Ask what you can do for your country?

[daredevil123]

I used to eat at one of the hawker center at AMK central, the big one next to MS color. There was this old lady on a wheelchair selling tissue paper.
On a few occasions, when she approached me with 3 packets of tissue paper, i gave a $50 note and asked her to eat and then go home to rest. I did this, trying as best as i could, not to let others see it, by putting the note right into her hand. Nobody would hv any chance of taking any photo of this. LOL.

I hate to bring this up in a public forum now, but just to give an example of what we could do to help without blowing trumpets.

Good on you.

Keep it up.

But do know that when people need help, they need help. Whether people can see it or not, people need help. If you really want to help people, you should not care what others do, say or even photograph. It should come from your heart. If you are only willing to help when no one is looking, then you need to work on that. Because you care too much what others will say about you. It is not mentally healthy.

How about putting some time in to help at some old folks home? or home for the disabled? make it a constant thing. Give your time and care more than your money. I can assure you it will change your life.

 

[d2xpeter]

Good on you.

Keep it up.

But do know that when people need help, they need help. Whether people can see it or not, people need help. If you really want to help people, you should not care what others do, say or even photograph. It should come from your heart. If you are only willing to help when no one is looking, then you need to work on that. Because you care too much what others will say about you. It is not mentally healthy.

How about putting some time in to help at some old folks home? or home for the disabled? make it a constant thing. Give your time and care more than your money. I can assure you it will change your life.

My wife does volunteer work every saturday afternoon at a old folks home [called Bright Hill, i think], situated in some unknown corner of senja or segar road. Never see any press/media photographers there taking pictures of every volunteer. EXCEPT once when some MP decided to visit, then you see one whole bunch of so-called "Official" photog there. LOL

I believe a lot of our CSnappers also do volunteer works, but prefer to do it "stealthily", with the "glamorous" few forming the tip of the iceberg.

If you are only willing to help when no one is looking, then you need to work on that. Because you care too much what others will say about you. It is not mentally healthy.

I can assure you that this is rare...LOL. Usually it is the other way round. They will be even MORE willing to help when someone is looking.
What should be said is "We should not only help when we know that someone is looking"

 

[d2xpeter]

"I believe a lot of our CSnappers also do volunteer works, but prefer to do it "stealthily", with the "glamorous" few forming the tip of the iceberg."

I believe the same can be said of a lot of Singaporeans, doing charity/volunteer in a very low profile, doing it for the country's less fortunate but choose not be rewarded publicly

 

[NineEleven]

Actually Singapore is a good place to live in. It's safe, clean, green & many other good things that we take for granted. We grumble about high costs, this & that but have a look at our immediate neighbours, their governments are so corrupt to the core that you shake your head in disbelief yet life carries on.

I don't ask what the country can do for me as I've been brought up to take care of myself since young & finished my tour with SAF so did my part for the country & paid a lot of taxes too. Also did well with the investments here but of late, we've been looking around us & my children may not serve NS as we now have choices. Several of my friends have migrated for better life & they are in late 20-30s, starting a new family elsewhere where education & medical are free. Yes, they are taxed over 40% @ some places but a lot of things are free or simply given back by the government.

What is the Singaporean identity? Are you proud to be one, why? Do people care, do you care?

Recently, I watched a documentary about a nation of islands about to be swallowed by rising sea levels & the President was looking to buy land from a neighbouring country & move the people. Do people care about a dying nation & it's culture?

 

[Yappy]

...recently I had read articles written by foreigners and they rated Singapore as one of the better place to stay.

... foreigner don't belief that it is safe to allow your youngs to take bus on their own

.... I had told this many times, my German boss once told me that it is very safe to walk alone in the middle of the night at Orchard Road.

What we are today is not by chance. It is sheer hardwork of our leaders.

Say something constructive and not...

 

[Yappy]

That's the style of the old. Asking what you have done but on the other hand keeping everyone else out so they can't do anything. Ridiculous double standards.
It is dangerous to leave all the political power to the electricity team. It's not for the sake of arguing to have a political opposition, it is to make sure that those guys started as the good ones are still the good ones years later. Plurality shapes a society best, but no doubts it is the most difficult way. Hammering a single opinion through the times has never been long-lasting.

The question is ... is it for self or for the people..?

 

[Yappy]

....voice our concerns and protect our democratic rights .....and knock some common sense into the heads of those elitist idiots who think they are self-righteous. :kok:

it is perfectly alright to voice out.. but say something constructive .. are they doing for self or for the majority of the people?

 

[Yappy]

just want to add about this phrase that TS mentioned here

I think this phrase is timeless it encompass almost any issue that a country faces. In some ways if not most this phrase is true "sometimes we need to ask our self what we can do for your country" I heard this once but cant recall from whom and where someone said "A country is only as good as it's citizen not the person leading it" Coz in the 1st place who put that person to be your leader? it's the people or the citizen right? so in the end who's to blame?

Dont blame anybody... just yourself are we better off than others?

 

[Yappy]

welll like they say in all financial investment brochures...

Past performance is not guarantee of future results.

I think one will be blind not to see the big problems our countrymen are facing now.

.. which country dont have problem?

... can our leader solves them....

... we need everybody help .. do something constructive..

... BTW what are the problems facing us now??

 

[Yappy]

Yappy stop drinking the Pappy's Kool-Aid. It is not healthy for you.

Regards,
A Fellow Concerned Citizen

Thank you for your concern.. I think all of us are concerned. As if our country dont stay strong and united, where are going to?

 

[Yappy]

Also, I will like to leave my final 2¢ worth of thoughts here as some people tend to get confused between the two...

The country, Republic of Singapore is not Pay And Pay Corporation™
Pay And Pay Corporation™ is not the country, Republic of Singapore

Berjaya Singapura! Majulah Singapura!

...which country in the world don't pay tax.

Let me know.. i would like to join them.

 

[edutilos-]

...which country in the world don't pay tax.

Let me know.. i would like to join them.

What tax are you talking about?

Dubai has no income tax. :bsmilie:

 

[Shizuma]

the leeders of old played dirty but they were fairly good at what they did. they knew they were serving the people and did not mind modest pay.

leeders today think they are CEO material and demand to be paid commensurate, but the hard truth is they have neither the aptitude, attitude nor accountability to assume such a position morally or physically

 

[s1221ljc]

Try Brunei, they dont tax individuals. There's no income tax, capital gains tax etc... Good luck.

...which country in the world don't pay tax.

Let me know.. i would like to join them.

 

[Yappy]

Is there a re realistic chance to do this? The currently ruling party has set up a system that effectively prevents a change in government. How democratic is that? But changing an inefficient or bad government is one of the basics on democracy. I hope you realize the obvious flaw here.
Please form your own opinion by critical thinking, we don't need someone copying Pappy speeches without quoting the sources.

... if you have something precious, do you want to throw it away?

 

[Yappy]

I fully agree. But still, there is a flaw in the system when 65% of votes result in 95% of the seats in parliament. Legally it all sounds nice. But does it make any sense..? Why was such a system copied to SG? Maybe once the intention was good, but nothing is good absolutely. It's crippling the power of the pen.

What is the best or a better system for Singapore?

 

[Yappy]

This admittedly antiquated electoral system was adopted from the British - the "first-past-the-post" system. It's still in place in most so called "Real" democracies like the US, UK and France. I believe only the EU has implemented some sort proportional representation whereby parties win seats in parley in proportion to the number of votes they win in an electoral region. However, imo this is only applicable to large countries where one region/state can have multiple seats up for grabs and portioned according to the voting %. Can you imagine the fragmentation in the already tiny constituencies in SG if that happened?

Besides, its not as if the "first-past-the-post" system cannot produce "healthy" well-functioning multi- or two-party democratic systems, as the US and the UK has shown. It's the quality of the opposition party and the maturity of the electorate in thinking about issues critically in a rational manner that results in a true democracy, & not changing the electoral system.

So again, ask yourself what you can do for your country & make the effort to drive changes to things/issues that you don't agree with, rather than sit back, complain & wait for some white knight opposition politician/party to ride to your rescue. That my friends, is true patriotism.

..I concur.

We should be helping to create a more stable state be politically, socially... instead. Why choose something you are not sure of.

Just think ... what are the factors that a country unstable?

Do you want them to happen to your country just because you are not happy with some of the policies?

 

[Yappy]

Again the thread title is very true based on what you said "Ask What you can do for your Country" Change is at your hands small voices shouting united is very deafening . Again dont blame your Govt for all things but blame your self for not doing anything

...Yes agree. You have received so much and What have you done for the country?

 

[Yappy]

What if those PR who serves NS would think the same way what will you say? Imagine PR serving NS would tell a Singaporean Why would i serve NS and protect you? you don’t even welcome me nor treat me equally? Remember there are PR's serving and protecting us all not only Singaporean so it's wrong to say that you're the only one lugi here...

Everybody in Singapore has a role to play. if want to stay longer, you should help to protect yourself, your family and your friends... not forgetting your company..remember it is your job that is at stake!

 

[Yappy]

This is the sort of claim to the right to rule that the government has kept drilling into our heads.

I'd give them credit for the clean/neat infrastructure.
Beyond that, the success of this country is the fruit of the ingenious mind, tenacious spirit and hard work of the Asian peoples who form it.
Look at China/Jpn/Korea/Taiwan/HK (even India too; to some extent M'sia/Thailand), many rose from the ashes of war, but have climbed to the very top.

Their governance/infrastructure may be different and have their own quirks/faults (all systems are), but they have been successful nonetheless.

... it is the fact. Some how we dont realise it as we take it for granted.

... foreigners coming into Singapore to look for job. Why do ppl want to come to Singapore? What so good about Singapore..

...to us it is by default.. I should have these.. but who created the wealth, the stability and ....

.... again please do not take thing for granted