I remember a long time ago, Chinese culture is about respect, filial piety and justice, etc.
But as I grow up, I see that much of the good values are being eroded as Chinese embrace capitalism. It seemed that the Chinese really embrace profits above all else as we see “fake rice”, “fake milk powder” and other food scares from China.
In Singapore, Chinese New Year is a period where more people consume Chinese New Year goodies and this is also when many companies increase prices because of demand. Even the price of hair cuts also increase.
When you have any type of disaster, haze, SARS or anything uncommon, expect N95 masks to be sold out and scalped. There is no sense of community, just selfishness and greed. This seems to be in line with what Singapore government believe in as the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Singaporeans to steal other people’s lunches to stay ahead.
I was taught that the Japanese were the enemies as they invaded Singapore during WWII, but I’ve been to Japan several times, and in the suburbs, the sense of community still surprise me.
When a community collaborate, their efforts multiply and they can do more than individuals do separately. In Ishinomaki, I’ve seen old shop owners going as a group to clean a shop at a time, collectively move big items out of…
