Hmmm...
Post vacation and I'm spending all my free time in front of the comp. I'm an addict. Am supposed to drop by the newly opened Ikea branch in Tampines today but as mommy is fast asleep I shall take a while to post my latest neuronal activities.
Was blog-surfing a little and it's jus an eye-opening thing to read stuff about people who lead such different lives from self. Can only blame it on sheltered cocoon of an existence and narrow perspectives. In other words, my reality is really horribly boring that's why I'm constantly dreaming up stories for myself. But I did get a little inspiration from those smart commentaries I read so all that got me thinking a bit. Oh and another point I wanna make - I dun understand why people are often always so cynical about things, especially in their blogs. It may not be an accurate thing to say that it reflects their thoughts totally but it certainly does give that impression. Actually i used to be Little Ms Cynic myself but I've toned down a lot when I realised it affected some of the more sensitive souls around me. But now and then the evil tail whips itself out.
One of the issues that's weighing on my mind currently is the fact that the young actress playing Mary in The Nativity Story is pregnant herself at age 16. Besides the heavy irony of the whole thing, especially since pre-marital sex is not allowed by the Church, I just can't imagine being pregnant and having to raise a kid at sixteen (even though that was probably Mary's age when she had Jesus). I'm gradually coming round to the idea that pre-marital sex is a lot lot more common than my naive mind thinks, and that the idea of sex being sacred and that it should only be carried out in the context of marriage is like, outdated or something. Thankfully Singapore is still rather conservative but already that is changing. People who "dare" to stand up and talk dirty and stuff are becoming subjects of some degree of fascination, not to mention controversy. Think we're like trying to tighten the chains on this monster that's already stepped out of its cage.
Take education for instance. In my time it would have been quite unthinkable for my peers to be engaging in PMS, but ten years down the road, in the context of the same (traditional, conservation Chinese) school, I'm being told as a teacher that it is a possibility among the kids. And what are the reasons that we use to discourage them against it? Same as what I saw on a large poster in a Taipei MRT station - beware of the consequences - pregnancy, social difficulties and so on. No doubt these are very important and serious issues to consider, but I just somehow feel that it overshadows the real issue at stake. This is analogous to a debate on abortion that I did with my sec 2 classes. There was a cluster of students who were vehemently against abortion as they regard it as murder, and there was an equally insistent group who argued about the consequences of having a disabled child or a child out of wedlock. To the former pro-life group, the socio-economic reasons cannot take precedence over the fact that every child is a gift of life. To the latter, they want to make the choice for the unborn child after weighing their options.
What is the key notion behind the abortion debate? That every child is a gift from God, and that no one has any right to decide whether the child lives or dies except the Almighty. What is the key notion behind the PMS debate? That sex is a culmination of the union of love between man and woman, that procreation is a sacred duty of a couple in marriage. If one believes in the sanctity of life and sex, then the consequences need not be used as a deterence for PMS or as a defence for abortion. It is because this sanctity has been corrupted in society, that family structures and relationships are crumbling.
To me, religion is the most powerful force in education, but we live in a secular state in a secular world. What can define the moral underpinnings of society?
****
Well I did go on a bit there...jus attempting to articulate my thoughts. Feel like picking up a good book on ethics all of a sudden.
Was blog-surfing a little and it's jus an eye-opening thing to read stuff about people who lead such different lives from self. Can only blame it on sheltered cocoon of an existence and narrow perspectives. In other words, my reality is really horribly boring that's why I'm constantly dreaming up stories for myself. But I did get a little inspiration from those smart commentaries I read so all that got me thinking a bit. Oh and another point I wanna make - I dun understand why people are often always so cynical about things, especially in their blogs. It may not be an accurate thing to say that it reflects their thoughts totally but it certainly does give that impression. Actually i used to be Little Ms Cynic myself but I've toned down a lot when I realised it affected some of the more sensitive souls around me. But now and then the evil tail whips itself out.
One of the issues that's weighing on my mind currently is the fact that the young actress playing Mary in The Nativity Story is pregnant herself at age 16. Besides the heavy irony of the whole thing, especially since pre-marital sex is not allowed by the Church, I just can't imagine being pregnant and having to raise a kid at sixteen (even though that was probably Mary's age when she had Jesus). I'm gradually coming round to the idea that pre-marital sex is a lot lot more common than my naive mind thinks, and that the idea of sex being sacred and that it should only be carried out in the context of marriage is like, outdated or something. Thankfully Singapore is still rather conservative but already that is changing. People who "dare" to stand up and talk dirty and stuff are becoming subjects of some degree of fascination, not to mention controversy. Think we're like trying to tighten the chains on this monster that's already stepped out of its cage.
Take education for instance. In my time it would have been quite unthinkable for my peers to be engaging in PMS, but ten years down the road, in the context of the same (traditional, conservation Chinese) school, I'm being told as a teacher that it is a possibility among the kids. And what are the reasons that we use to discourage them against it? Same as what I saw on a large poster in a Taipei MRT station - beware of the consequences - pregnancy, social difficulties and so on. No doubt these are very important and serious issues to consider, but I just somehow feel that it overshadows the real issue at stake. This is analogous to a debate on abortion that I did with my sec 2 classes. There was a cluster of students who were vehemently against abortion as they regard it as murder, and there was an equally insistent group who argued about the consequences of having a disabled child or a child out of wedlock. To the former pro-life group, the socio-economic reasons cannot take precedence over the fact that every child is a gift of life. To the latter, they want to make the choice for the unborn child after weighing their options.
What is the key notion behind the abortion debate? That every child is a gift from God, and that no one has any right to decide whether the child lives or dies except the Almighty. What is the key notion behind the PMS debate? That sex is a culmination of the union of love between man and woman, that procreation is a sacred duty of a couple in marriage. If one believes in the sanctity of life and sex, then the consequences need not be used as a deterence for PMS or as a defence for abortion. It is because this sanctity has been corrupted in society, that family structures and relationships are crumbling.
To me, religion is the most powerful force in education, but we live in a secular state in a secular world. What can define the moral underpinnings of society?
****
Well I did go on a bit there...jus attempting to articulate my thoughts. Feel like picking up a good book on ethics all of a sudden.
posted by gleekzuh @ 5:29 PM
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