Growing Kindness from the Grassroots

Singaporeans have become more gracious, but SKM is still necessary because of our growing population within a limited space. Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong made this point at the Kindness Conference held at the Marine Parade Community Club on 12 Nov.

Held in conjunction with this year’s World Kindness Day celebrations, the conference centred on the theme ‘Towards a Gracious Community’, and was attended by about 500 grassroots leaders from the Marine Parade GRC and its surrounding districts. The aim of the conference was to encourage community leaders to organise and mobilise abilities to promote consideration, tolerance and neighbourliness among residents.

Guest-of-honour ESM Goh was one of three speakers and he also led a panel discussion on kindness and graciousness. While he acknowledged that competitiveness can “bring out the worst in us”, he said it was more important to be humble and gracious about our successes and failures.

Singaporeans have been known for their competitive nature as we co-exist in a small country with limited places in schools and careers. As a result, Singaporeans’ ugly side have appeared in newspaper headlines, with issues such as reserving seats with tissue packets, cutting queues and squeezing into trains to get seats. Therefore, we need to learn the art of friendly competition, ESM Goh said.

Second speaker, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower Tan Chuan Jin stressed the importance of good parenting: “Our children are the by-products of the way we bring them up.”

He added that schools have an important role in instilling correct moral values in children by introducing activities centred on being gracious and caring for others. He suggested introducing kindness activities in Community Involvement Projects (CIP) to better encourage students to learn about kindness.

Ultimately, Minister Tan said we have alternatives when faced with unpleasant situations.  “All of us have choices. We blame things on other people. Instead, we can do the right thing”, he said.

SKM General Secretary Dr William Wan, the third speaker, agreed with Mr Tan. He said: “It’s a choice! So choose to be friendly!” He added, “We have no reason to complain; we have many to be thankful.”

After the speeches concluded, a 30-minute panel discussion commenced when residents raised concerns and observations about kindness.

Ms Lin Liang said many youths refused to give up their seats to the elderly on the trains. This had led her to conclude that kindness was more prominent in older people, compared to the young. To this, Dr Wan offered a solution: do not judge youths as a whole, and ask for a seat in a polite manner.

Mr Christopher Wang also pointed out that acts of kindness differed in various cultures. He said “kindness” needed a more specific definition and possibly a set of rules in order to be adhered properly. ESM Goh replied that he did not want people to be forced to follow rules of kindness. Instead they should learn and carry out acts of kindness willingly.

All in all, the Kindness Conference brought up many interesting viewpoints and suggestions about kindness. It concluded with the distribution of 600 stalks of yellow Gerbera daisies. The flowers were presented to participants, for them to pass onto the people around them as a gesture of appreciation for the kindness shown to them.

By Aruna Rajamani