An Article – DOES THE MONEY MAKES US INDISCIPLINE?
Photo credit: jeanniet6 from morguefile.com
Recently, I have noticed while teaching in school or on the streets and even in public places, people are becoming less tolerant to even little mistakes made by others around them. The best illustration is the latest news regarding a broke out fight and heated arguments between a man in his forties and a woman with a toddler merely two years old in Beijing, the capital city of China. To my understanding after I read the news on BBC UK news website, the man throw a toddler on the ground because, he had arguments with toddler’s mother over car park spot. One cannot imagine doing these acts in western countries.
However, it makes me wonder why these issues are becoming too common recently. One reason that could be the factor behind all these in humane activities is money. I have noticed when people get richer they lose their heads and they start becoming more authoritative. In a modern world, developing economies are leading the way in this wrong doings. Incidents are becoming more serious and they are in a way taking one’s freedom of equal rights away. Financial prosperity is adding to the egoistic nature and characters of people, who are losing the basic manners and etiquettes of behaving in public and with others around them.
Further, how we can educate people how to behave in public and especially around elderly people and children? One possible solution could be education through media and government websites. In addition, education from lower levels for e.g. Kindergarten, primary school levels could help to tackle this ever-rising scenario of negative thoughts and cruelty people are showing to the public around them. Education related to respect, duty of care and moral and ethical learning are important part of one’s life. Implementing academic subjects along with regular role-play scenarios in education institutions could combat this rising problem of insincerity and lack of tolerance among society, since present pupils are future of tomorrow.
Moreover, recently I read a speech of Mr. Rahul Gandhi who is a vice president of ruling congress party of India. Although, I am not a fan of politics, one thing I do like is to follow and take a note of good things people say and try to implement in society through their speeches or acts. Mr Gandhi said, “There is lot of anger in our country, which is of course India”. This made me realised actually that is a fact not just in India, but also around the world. It is becoming extremely serious issue and evidences are around us in daily life.
Another illustration is I was flying from Australia to India once through china where I transit from Shanghai for New Delhi. I noticed one Indian person with a turban in his mid forties was trying to close the rack over the seats in an airplane; it was difficult, since he had an oversize hand baggage as compare to usual handbags, which everyone carries. One airhostess was trying to assist him politely and she was waiting for him to realise the problem and show duty of care for others and safety, since flight was about to take off. On the contrary, for no reason person was showing his grief on the handbag and the rack where he was trying to place the oversize hand baggage by pushing and shoving, ignoring the polite request of airhostess. I was noticing all this, and I truly felt upset and ashamed, since I am an Indian and I believe that we all should behave, as we are civilized nation, who boasts of one of the oldest civilization in the world. Once again, I felt it could be money and lack of tolerance for others, no matter whom we are dealing with in our daily life.
In the end, I do believe we have well civilized people in the world who can lead by example, ignoring what others think about them. Most of the time people who are polite and have more etiquette always reflect duty of care and moral and ethical values through their actions. One’s financial situation could matter for a person, but for others the behaviour and education can reflect the personality of not just a person himself, but the nation he or she is representing especially in multicultural society and in environment, which demands one’s conscious attention to behave accordingly in public.
Thank you.
Ritiz {ESL Teacher, BA}
26/07/13,CHINA
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