Social Media, Boon or Bane?

Social media is here to stay.  It is the fastest way of communicating with friends and relatives. Millions of people are on Facebook and they share news, photos, videos and anything of interest.  Many also use it to promote their businesses.

There is a lot of interaction among the users and posts of interest are often followed avidly.

However it can also be abused. Comments that are uncalled for, insults traded and even vicious personal attacks are often seen online.

Cyber bullies, predators and stalkers also abound.

There have been cases of young people being bullied to such extremes that they were driven to suicide as the only way out of their misery.

Young unsuspecting children are stalked and become victims of predators who pretend to be friends of their own age. This is why parents have been advised to monitor their children’s online activities.

Lately there have been many reports of online scams where women have been cheated of their savings by their Facebook friends.

So there is both good and bad in using social media such as Facebook.

One should tread warily if someone unknown wants to be your friend. The level of privacy should be set to one that you are comfortable with. In the end it should be common sense that must prevail but then again, one can be totally seduced by the gift of the gab.

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Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly

China has a law that protects the rights and interests of the elderly and very recently a 77 year old woman  went to court and won the country’s first neglect case.

The elderly population is often neglected by their off-spring and this law requires them to visit their elderly parents “ often” although “often” was not defined precisely.

In this particular case, the court required the woman’s daughter and son-in-law to visit her once every two months and on at least two of China’s national holidays. If they failed to visit they could be ordered to pay compensation.

I believe Singapore also has a similar law which requires the off-spring to look after their elderly parents financially. Even so, one can see many old people working in food courts as cleaners, pushing heavy trolleys as they clear used tableware and wipe the tables. Many others who have retired are now working as taxi drivers. Some of them said they prefer to depend on themselves while they are still able, rather than add to the burden of their children who have their own families to raise.

Mistreatment and neglect of the elderly is not peculiar to any one country.  Sad to say it exists everywhere.  Geography could be a factor as most young people migrate to big cities to look for work. Others could have migrated to other countries, leaving their old folks behind.

Time is another factor. Many young families have only time for themselves during the weekends, touted as family time to spend with their children since the weekdays are busy working days. They have no time to spare for their elderly parents.

Gone are the days when extended families lived together or close by so that bonds are nurtured and the elderly are highly respected and looked after.  Many old folks have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves and those who are more fortunate are shunted off to old folks’ homes and left there without any visitors, not even on festival days.

It is an indictment of society that old people who are sick and poor are usually abandoned.  Those who are financially well-off do not have to suffer the indignities of the poor. What has gone wrong? Why is there a need to legislate in order that the elderly are given a modicum of attention?

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Confession, a Double-edged Sword?

A confession is defined as an admission to incidents in the past, which one does not normally reveal to anyone.  Confessions are also made to priests who sit in the confessionals and listen, after which they would mete out penance proportionate to the “sin”.

Confessing to something which has been on your conscience can make you feel better but it will burden the one to whom you have confessed. There could be repercussions, especially if the confession is one of adultery or cheating on your partner. Remaining quiet in such circumstances will be “Ignorance is bliss” for the other party. However it could be heavier and heavier for you to bear as time goes by if you are the type that can neither forget nor delete the incident from your memory bank.

One way to relieve your burden is to confess it on paper, writing about everything that had taken place and then burning the confession immediately.

However, there is a trend now to confess online at sites that have been set up for this purpose.  There are websites where you can post anonymously and shed the weight of your misdeeds or unhappy  experiences.  These sites are aligned to educational institutions but not officially recognized as being part of them.  Postings are made by high school and college students of both genders and these postings are moderated by anonymous moderators . The contents posted are of different kinds, ranging from confessions of the love-lorn to relationship problems.

I don’t believe that these postings are made to attract attention as they are anonymous but they will have a cathartic effect for the confessors. Or could it just be a fad?

There are magazines dedicated to true confessions made by women of their trysts and escapades inside and outside the bedroom.  There must be a considerable readership or they wouldn’t survive.  I guess it’s a form of escapism. Or voyeurism if you get addicted to reading such stuff?

Nevertheless, be wary of face to face confessions for it may have serious consequences that could not have been anticipated. How many weddings have been called off because of an ill-advised confession or how many marriages have disintegrated as a result?

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Reflection

Some thoughts to share and perhaps act upon.

Reflection

You never know when someone

May catch a dream from you.

You never know when a little word

Or something you may do

May open up the windows

Of a mind that seeks the light –

The way you live may not matter at all,

But then again it might.

And just in case it might,

And just in case it could be

That another’s life, through you,

Might possibly change for the better

With a broader and brighter view,

It seems it might be worth a try

At pointing the way to the right –

Of course it may not matter at all,

But then again – it might.

 

Author unknown

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