset
• Produced the aforementioned complex and varied culture

Singapore’s unique culture is not a direct product of our population’s actions. Indigenous culture has played a significantly smaller role in shaping our way of life. The predominantly migrant population has generated our unique culture, more so than any other cultural force in Singapore
• Largely attributed to its location
•Situated along the world’s most vital trading routes, since colonial times …commercial hub of activities
•Cultural forces that have since shaped and moulded our culture originate from these external agents who were
drawn to Singapore due to commercial interests. This stream of commercial activity has been the driving force of Singapore’s cultural evolution
•Although our culture based on the premise of a dozen other cultures, is this not typical of the rapidly globalizing society?
•Can no longer remain immune to external cultural forces … move along to a homogenous culture dominated by Western traditions and norms … comforting to see that Singapore has managed to hold on staunchly to her traditional roots


Conclusion: The fact that our distinct culture is not entirely our own and the embracement of this fact, has in fact created a laudable culture which differentiates itself from others in the world’s cultural landscape

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Do you agree that there is a higher purpose to life?

Reading the question, I recalled a story from my childhood times. The story was about a group of frogs living comfortably and happily in a well. However, one particular frog was unsatisfied with his existence and continually tried to jump out of the well to no avail. Finally, on one stormy day, when the waters were high, the frog mastered all his strength and made his triumphant leap out of the well. Like the frogs, we humans have never been able to see past the confines of our lives. Still, there remains throughout history a minority of mankind who have so fervently held on to their belief in a higher purpose to life. These people held their ground against the tide of common belief, proving their resilience a hundred times over, and even contributed much to mankind. For the purpose of this discussion, I would define ‘higher purpose’ simply as a purpose which a man possesses that is way beyond himself, and may include service to a higher being of for the greater good of mankind.

In today’s globalised, urbanized and materialistic world, it is natural to conclude that man should live for himself. After all, life is short and we should make the best of it for ourselves. We just need to look at the multitude of celebrities such as Tom Cruise or Britney Spears to see that when people serve themselves whole-heartedly their lives would be such a ‘soaring’ success. In other words, we are taught by everything we see around us that we should plot the path of our lives ourselves, and for ourselves. In sharp contrast, religious people who abide by so called ‘higher purposes’ often end up in mundane, or even, worse ruined lives. One such example which continues to perplex the world is why Islam extremists would end their lives in suicide attacks just to fulfill their higher purpose. Hence people often believe that living for themselves is the best way to live.

With the inexorable rise of science and technology, we humans have been led to the perception that we are all powerful, and ‘nothing is impossible’ for us. It is undeniable that science and technology has allowed us to keep Earth under our control and use it to our benefit. Furthermore we are now offered a glimmer of hope in creating life, long considered an act of God, through various techniques such as genetic engineering. This may inevitably lead people to think that we are gods in our own right, and really do not have a higher purpose in life. Frankly speaking, humans do not know everything. For example, Marco Polo travelled from Europe to China and back. Many Europeans believed that China had a very backward civilization, which could not be further from the truth. Hence we cannot discount the existence of God and place ourselves in this position simply because we have made certain advancements. And if God does indeed exist, there would surely be a higher purpose to life. Hence till the day that science and technology disproves the existence of God, we could do well remember that ancient humans once thought the world was flat, and not get ahead of ourselves in thinking.

Throughout history, there have been numerous examples of men who believed in a higher purpose accomplishing great things and making life so much better for the rest of mankind. I believe this sense of a higher purpose does serve us very well and differentiates us from animals. If we were to serve ourselves, as the animals do, the world would become a haven for chaos and mayhem. Rather, people with higher purposes have truly made this world a better place. For example, Mohandas Gandhi, not known to be a religious man, stood for his higher purpose of gaining independence from British control without the use of violence. This was definitely no easy task when the entire nation was on the brink of an uprising against the colonial masters. Yet his deeply rooted higher purpose, and his continual advocacy of non-violence eventually saved millions of lives. Even in ancient Greek times-----great philosophers pondered on the meaning of life, hence implicitly believes that there is indeed a higher purpose to life. Socrates once famously exclaimed that ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ And truly, such an examination of life’s higher purpose during their lives has left us with invaluable knowledge and insights. Some philosophers, such as Archimedes, have even laid down scientific laws, such as the principle of floatation, to benefit all of mankind. Notably, Einstein himself believed that intelligence was a gift to be used for the good of mankind. Hence it can be noted that only people who believed in a higher purpose provided the most significant benefits for the good of mankind.

Last but not least, I attest that there is a higher purpose to life simply because we are built in a certain way. Recent scientific research has shown that men have to search for something greater than themselves, be it a vision or a dream, of God in order to attain fulfillment of their lives and be truly satisfied with their lives. Furthermore, a recent Times article noted that people who believe in religion or the existence of a higher purpose showed increased resilience to mental and physical stresses in their everyday life. This inner calm is especially prevalent in people such as the Dalai Lama who despite facing great political pressure is able to mediate for hours in complete serenity.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that the question of whether a higher purpose to life exists would always remain debatable since it is unforeseeable that science may prove the existence of God or some innate higher characteristic in humans anytime in the near future. However, I do strongly affirm that there is a higher purpose to life as noted in the altruistic accomplishments of people in history who have believed in a higher purpose. Furthermore, science itself has lent weight to the fact that if our minds and bodies function at its optimum when there is a higher purpose truly exists. Finally for all of us who have ample reason to question this higher calling, it would do us great good to remember that even when the waters were high in the well, the frog had to make an effort for his triumphant leap. The frog had to first believe.

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Does the good done in the name of religion outweigh the evil?

The world sports a wide variety of religions. Religion is essentially a set of beliefs to which individuals might subscribe to, mostly concerning the origins and purpose of late, and the existence of one or multiple divine beings whom they worship. Religion is a powerful driving force, motivating people to become better persons. Unfortunately, intentionally or not intentionally, they may also be goaded or misled by it to do harm to those around them. And usually, the evil receives much more publicity than the good.

The stronger religions are unarguably Christianity and Islam. These two have originated since many years ago, have outlived most religions and have the greatest followings among the people. Professing Christians make up 35% and Muslims, 30%, with regards to world population. They appear many times throughout history and are very strong driving forces.

In the first millennia, there was up to ten crusades carried out European powers. The church was unhappy with the Holy Lord being in Muslim hands. And the church being the powerful voice of god to the people, they are commanded crusade after crusade. Historians estimate as many as 70 millions people lost their lives in one way or another, including civilians who were frequently slaughtered by soldiers of the opposite faith and skin color. This was accompanied with a degradation of morals. Soldiers looted, raped and massacred innocent civilians and enemy soldiers. This shows how religions can clash head-on and result in much evil and suffering.

In fact, such phenomenon has repeated itself in history many times. Even in the present age, it is not absent. Examples include violence between Catholics and Protestants within Europe and which still exists in Ireland, between Christians and Muslims in Indonesia and the Middle East and more recently, terrorism in the name of religion. The fear of terrorism has become very real ever since the collapse of the twin towers, the London train bombings and the foiled aircraft bombings. Many faithful people are misguided into the acceptance of violence and terrorism because their beliefs are twisted into believing that violence is legitimate. Therefore religion has brought much evil into the world.

On the other hand, religion has also been the peace-loving and order-establishing force in a society. In ancient times, the strong Holy Roman Empire made Christianity its state religion. In European countries in the Middle Ages, it was common for the church to be of equal, if not greater power than the monarchy. They could dictate laws and employed faithful to be police of the people. Laws could be very strict at times and crime was kept low. Other societies which have also based on religion include Africa, America and South American tribal nations, and also Muslim-guided societies in the Middle East and East Asia like Malaysia and Indonesia.

Unfortunately, this also has its set of ills. Societies based on religion can be exceedingly harsh and inhumane. Witches and heretics were banned at the stake tortured in Europe. In some Muslim societies, thieves had their hands chopped off while rapists were castrated. Undeniably, these societies were inoculated with religious morals of high standard and which demanded absolute adherence, and people rebelled on pan of death or a life of suffering. Thailand is also another example.

In some sense of good, people were sometimes able to seek religious asylum. In china, prosecuted youth or collaborators with the west could convert and seek shelter with churches. They guaranteed safety by the western powers and the Chinese monarchy could not afford to go against them. This was in the last two centuries, when there was still a Chinese monarchy in place. During the crusades, civilians were made to convert at sword point and killed if they disagreed. More recently this is done with guns instead, especially in the Middle East. Militias have been known to stop cars and transport and harass travelers and foreigners. However, this can be viewed as a façade, people converting to save their skins and not really believing in the religion at all. Therefore, it is rather pointless to convert.

Sometimes, religion is used as a front for other worldly intentions. The Spanish invaded South America in the name of spreading the gospel, but were more intent on finding gold instead. In likewise savagery, the invaders sometimes known as the conquistadors converted those who would at gunpoint, killing the rest. And in subsequent ages, the inquisition descended on these lands. People were tortured for not believing by the most horrific instruments of pain, devised specially for the occasion. Hence religion can be used as a façade for other motives. Similarly, western powers used the same excuse when they colonized and took over Asian territories in the past.

Today, people make many contributions to society in the name of religion. Religious schools and orphanages are established around the world, giving shelter and support for young children. These children also receive moral education based on religious principles, usually teaching of kindness and forgiveness. Many people also do charity work and contribute to society. In Singapore, we have both Christian and Muslim charitable organizations which do not necessarily limit their support to Christians or Muslims alone.

People also seek the meaning of life in religion. This is one reason why such people begin to care for and contribute to the society. They realize their hunger for spiritual fulfillment, and try to make sense of the material and stress-filled world around them from the spiritual point of view.

Lastly, when some people convert, this might cause tension between people. For example, family ties can be strained when members of the family convert. This leads to unhappiness in the family. Sometimes, the family breaks up because of conversion. In certain cultures, people can be cut off from their society. Catholics can be excommunicated, Jews be cut off and Muslims converting are likely to face revenge by those who were friends and family before.

As a conclusion, I do think that the development and pursuit of religion and spiritual fulfillment is inevitable. It is human nature to seek these. However, I feel that the world could have been much different and likely to be better and more peaceful if there was no religion. Religion is not a basic need to survival and we could have avoided all the religious conflicts, suffering and controversy. There has obviously been much evil and suffering with the existence of religion, more so than good. For people would probably be charitable without religion.

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“The man who reads nothing at all is better than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” (Thomas Jefferson) To what extent is the statement a reflection of journalism in Singapore?

Breaking down the quote by Thomas Jefferson, we see that the implications of his statement is that if you read newspapers alone, you are misinformed and this has dangerous consequences for yourself and society. While I agree with this part of the quote, I feel that his assertion that one should choose not to read newspapers at all rather than read solely newspapers is too extreme and simplistic. While journalism in Singapore undoubtedly has its faults, misinforming us through its pro-government stance, I feel that this does not warrant Jefferson’s derisive sweeping aside of the usefulness of newspapers in general. Therefore I feel that the statement is a reflection of journalism in Singapore only to a small extent.

Journalism in Singapore deserves the readership of Singaporeans because it does provide a wealth of information – both local and international, which helps to broaden our minds. The commentaries and opinion pages by the Straits Times “Insight” and “Review” sections also deepen our thoughts by introducing us to a vast array of perspectives that provide us with a more balanced point of view on issues. For instance, the past few days have been rife with the discussions about giving skilled foreign immigrants easier access into Singapore. Instead of merely stating the government’s intentions and measures, The Straits Times has aired perspectives from welcoming as well as hostile Singaporeans and even the thoughts and anecdotes of foreigners already residing here. Such a spectrum of perspectives would have been lost had one decided to read “nothing at all”, perhaps even leading (in extreme cases) to bigoted, unsympathetic and unbalanced views about the issue. As for international views, the manner of writing by journalists here does nothing to erode their credibility in providing us with a true picture of events in the world. Having regularly read international journals and newspapers like The Economist and the International Tribune, I have found it reassuring that the reports by our journalists are as (if not more) balanced than theirs. As such, we see that majority of the reports by journalists in Singapore are unbiased and accurate, and thus are worthy of our time.

Moreover, journalists pride themselves on the accuracy of their work and do not deliberately try to sensationalise the news or push their own agendas. This is especially apparent when we juxtapose our journalists besides those in more extreme countries like China or even liberal countries like America whose First Amendment of the Constitution prides itself on the freedom of the press. For instance, Chinese newspapers are explicitly the mouthpiece of the communist government and unabashedly produce propaganda. Even at the other end of the spectrum, America’s press is often biased towards corporations or political parties. For example, Fox News has a clearly conservative slant, making it difficult to fully trust the news it presents. In contrast, Singapore’s press tries to a large extent to maintain neutrality. Singapore’s Press Holdings (SPH) also avoids sensationalizing the news in its more serious newspapers, tabloids not included. This is clear from the objective tone of its reports, void of any opinions by the journalists.

However, I must concede that the small but admittedly present slant towards the government is a fault of Singapore’s press. Many have griped at the incomplete picture the press presents due to its wariness of offending the government. The chummy nature of the relationship between SPH and the People’s Action Party (PAP) is apparent from the regular dialogues they have together, dialogues which are meant to help the heads of SPH understand the crucial nature of PAP’s policies and the great care they must take to ensure that everything is said in a nice tone and presented in just the right manner. Along with this is the carrot of government funding. Careful not to bite the hand that feeds it, SPH may forgo journalism ethics in order to operate according to what business sense deems fit. This careful following of the will of the government may also stem from the early days of Singapore’s independence, when the press was bluntly against the PAP. It could now be trying to maintain its favour by providing so much more election coverage during the recent General Elections and painting the government in a good light. Then again, while that seems undeniable, we must accept that it is only a minor part of our newspapers which does not merit our complete forgoing of useful information from the large proportion of it.

Then again, besides the obligation to conduct self-censorship described above, newspapers in Singapore are threatened with the stick of government censorship too. The extent of this is evident from our ranking by Journalists without Borden, in which we were placed just one rank above Iraq. Most recently, a satirist by the moniker of Mr. Brown had his column in the Today newspaper suspended on charges that he was undermining respect for the government. A survey by the blogger bulletin tomorrow.sg found that 76% of the respondents felt that the government was “oversensitive”. Thus, it is apparent that censorship chips away the credibility of our newspapers, causing some to feel that they should not even be read. However, it is reassuring to note that such cutting away of unwelcome information is and will continue improving with the advent of participatory media where “citizen journalists” can hold the press accountable for its omissions, thus implying that the censorship knife would be severely blunted and that the government may have to give the press freer reign in the face of such new developments, or risk alienating its population and especially its youths.

From the discussion above, we see too clearly the faults of our press, especially its fear of offending the government. This might give readers a false sense of security when actually they are taking in a skewed perspective. However, this is not severe to the extent that one should completely forgo reading newspapers, because the merits of being informed outweigh its limitations. To alleviate some of the problems of the pro-government stance, we as readers should take responsibility by becoming more discerning and by supplementing the news presented in the various local newspapers with that of international publications. Hopefully, the revolution of new media will further improve the scales by blunting the tools of censorship and the more insidious self-censorship.

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“All art requires courage.” Do you agree?

All art, bar none, requires originality, creativity and the fortitude to tread in places where no one, or at least few others, have trodden before. In that light, I would agree wholeheartedly that art requires courage and more so for great art that will stand out for centuries to come.

All forms of art, be it the visual arts, or the literary arts, require the artist to engage his or her creative juices and to inject a high level of creativity together with the artist’s personal touch. It has often been said that “art speaks”, and “art is the reflection of the soul”, which is often true in the sense that through art, the artist always has something to say or something to portray and the style in which the art is presented usually tells a viewer much about the artist.

A key point to note about many a great work of art is the powerful message that the artists responsible for them are trying to convey. Often, the message delivered touches upon very raw points in society, to the point where it becomes controversial. This is not limited to present day works where political satires are common, but dates back to Elizabeth England as well. Shakespeare was fond of making jibes at English nobility in the name of art. In an era when one could be executed for making a fool out of royalty this was no small feat and took a tremendous amount of daring on the part of the artist. In the modern day context, producing political satire is financially risky as countries may impose a ban on it because their respective governments find it either politically insensitive, or simply a threat to their own “campaign ideals”. A recent example of this would be Malaysia’s ban on ‘Atomic Jaya’, a play where the Malaysian Prime Minister was depicted in a negative light. This, of course, would have a negative impact on the playwright and therefore as an artist, one has to be courageous enough to put one’s financial health at risk for the sake of truthful art.

Due to personal creative input, works of art also tend to differ greatly as humans are unique in nature, which consequently results in art also being relatively unique. Though it is quite common to be inspired by a particular style of work, different artists have different preferences for the look of their art and also different issues which they feel strongly about. The infinite number of permutations ensure that while two different artists may produce work that shares a similar style, the content will be entirely different. This, however, implies that even as artists continue to mature in their art and develop a distinctive style, they need to experiment during the growing process, which inevitably involves failure. For a full-time artist, this could potentially be disastrous as failure can lead to a serious financial deficit due to the greatly variable level of income. In some sense, it is a “Catch-22” situation as artists will never fully succeed until they can produce something original and appealing.

In the light of this, the risk factor of producing art is very great, because of the sheer subjective nature of art. It can be “in Vogue” one day and out the next. Great fortitude and the courage to experiment is therefore needed to produce something that people will find appealing and fresh. This courage is shown by the International Photographer Award, Robert Dragan, who pioneered the process of “Draganising” or Ted Johnson, who lends his wedding photographs an ethereal light by combining infrared photography with colour photography. Both these photographers struggled for close to ten years before reaching the peak of their finesse, for which they are paid a princely five figure sum per shoot. By comparison, a struggling wedding photographer gets by on five hundred dollars.

The sheer adversity of making it into the hall of greats ensures that every artist is put through this rigorous gauntlet in order to achieve greatness in their respective field. If thus requires a terrific amount of courage and endurance to pursue one’s art, perhaps even having to give up other goals in life such as marriage, children, wealth and so forth. This is, however, something that many committed artists willingly undertake as they enter the brave new world. Less committed artists often end up as lawyers, scientists or bankers because there simply is too much risk in pursuing art and hence, the courage to believe in one’s own talent is increasingly important in an industry where you either make it or go down in a spectacular display of flames.

Naturally, such courage and self-belief is dependent on the support given to the arts as well as the culture of a place. With increased government and parental support, more budding artists would be likely to enter the creative industry to pursue their art due to the decreased parental opposition and risk of entering the industry, for grants and constant pats on the back can aid greatly in nurturing budding art. What this means however, is that an increase in such support decreases the amount of courage and fortitude needed to succeed in the industry, because some artists may survive only due to government grants, welfare benefits or parental patronage, rather than relying on their artistic ability. This cushion would dampen the amount of courage needed to pursue one’s art, but as a plus side would also increase the diversity of art in the local arts scene, though it will likely be adding to the diversity of bad art rather than good art.

By comparison, in countries where there is much greater opposition to pursuing one’s art, such as Singapore, much greater courage and adversity quotient is required to overcome parental objections as well as the looming possibility of starvation. Art is not traditionally supported in countries such as Singapore, where a majority of parents often feel more comfortable with letting their children become lawyers or doctors and pursuing art as a hobby rather than a profession. To pursue one’s art in Singapore, one has to break social norms and be prepared for all manner of snide remarks about the inability to succeed “normally”. You also will find my Dragans and Johnsons here, as the local artists’ pay will never hit that level in Singapore due to the low social value of art. Art is simply not valued here and successful artists, such as Russell Wong, often find themselves moving to a society where their work is given due credit. Thus, artists here therefore also have to be prepared to leave their homeland, and consequently friends and family, in pursuit of greater heights in the artistic field. As such, with poor support for the arts, artists have to draw on even more boldness to venture into the field.

Art is everchanging, due to the nature of creativity and the diversity therein. In short, artists have to be ready to do anything for their art if they wish to pursue it and there can be no compromises. That, to me, is true courage.

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‘Far too much attention is given to beauty products and treatments.’ Do you agree?

The oft-quoted adage goes ‘beauty is only skin-deep’. And, as things stand now, this skin-deep beauty seems to be acquiring an almost unrivalled cult status. The excessive focus on flawless facial features spawned a range of cosmetic industries, be it wrinkles-removal cream, spa pools or even Brazilian wax hair-removal treatments. Newspapers bombard readers with the ‘newest’, ‘sure-fire’ methods to counter the effects of aging. Thus, it is undeniable that excessive emphasis has been placed on beauty products and procedures.

According to the International Mass Retail Association, there would be at least five adverts on beauty products and treatments in any average newspapers. This relentless flux of promotions is indeed a clear indication of the undue attention given to cosmetic goods and services. As economics theories postulate: ‘only when there is demand, would there be supply.’ Thus, such marketing techniques suggest that the spotlight on beauty products and treatments are simply answers to what the masses want. Whilst one could attribute these advertisements as money-making ploys by cosmetic industries, one should, however, not miss the fact that most people are willingly paying their hard-earned money for these treatments.

Besides the economic aspect associated with cosmetic products, the ‘feel-good factor’ does come into play too. Models and artistes, with their pencil-thin figures and porcelain-like skin, evoke a sense of inadequacy in the person by the television. To think about it, the person in front of the cinema screen would hardly be spared from the bout of feeling body-conscious too. This inferiority complex is intrinsic; most people cannot help being jealous of and awed by the surreal looks of these thespians. One study of a sample of Stanford graduates and undergraduates found that sixty-eight percent of students felt worse about their own appearances after reading women's magazines. Another statistics by Media Scope 5 found that individuals who were shown pictures of thin models had lower self-evaluations than those who had seen average-sized and plus-sized models. And hence, as a result of media influence, people long to have the ‘tall, tanned and muscular’ looks or the ‘shapely hourglass figure’. In simpler terms, they are vain about their looks. The more looks-conscious old and aged would try to rediscover lost youth. These aims would quickly be achieved by cosmetic procedures and products.

Excessive emphasis on beauty products and treatments could also be easily attributed to the need for a more presentable self. In this competitive society, it is necessary to leave a good first impression. Naturally, if all other qualifications are comparable, an employer would hire a well-heeled man than a scruffy-looking one. Deals between companies would be easier to settle if both sides look somber and serious, dignified and decent. Discrimination against obese people in the workforce is rampant. Personnel Today, a UK newsletter, found out that sixty-three percent of the employers are biased against overweight workers. Thus, to improve one’s chance of gaining employment, one might resort to speedy and easy – though not inexpensive – methods of beautifying oneself.

From a purely rational perspective, undergoing the knife is silly and stupid. Nowadays, people frequently talk of having their own identities; everything must be personalized, from clothes and fashion wears to laptops and handphones. Yet, they are actually paying good money to give away the faces that are theirs and theirs alone. They eventually end up with faces belonging to others – perhaps a dash of Angelina Jolie, a whiff of Paris Hilton and a speck of Britney Spears? It is almost ludicrous to think of a cavalcade of starlets-look-alikes parading Orchard Road. And yet, judging from how parents are not only condoning, but in fact, pushing their children to beauty treatments and cosmetic surgeries, this image does not seem quite so impossible anymore. A recent poll by The Straits Times found out this: an alarming twenty percent of parents are actually paying for their daughters’ breast implants as birthday’s presents.

Shocking, isn’t it?

In my opinion, the disproportionate attention given to beauty products and procedures ought to be more fairly distributed. ‘Software’ – proper manners, moral values, common decency and decorum – ought to be accorded equal, if not more, focus than merely external looks. The concept of ‘aging gracefully’ must also be well publicized; there is really no need for a fifty-five year old lady to try every wrinkles-removing cream on the shelves or to go through a punishing series of face lifts. Instead, the aged ought to participate in healthier exercises that continually stimulate their minds, rather than futilely chasing after lost youth. But, as things stand, the spotlight on cosmetic creams and treatments would only become brighter, not dimmer.

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“Conquest without conscience”. To what extent would you agree with this assessment of our relationship with the environment?

Humans are the “masters” of the Earth today. Clearly, it is not due to our physical prowess that gave us such a title. It is our intellect, innovation and creativity that have allowed the human race to rise in power against all the other animal species that are more physically advanced compared to us. It is through innovation that has allowed us to win the conquest against the animal species, bending them over to our will and subjecting these animals to whatever we please. Since cavemen conquered the animal species, humans have become bolder. Even in today’s modern world, conquests are made, in the form of the uncountable inventions appearing daily, to improve the quality of life. However, the negative effects of the numerous ‘battles’ we have held to become more technologically advanced over the centuries is showing in the home we reside in, Mother Earth. These ‘battles’, regrettably, are still fought daily, and we show almost no effort to stop. In my opinion, I feel that ‘Conquest without conscience’ is an accurate description of the humans’ relationship to the environment. Numerous acts by humans clearly justify my view.

First, there is the act of pollution. Many of the daily tasks that we do in our everyday life involve polluting the environment. These tasks take up a majority of our lives and are often done without a second thought to spare for the environment. China, a country that has up to 1.3 billion people is one of the largest contributors to pollution. It is not only due to the large number of people living in the country that causes the pollution to be high. One of the main reasons that I have singled China out is due to their burning of coal to generate electrical power for the masses. The usage of coal is highly polluting and the main reason on why China uses it is due to the cost effectiveness of coal. The more expensive but cleaner alternative of fossil fuels, however, is adopted in many countries around the world. The usage of coal to generate electrical power for so many people is significant to the global emission levels of carbon monoxide gas. This selfish act of rating cost effectiveness over the harm caused to the environment shows how the humans are involved with the notion of a conquest for advancement without conscience. Mother Earth is then made to inhale so much more of these toxic gases at the expense of coal being cheaper than fossil fuels. Pollution is the result our never-ending need for cheaper energy to power our never-ending consumption of resources.

Second, deforestation too, leads to air pollution. Deforestation is deemed as necessary for many countries as it is the only way for more land to be developed for industrial purposes and for housing. As a result, large areas of woodland are cleared on a regular basis to ensure that there is more space for development to occur. In many countries, there is a more eco- friendly approach in uprooting the trees such that another tree is planted in another region. However, in the case of Indonesia, the deforestation technique is to burn the forest by large areas such that large areas of land can be cleared at once. The usage of this slash-and-burn technique to clear the land, more notably by poor farmers, causes mass pollution for the country of Indonesia. The haze generated by the fire is then blown by the wind over to South East Asian countries, causing an inconvenience to the locals living there and affecting the air quality in these countries. Such acts by the Indonesians further support the claim on how conquests by the humans are made without conscience. The Indonesians, in the conquest to clear more land, not only contributes to the pollution, but also seriously inconveniencing the locals in the Southeast Asian countries. Hence, their selfish methods of clearing land for development illustrates the little conscience they have in the conquest for land for development purposes.

Even in the world of medicine, the statement is relevant. In medicine, new drugs are formulated daily in order to battle against the many sicknesses and illnesses that cause harm to humans. However, due to the reluctance of humans in trying out the drug for fear of adverse side effects, the scientists turn to animals. In laboratories that deal with medicine, rats are bred, for the sole purpose of testing the drug on them. These rats are first injected with the virus, then with the drug and kept under observation. It is only when the rat is close to death that is it put to sleep. These animals form part of our environment, and yet are subjected to pain and misery due to our conquest against diseases. Little thought is spared for how the animal may be feeling during the process of being injected with the virus. Hence, in the conquest against illness and diseases, the humans are too, without conscience and do not mind doing the species that share the planet with us, harm.

However, as our daily activities contribute increasingly to harming the environment, we too, have been trying to make up for our wrong doings and lessening the impact of our rash conquests. First, countries are working together on a global scale to scale down the effects of their global emissions on a regular basis. In 2009, a summit was held at Copenhagen and it was attended by almost every country in the world to discuss issues regarding global emissions and what can be done by each and every country to scale down their carbon emissions. At the summit, many countries, notably China, had each made an effort to reduce the impact of our conquests on the environment. Such acts by the leaders of the countries of the world then demonstrates that although pollution is not going to stop any time soon, the negative effects of pollution to the environment have been recognised and something is being done about it. Even in the upcoming world expo that is going to be held in Shanghai this year, exhibits of the countries are to have a ‘green’ theme to them, raising awareness on the need to cut down pollution. Hence, there is a conscience present for the environmental damage caused and things are being done about it.

Also, other than global efforts, even automobile companies are starting to play their part in showing their regret in harming the Earth. More environmentally friendly cars are emerging as automobile companies try to cut down global emissions due to their cars. These new cars, many of them hybrid cars, can run on the conventional fuel for convenience sake and too, can run on the bio-diesel that is quoted to be environmentally-friendly. Such acts by the giants in the automobile industry will demonstrate how the harm caused to the environment is noted and that the owners of the automobile industry recognise that part of the fault is theirs and something is being done about it.

There is then a conscience present in these car-makers such that they are willing to do something for the harm they have caused in their conquest. All in all, great amount of harm is being dealt to the environment in our conquest for a more advanced and easier life. However, this harm is being compensated for by a few environmentally-mind individuals that actively care for the environment. These are the people, sadly to say, the minority that possess a conscience for the various conquests made.

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