神秘内容 Loading...
我单身，但是我很爱国
Single but no less patriotic
==================
A colleague of mine got married two years ago but still has no plan of starting a family. Work remains her greatest source of pride. She spends 12 hours a day in the office every day and work is all that she talks about when she meets her friends occasionally. However, her competence at work does not extend to household chores which her husband does without complaint.
I work seven days a week. Chatting with friends over the Internet in the dead of night is probably my only pastime. Work keeps me so busy that I have no time for my family and friends, not to mention getting hitched and starting my own family.
There is nothing really wrong about having a hectic but fulfilling work life. However, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong disclosed recently that response to measures to boost the national birthrate had not reaped the expected results. In addition, the number of singles had gone up. As a result, my friend and I seem to have become “enemies of the people” and “culprits” by causing the government a big headache and putting national survival in jeopardy.
As the issues have to do with the survival of the nation, the press has been running articles penned by concerned citizens on why young people are not getting married and reproducing themselves. Apart from criticisms and exhortations, some writers have also made suggestions to address the problems in the hope that Singapore will continue to prosper. I cannot help but wonder if the suggestions are workable.
As Mr Goh has said, the view of young people on marriage and family has changed. Even a more comprehensive package or a more generous baby bonus scheme will not make the better eduacated change their priority on career development and economic pursuit. (来源：EnglishCN.com)
The friend who I mentioned earlier, for example, invariably uses either “no time” or “I don't need money” in response to friends who are concerned that it is time for her to start a family.
Another friend of mine, who is still childless after five years of marriage, enjoys thoroughly the freedom of life without the burden of children and has no wish to change the status quo. This is an indication that some young couples may opt to remain childless as they are worried about problems such as financial strain, nurturing and education. Of course, there are also those who have had it hard in life and do not wish to have children who may also “suffer” like them.
I am not sure what unmarried men think about marriage. But I have seen some young women who wasted much time before they realised that they were no longer young and that few eligible men were left in their circles.
Besides, women who are capable have no problem carving a niche for themselves in this time and age. Gone were the days when they had to depend on men. Seeking a life partner has become a matter of choice for women, not a fate that they are resigned to.
As for the meaning of life, it hinges on what conclusions one draws from one's own life experience. It is strictly a personal matter. Can someone else judge or decide what is good for you? And you can try telling singles the joys of marriage and having children, but they will have to experience it to be convinced. In short, they are unlikely to rush into marriage and babies.
Government incentives are only temporary but some personal decisions are meant for life. Some have predicted that marriage and procreation must be linked to issues such as loyalty. People will have to make a small sacrifice for the sake of the nation.
The idea makes me feel a sense of grievance. I am single but I love my country. Still, I'd rather remain single than settle for someone incompatible. Did we not advocate eugenics some years back? How can I be accused of being disloyal when I am just waiting for someone on the same wavelength?
I am well aware of the dire consequences of fertility falling below the replacement rate in the long run. But human life is short while life and growth in the universe continue endlessly. Our ideas and views are not static but will change with the times.
For young Singaporeans who are preoccupied with making a living or establishing a career, other things can be placed on the back burner. But what happens when they have more or less satisfied all their basic material needs? When they can no longer enjoy the warmth of kinship, would they still advocate personal freedom? When work achievements are no longer the be all and end all of life, getting married and having children may perhaps become a desire that they will not turn their back on again.
·The writer is a senior education officer. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
