We are not living in the world we used to know. Advances in technology and transportation enabled unprecedented leverage and mobility. The common uneducated mindset of materialism and growth is outpacing the natural resources that we are able to harness. People live in closer proximity, millions crowding into mega cities; tax hungry governments sacrifice quality of life to attract bigger numbers, to create the "size and scale, to survive" so they say.
If we stopped and reflect upon the big picture, we could find that our human race, is headed for a collision course with it's own existence.
Today, we see the growth of a materialistic society, from the time we wake up and feel hungry, we eat based on the short time we have, what is convenient, fulfilling our hunger and taste, rather than the value it gives us nutritionally, where it came from and how to eat optimal amount and how the different food groups complement each other to support our health.
Our days are packed with activities that we must do, in order to sustain a higher income in the work that we don't enjoy, to sustain an expensive mortgage in a house that shouldn't cost that much.
We want to own a nice car because the public transportation is pure crap and our neighbours own a nice car. Another financial burden is added. We build up the land we have with concrete and steel, creating a carbon footprint rather than erasing it, because we are blind to the benefits of a sustainable garden, the natural beauty that mother earth can provide, and are just plain dumb in the most basic of life skills, to truly live harmoniously with nature rather than destroy it.
And in this mad rush, which costs about 43 years of our life (age 7 to 50), we become stupid along the way, focussing on the things that don't really matter and as a consequence, the values that we once had, get eroded, slowly but surely. Along the way, more and more people start to manage stress with cigarettes and excessive consumption of alchohol. Instead of distinguishing themselves in terms of attaining great wisdom, ground breaking research, positive scientific exploration, being forward thinking and taking positives risks, society evolves negatively in trying to deal with the stresses of their own making, piercing them selves to distinguish and look different on the surface, turning to crime for an easy way out, doing / enjoying activities that "make them feel good" only on the surface, often at the expense of others.
All these, in itself, results in more strain into society's infrastructure. The transportation road system trying to cope with excessive cars where public infrastructre can be used. The hospital system being stretched to the limit because of non integrated population increase (selfish governance), obese patience, druggies needing therapy, increase in single mums, additional support which is not needed if the right education is given at early stages. The judiciary needs to be reals back to earth and take publich transports in the evenings themselves. The police infrastructure get's stretched because schools either are not doing their job or cannot copewith educating the minds of the young punks. Official teaching load get's transferred to parents who are alrady struggling to cope. The disposable economy and all it's waste is generating poor minds and other side effects. Political games being played in the highest offices in the largest nations generates inflation, which makes us poorer slowly but surely, every generation needs to spend more to buy that first house or even have a baby. The list goes on.
Indiscriminate expansion of population, materialistic thinking and lack of control & standardization of values, as you can see, feeds upon itself and generates a vicious cycle, putting unnecessary strain to our life / infrastructure. Vicious enough to wipe us all out if high leverage mistakes are done in this "fertile" environment. Either that is it's evolving the society we live in into an all round unpleasant place.
All the signs are here, staring straight into our eyes. Ignore it and our future generation will ask, which generation lived in this "slash and burn" world, inconsiderate, unkind, poorly educated . . how could they have turned a blind eye. . . Are there still righteous people in power, with the wisdom, who are able to make a change?
Which way do we want to die? The quick way or the slow decline?
We live in the world which is so densely populated in so many areas, with such efficient warfare technology to kill each other, and with such efficient communication speed (Internet), that whatever little mistakes or wrongdoings, can spread at the speed of light, and is amplified a million fold.
But the facts are clear, we are already moving along the wrong highway, slowly but surely to our extinction. A good start would be the global overhaul of the education system, if we can't fix it and are so darn useless, at least give ours kids a chance. 4 new subjects are needed / to be emphasized in schools (the old ones still STAY). 1. Geography and Religion (understand other people's believes & diversity, for goodness sake). 2. Moral standards, communications, critical thinking (self explanatory). 3. Financial fundamentals (Kids come into contact with and spend money they moment they go to school, what makes us think we do not need to start educating them about the basic principles? or do we know it ourselves?) 4. Time & resource management (time is more precious than money, so why is it absent from the education system?).
We need a few good wise men & women, to stand up against the gigantic mental bankrupts . . the time has come again for heroes. Where art thou?
KK Ong
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