Sunday, August 26, 2007
Think out of the box? Know the box first
(Category: Educational Issues)
Source: Newslink
This article is a personal narrative by a photojournalist, Ian, as he talks about his childhood experience about choosing between the arts and sciences for his school subjects and occupation. He had a keen interest towards art when he was young, but his mother would rather he becomes a doctor when he grows up. This is actually a typical scenario in Singapore, as most parents prefer high-paying jobs such as doctors and lawyers.
In my opinion, choosing school subjects and an occupation should be based on one’s own interest instead of the amount of pay. Many parents feel that “professionals” such as doctors and lawyers will earn a much higher pay than “lowly jobs” such as an artist painting portraits for others. However, I feel that as long as one is willing to put in effort in his job, he will also get a higher pay. For example, a famous artist who can paint “life-like” portraits would earn more than a normal doctor working at a clinic. Hence, as long as one have an interest in a job and is willing to work hard in it, he should definitely aim for it.
Students should also have the same mentality when choosing subjects. Some students choose certain subjects because they are easier to score in, or they are “more important”. However, after half a year of studying these “certain subjects”, they will soon get bored and lose interest in studying for them. Students should choose subjects based on interest – as long as they study hard, they can still score high and get a job that suits their interest.
Parents should also give their children free will to choose their field of study. Many typical Singaporean parents have the mindset that science is an important subject and a strong foundation for most jobs, while the arts cannot get you anywhere far in Singapore. However, this frame of thinking is wrong – the arts are important, as they allow people to have a greater breadth of thinking. They are also “professional” jobs which hire people based on the arts, as “professions” can be trained, while creativity cannot be taught. Even if an artist cannot find a job locally, there are many openings for artistic people overseas.
Like what the title says, “Think out of the box? Know the box first.” You must first know what you want, in order to work hard for it, and then excel in this field of work.
Signing
off, [Ķσάιά ßέάŕ].
...
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Bangladesh arrests university teachers after riots
(Category: Politics issues)
URL: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/207277.asp
In Bangladesh, 5 university teachers were arrested for being involved in a protest which erupted into a fight with the police. This was not the only arrest made in Bangladesh recently. Since Bangladesh imposed an emergency curfew after months of riots over claims of vote-rigging, there has been chaos and unrest in the country, and many citizens have been arrested for being active in demonstrations. In my opinion, the curfew was unnecessary, and the government should instead tackle the problem directly.
The “problem” currently at hand is the allegations of vote-riggings. As there are claims of corrupted politicians who have been rigging the voting system, the government should seek to find them instead of trying to control the angered population. The solution is rather simple: the government should “weed out” the corrupted politicians, and organize another election for the citizens. I feel that this is a much better answer for the citizens than trying to control them by force. The protests were not completely unjustified: as a democratic country, the citizens should have the last say in the selection of their leaders.
However, the government may be using the curfew as a temporary measure to keep the population under control while they are sorting everything out. It is understandable that finding out the corrupted politicians is easier said than done – if they have the power to rig the voting system, they should also be able to clear any traces of themselves. Hence, it is not right for the protesters to blame the government for the curfew. The government has also been trying to give in by easing the curfew for several hours on some days.
I feel that the curfew is not helping the current situation much, and has instead created more demonstrations over the freedom of the population. However, there do not seem to be anything else that the government can do. Their only option currently is to sort everything out as soon as possible and hope for the best. They can also keep the public aware of what they are doing through the media and let them know that the government has been trying their best. The citizens, too, should learn to be apathetic and not create more trouble. It is their own country after all, and they should cooperate for it to progress.
Hence, I think that it is necessary for both the government and the citizens to cooperate in order for the country to progress. The government should speed up and get everything in control as quickly as possible, while the citizens should try to understand and stop protesting just to get their point across, and soon, the chaos would subside.
Signing
off, [Ķσάιά ßέάŕ].
...
