09-01-2011, 10:00 AM
A forum letter. Views are welcome. Though I think the number of "profligate" people is rising.......
Jan 9, 2011
YOUR LETTERS
Stop judging people by how much they earn
While Mrs Marietta Koh's letter last Sunday ('Steer youth away from trap of materialism') was timely and well argued, I fail to see how our society is encouraging the kind of conspicuous consumption she describes.
Most Singaporeans have a relatively healthy attitude towards spending, which their children will learn by example.
The profligate few whom we often hear about - those who run up enormous credit card bills or buy BMWs although they cannot afford them - are just that: few.
One should spend within one's means, as Dr Lee Wei Ling cogently articulated in her column ('Caught in the trap of materialism''; Dec 19, 2010).
One can spend to benefit others via ethical consumption or eco-tourism, or for charity, for instance.
The point is to learn to be content with what one can afford, and spend enough to be content.
Many of us know people who scrimp, living meagre lives while accumulating large sums of money - and then take out their discontent on others in self-righteous diatribes.
The world has little need for more Ebenezer Scrooges. If a minor indulgence encourages one to be gracious and generous, it may well be better to indulge and be gracious, rather than to refrain and be bitter.
Also, one should avoid the habit of assessing people's worth by how much they earn.
This habit is the root of materialism's negative consequences, such as class consciousness, ruthless competition, discrimination and ungraciousness.
Although recent events have highlighted the increasing problem of conspicuous consumption and overspending, we need to plumb deeper and address the attitudes that trigger them.
Once we do, the attitude of using money and material goods as a yardstick to measure someone's worth - whether it is how much a person earns, how much he has or how much he spends - will disappear, and the problem of overspending will almost certainly resolve itself.
Ng Hsien-Ern
Jan 9, 2011
YOUR LETTERS
Stop judging people by how much they earn
While Mrs Marietta Koh's letter last Sunday ('Steer youth away from trap of materialism') was timely and well argued, I fail to see how our society is encouraging the kind of conspicuous consumption she describes.
Most Singaporeans have a relatively healthy attitude towards spending, which their children will learn by example.
The profligate few whom we often hear about - those who run up enormous credit card bills or buy BMWs although they cannot afford them - are just that: few.
One should spend within one's means, as Dr Lee Wei Ling cogently articulated in her column ('Caught in the trap of materialism''; Dec 19, 2010).
One can spend to benefit others via ethical consumption or eco-tourism, or for charity, for instance.
The point is to learn to be content with what one can afford, and spend enough to be content.
Many of us know people who scrimp, living meagre lives while accumulating large sums of money - and then take out their discontent on others in self-righteous diatribes.
The world has little need for more Ebenezer Scrooges. If a minor indulgence encourages one to be gracious and generous, it may well be better to indulge and be gracious, rather than to refrain and be bitter.
Also, one should avoid the habit of assessing people's worth by how much they earn.
This habit is the root of materialism's negative consequences, such as class consciousness, ruthless competition, discrimination and ungraciousness.
Although recent events have highlighted the increasing problem of conspicuous consumption and overspending, we need to plumb deeper and address the attitudes that trigger them.
Once we do, the attitude of using money and material goods as a yardstick to measure someone's worth - whether it is how much a person earns, how much he has or how much he spends - will disappear, and the problem of overspending will almost certainly resolve itself.
Ng Hsien-Ern
