The extent of Apathy in Singapore

Yesterday, I was at the Speakers corner, with around 50 other people of whom at least 20 are activists. When Tan Kin Lian (http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/12/toc-celebrates-its-2nd-year-anniversary/) ( http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=1482) spoke,  it started to drizzle and rain. People started taking out their umbrellas , but the speaker was still speaking in the rain. You could tell many people thought someone should go shelter him, me included. But everyone was looking around at others, and asking the people they were with if they should go up, me included. And then, people started to run to one another discussing about whether to shelter the speaker. After a good 5 minutes at least, someone finally went up to shelter him, after having a commitee meeting.

I was thinking, gosh! in Singapore, people need to have a committee meeting and conference before they can stand up to offer someon in need an umbrella!?!?!? How sad is that??!? And I was totally guilty myself. I had not dared to go up, too afraid to walk out of crowd onto the stage to shelter him with my umbrella

At that point, I made a commitment to myself, to never do that again. Never to standby doing nothing while watching someone in need.

And so today, I went for this talk where there were a panel of speakers, one of whom was blind. And everyone had water. The moderator put the bottle of water in his hands because he couldn’t see it. Then as she was speaking, he was struggling to open it cos he couldn’t see the seal break. He struggled until he gave up and put the bottle down. And everyone, most of whom are activists, were just watching and waiting.

I took another bottle, opened it, walked up and gave it to him.

I know this is an incredibly small thing. An almost nothing. Something anyone could easily do.

But i’m actually really proud of myself, in a way that i haven’t been for a long long long time. I don’t think i ever felt like this after scoring any amounts of As in the exam

And I really really hope that everybody would make that same commitment.

 

The commitment to stop waiting for other’s approval or even support, the commitment to just stand up immediately to do what is right. The commitment to never standby when someone is in need.

Because a nation which cannot even offer someone in the rain an umbrella without a committee meeting is a nation which can never help itself or others.