WITH Singapore turning 34, we do find people much richer nowadays, in terms of material possessions, than they used to be in the pre-independence years. Spiritually, however, they are impoverished.
There is no doubt that human relationships are much cooler in our metropolis today as compared with the days of the kampung, probably as a result of people's mind being increasingly focused on money and personal gains. Contrary to many urbanites' profession that money is not their top priority, the “money first” mindset makes itself felt in their words and deeds all the time.
We hear these sayings repeatedly： “Money is not everything, but without it you can do nothing”； “money makes the mare go”； “money keeps buddies together”, and “no money, no family”。 This sounds like a terrible world indeed！
While many are becoming preoccupied with “I”, “me”, and“mine”, words for our fellow humans are disappearing from their vocabulary. The love once cherished in the heart of many has been chilled in this cold world, and warm-hearted persons are a rare species now.
Let's imagine a family that is sustained by nothing but money. Predictably, its members cannot be of one heart in dealing with life's adversities. Such a family resembles a house built on sand, likely to collapse any moment. By contrast, a family welded together by love will endure a storm just like a structure firmly based on a solid rock.
Life abounds in examples. Stories in the press about lawsuits between family members over disputed properties are not news anymore. In our forefathers' time, however, family members helped and cared about one another although most people lived in poverty and hardship. They left their native countries for faraway Singapore because they wanted to earn a better living for their families back home by toiling alone in this strange land.
What prompted them to make such a sacrifice, one may ask？ Rather than the pressure from the circumstances at home then, as many would suggest, our ancestors did what they did out of love for their families and concern about their homeland. Many men and women today, with all their higher education, lack this spirit and can hardly acquire it.
People can live in harmony with one another only when they regain that simple and basic love, which alone will bless them with the endearing closeness of family life that can be found even in a small house, rather than a stately mansion complete with limousines. Then, even though you were to lose all you have overnight, you would be sure of heartening support from bona fide friends.
Such love will not be found until people give serious thoughts to the meaning of life. I wish that everybody would find such an affection. Then a gracious society would become a reality for Singapore. May our lost spiritual wealth be recovered soon. Translated by Allen Zhuang
建設(shè)更美好的精神生活
在國(guó)家昂然步入建國(guó)34周年之際,我們的的確確看到人民現(xiàn)在的物質(zhì)生活比獨(dú)立前富裕得多了,但精神生活卻似乎相對(duì)的變得比以前貧乏。
在新加坡這個(gè)大都會(huì)里,人與人之間的關(guān)系無(wú)疑比在鄉(xiāng)村時(shí)代冷淡多了。這或許與人們開始注重“錢”途和個(gè)人利益有關(guān)。雖然很多都市人都異口同聲的贊同錢不是最重要的東西,但在他們?nèi)粘Ｉ钪袇s無(wú)時(shí)無(wú)刻的表現(xiàn)出以錢為首的心態(tài)。
這些話都是我們常聽到的：“錢不是萬(wàn)能,但沒錢卻是萬(wàn)萬(wàn)不能”
：“有錢能使鬼推磨”：“有錢就有朋友,沒錢什么都沒了”：“有錢家就和諧,沒錢家就破裂”……這是一個(gè)多么可怕的情景。
人處處在想的就是“我、我、我”,“你”和“他”已經(jīng)在很多人的人生字典里逐漸的消失了。許多人心里所原有的愛已經(jīng)在這冷酷的世界凍結(jié)了。要找到有像熱浪般愛心的人已經(jīng)不多了。
試想如果一個(gè)家庭只靠錢來維持關(guān)系,這家庭必定不能一同面對(duì)生活中的困難。這家庭有如一棟以沙為根基的房子,隨時(shí)會(huì)倒塌。如果一個(gè)家庭是以愛為中心,這家就像建立在堅(jiān)固的磐石上,風(fēng)吹雨打都不會(huì)倒。
其實(shí),我們?cè)诂F(xiàn)實(shí)生活中已經(jīng)看到許多的例子了。報(bào)章上為了爭(zhēng)奪家產(chǎn)而鬧上法庭的報(bào)道已不是什么大新聞了。我們的祖先那個(gè)時(shí)代多數(shù)是屬于貧窮的大家庭。那時(shí),他們的生活非常的辛苦,但卻能彼此幫助,彼此照顧。為了讓家人能有更好的生活,離鄉(xiāng)背井來到新加坡工作賺錢。
他們?yōu)槭裁茨茏鬟@么多的犧牲呢？或許許多人會(huì)說當(dāng)時(shí)的情況迫使他們必須離開家鄉(xiāng),但更重要的動(dòng)力是因?yàn)樗麄儛圩约旱募胰撕完P(guān)心他們的家鄉(xiāng)。這種精神是現(xiàn)在許多受過高等教育的現(xiàn)代人所沒有,也很難學(xué)會(huì)的。
人唯有找尋到那最原始,最單純的愛,才能和平相處。就算沒有大房子、大汽車,你也能在小房子里享受那親密的家庭生活。就算在一夜之間變得一無(wú)所有,你也會(huì)有真誠(chéng)的朋友在旁扶持。
人只有認(rèn)真的思考人生意義時(shí)才能尋找到這愛。但愿人人都能尋找到這愛,這樣,要使新加坡變成優(yōu)雅社會(huì)就不是天方夜譚了。愿你早日尋回這無(wú)價(jià)之寶。
There is no doubt that human relationships are much cooler in our metropolis today as compared with the days of the kampung, probably as a result of people's mind being increasingly focused on money and personal gains. Contrary to many urbanites' profession that money is not their top priority, the “money first” mindset makes itself felt in their words and deeds all the time.
We hear these sayings repeatedly： “Money is not everything, but without it you can do nothing”； “money makes the mare go”； “money keeps buddies together”, and “no money, no family”。 This sounds like a terrible world indeed！
While many are becoming preoccupied with “I”, “me”, and“mine”, words for our fellow humans are disappearing from their vocabulary. The love once cherished in the heart of many has been chilled in this cold world, and warm-hearted persons are a rare species now.
Let's imagine a family that is sustained by nothing but money. Predictably, its members cannot be of one heart in dealing with life's adversities. Such a family resembles a house built on sand, likely to collapse any moment. By contrast, a family welded together by love will endure a storm just like a structure firmly based on a solid rock.
Life abounds in examples. Stories in the press about lawsuits between family members over disputed properties are not news anymore. In our forefathers' time, however, family members helped and cared about one another although most people lived in poverty and hardship. They left their native countries for faraway Singapore because they wanted to earn a better living for their families back home by toiling alone in this strange land.
What prompted them to make such a sacrifice, one may ask？ Rather than the pressure from the circumstances at home then, as many would suggest, our ancestors did what they did out of love for their families and concern about their homeland. Many men and women today, with all their higher education, lack this spirit and can hardly acquire it.
People can live in harmony with one another only when they regain that simple and basic love, which alone will bless them with the endearing closeness of family life that can be found even in a small house, rather than a stately mansion complete with limousines. Then, even though you were to lose all you have overnight, you would be sure of heartening support from bona fide friends.
Such love will not be found until people give serious thoughts to the meaning of life. I wish that everybody would find such an affection. Then a gracious society would become a reality for Singapore. May our lost spiritual wealth be recovered soon. Translated by Allen Zhuang
建設(shè)更美好的精神生活
在國(guó)家昂然步入建國(guó)34周年之際,我們的的確確看到人民現(xiàn)在的物質(zhì)生活比獨(dú)立前富裕得多了,但精神生活卻似乎相對(duì)的變得比以前貧乏。
在新加坡這個(gè)大都會(huì)里,人與人之間的關(guān)系無(wú)疑比在鄉(xiāng)村時(shí)代冷淡多了。這或許與人們開始注重“錢”途和個(gè)人利益有關(guān)。雖然很多都市人都異口同聲的贊同錢不是最重要的東西,但在他們?nèi)粘Ｉ钪袇s無(wú)時(shí)無(wú)刻的表現(xiàn)出以錢為首的心態(tài)。
這些話都是我們常聽到的：“錢不是萬(wàn)能,但沒錢卻是萬(wàn)萬(wàn)不能”
：“有錢能使鬼推磨”：“有錢就有朋友,沒錢什么都沒了”：“有錢家就和諧,沒錢家就破裂”……這是一個(gè)多么可怕的情景。
人處處在想的就是“我、我、我”,“你”和“他”已經(jīng)在很多人的人生字典里逐漸的消失了。許多人心里所原有的愛已經(jīng)在這冷酷的世界凍結(jié)了。要找到有像熱浪般愛心的人已經(jīng)不多了。
試想如果一個(gè)家庭只靠錢來維持關(guān)系,這家庭必定不能一同面對(duì)生活中的困難。這家庭有如一棟以沙為根基的房子,隨時(shí)會(huì)倒塌。如果一個(gè)家庭是以愛為中心,這家就像建立在堅(jiān)固的磐石上,風(fēng)吹雨打都不會(huì)倒。
其實(shí),我們?cè)诂F(xiàn)實(shí)生活中已經(jīng)看到許多的例子了。報(bào)章上為了爭(zhēng)奪家產(chǎn)而鬧上法庭的報(bào)道已不是什么大新聞了。我們的祖先那個(gè)時(shí)代多數(shù)是屬于貧窮的大家庭。那時(shí),他們的生活非常的辛苦,但卻能彼此幫助,彼此照顧。為了讓家人能有更好的生活,離鄉(xiāng)背井來到新加坡工作賺錢。
他們?yōu)槭裁茨茏鬟@么多的犧牲呢？或許許多人會(huì)說當(dāng)時(shí)的情況迫使他們必須離開家鄉(xiāng),但更重要的動(dòng)力是因?yàn)樗麄儛圩约旱募胰撕完P(guān)心他們的家鄉(xiāng)。這種精神是現(xiàn)在許多受過高等教育的現(xiàn)代人所沒有,也很難學(xué)會(huì)的。
人唯有找尋到那最原始,最單純的愛,才能和平相處。就算沒有大房子、大汽車,你也能在小房子里享受那親密的家庭生活。就算在一夜之間變得一無(wú)所有,你也會(huì)有真誠(chéng)的朋友在旁扶持。
人只有認(rèn)真的思考人生意義時(shí)才能尋找到這愛。但愿人人都能尋找到這愛,這樣,要使新加坡變成優(yōu)雅社會(huì)就不是天方夜譚了。愿你早日尋回這無(wú)價(jià)之寶。