Hello Friday Friends, 朋友, Kawan, Dost & PengYiu,
Quick Quotable
Quotes are told in a few words that impact to our soul. Quotes are not meant to be read lightly. Quotes can change your life only when you choose to be deliberate when you read & think it deeply about them.
This week Quote:
Do not learn how to react, learn how to respond ~~ Buddha
Question for Reflection
Given the current reality, what can I extrapolate from that?
One-Word Practice
Resolutions Don’t Work But One Word Practice Does:
This week, that word is:
‘ReWorking’
Today Sharing:
Can Singapore Be Clean & Green Again?
As usual, I went for my morning walk and was wondering around Serangoon Garden, doing something that many Singaporean would hardly do -- picking a couple of bottles and binning it into the right place.
Question - I think we have more rubbish bins than many countries, and, we still have irresponsible people who litter. Why?
People who travel to Japan or Taiwan like to ask why in Japan or Taiwan, how do they keep their place so clean despite having so little rubbish bins around?
People like to compare Japanese cleanliness but they forget that Japan is a monocultural society, and Taiwan is a homogeneous society.
We shouldn’t compare Japan and Taiwan because both have yet to taste the influx millions of immigrants of different cultures, especially ones from undeveloped countries.
Question - Are we doing the wrong things, thinking that if we have availability of dustbins, together with heavy fines would discourage littering?
Question - Are we giving up being a Clean & Green city state and employing a ton of cleaners to clean up merely to be a ‘Cleaned’ city?
Question - We are a relatively small country, so why is it so hard to keep up the dream of a clean and green garden city?
Okay maybe start them young.
Okay maybe start them young.
But, are we doing the right thing by forcing our young school going kids to sweep the classroom and dust the window?
By-the-way sweeping and dusting while not keep the place clean. In fact, sweeping and dusting creates fine dust particle floating in the air and our young children will breathe it. In the long run, we might create unwanted consequences like lung disease & respiratory problems. Especially when the children are not provided with the correct Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). I don’t think the basic face mask given to the children during clean up.
Cultivating the young to be a cleaner might be a right thing, because by then, most of the job will be given to the robots or humanoids. This is what we are bombarded to adapt and grow the future skills needed.
Please Google “Dirty Singapore” and you might get many sites showing dirty Singapore.
I believe our clean and green Singapore didn't become dirty overnight. It takes couple of years to create such irresponsible habits, and I think we have to look back on the last 10 years to see what went wrong. The last 10 years we might be focusing too much on the “Future of things”.
We took a 180 degree turn to look at “Think Smart”, be a “Smart Nation”. We are bombarded by tons of messages pushing for innovation and “Boh-Ta-Boh-Ti” (Productivity) and we throw away the good things we practice - the basic of Good Housekeeping practice.
We took a 180 degree turn to look at “Think Smart”, be a “Smart Nation”. We are bombarded by tons of messages pushing for innovation and “Boh-Ta-Boh-Ti” (Productivity) and we throw away the good things we practice - the basic of Good Housekeeping practice.
Question - What happens to the last 10 years of influx of million foreign immigrants of different cultures, especially those that come from the undeveloped countries?
I believe that Singapore became dirty partially because of this foreign immigrants of different culture with different education background and culture upbringing.
We are to be blamed because we forget to hand-hold these foreign immigrants with a Good Housekeeping practice “Induction and Orientation” education before we issue them we work permit or other status.
The solution:
Maybe, we have to go back to basics, and give every foreign workers, regardless of education or background or talent, a solid 2 days of Good Housekeeping practice induction and orientation before we issue them a work permit, any special passes or long term passes.
And not forgetting, all factories must have a good housekeeping practices system implemented (not paper exercise) before a BizSafe certification is awarded. Lately, I visited a few multistory type factories and observed that most of them have poor housekeeping practices. These will be another story for another Friday.
By-the-way, I use the word ‘partially’ thus I am not pointing at all the foreign immigrants who make our country dirty, the other problem is ourselves as Singapore, where we adopted an indifferent attitude towards public cleanliness.
We love annual campaign by gathering of aunts & uncles pick rubbishes to show that we care for our environment. These gatherings are useless, wasting time and serve zero purpose. We are not addressing the root causes. We prefer the reactive behaviour that it is okay to litter, we will come back next year again and again. Creating a “You throw; I pick” mentality that is deep rooted into our social norm.
The 2nd solution:
Induction & Orientation of good housekeeping must be an ongoing process in our adapt & grow future skills approach of “Future of Things”
The 3rd Solution:
One good idea for our ministry to implement
A small ash tray to be included in every cigarette purchased. If a smoker who do not have the small ash tray while smoking will be fined. With that, we will not see burned dustbin cover top and cigarette butts on the ground at the smoking area where smokers hang around.
At the end of the day, we have to remember that we are a country of immigrants from the beginning.
Our mantra should be "Make the place a little better after we use it”
Our Clean and Green City will prevail again.
Don’t give up.
Thank for reading
I write for myself & for my grandchildren but if the story helps you, share it around. As always, thank you & (F)Friday (S)See (Y)You…... here again.
谢谢; Thanks;
感恩 (Ganen) Grateful
With Gratitude
感恩Today, Joyful Tomorrow... fsy
It’s no secret that 感恩 leads to more gratitude.
Please join me in advocating:
Make Money & Love Safety
赚钱第一; 安全在我心! & 明天一定会更好！加油哦
Jana Wang, Cinta Keselamatan
Until We Meet Here Next Friday... Be FSY (F)Friendly (S)Strong & (Y)Youthful.
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Acknowledgements
My FSY’s sharing is unscientifically and some are contributed by wife & children, friends, acquaintances. I write and share things that matter to me. I understand that everyone has their own opinions, views, & thoughts. There are no right or wrong answers. Nothing is true or untrue, most facts and data can be twisted to your favour.
To the authors, contributors and original sources, my thanks and where appropriate my apologies if I forget to quote your names. If I took a page from your generous sharing and tweaked it into something else, something I hope will spread and the whole purpose is for sharing and sharing is caring.
