Was in lack of education? Lack of information? Lack of a head start in life perhaps.
I noticed a similarity in the people being interviewed for this program. Simple minded. How can you decide to have three kids when you are living in poverty in rented one room flat, with the third child being an "accident" one. The mother chose to work as a cashier in a fast food chain because it allows her the flexibility to fetch her youngest son from a neighbourhood childcare. The other two elder daughters are in a primary school, suffering from lack of many things, in her own words. How, then can she allow this "accident" to happen? Knowing that she can ill afford another child, why bring another one to this world to suffer together? The father gave some crap excuse that he cannot go to work due to high blood pressure. Hello?? I have high blood and I'm working my ass off. He mentioned that he got high blood pressure from stress, poor diet of unhealthy food and lack of exercise. Yes, he is fat and I'm surprised he is fat, given the family's situation. Has he been eating the food supply of the whole family?? Anyway, he said he could easily earn $2000 a month as a restaurant manager but he chose not to, because "it would not be nice for me to take MC due to health." The journalist asked him if he would consider exercising or changing his diet to be healthier so that he could go get a decent job. Answer from him was "No, to difficult, so many years already, very hard to change." The family of five survive on a meagre monthly income of $700 from the mother's pay. Sorry i shouldn't be judging...but what a shithead!
Another uncle..he has no money at all, not even money in his MRT card. And he can't get money from his children because they are also not doing well. So i conclude that if you have a chid and you fail to provide education and proper upbringing to the child, he/she will grow up and suffer one way or another. If you are poor, you can at least teach the child tenacity and determination, and filial piety. So that no matter how hard life is, they will never abandon you the parents. And they will find a way to survive because they are tenacious. I cannot help but wonder what kind of a dad he had been when his kids were young. Why are his children treating him, their dad, so coldly.. what happened to filial piety?
By head start in life, i meant education. I truly believe that education breaks the cycle of poverty. It is a vicious cycle. Education trains the mind to think, and armed with a cert/diploma/degree/masters and whatever else there is, doors of opportunities are aplenty. Or at the very least, it helps one to make informed choices in life.
Life is a complicated journey full of choices and happenings. I should not make sweeping remarks. The above are just my personal opinions..raw and all. Haven't really thought about these issues in depth..but i really cannot help being angry at stupidity and ignorance.
If I'm the social worker assigned to the fat man, i will be very firm and insistent that he change. Either he change and make life better for him and his family OR he just continue to rot HIMSELF. I think I will just focus on helping the kids. I'm not sure if this is right though. But the equation seems to me like that. If he asked for social assistance and advice, he will get it and he should work harder to help others to help himself. If he choose to complain about life being unfair day after day, he can go screw himself.
God, i'm not sure why did you ask me to take up this calling.. the social workers that i met during the convention were all gentle, soft spoken and i guess very, very patient. I can be bitchy at times..not forgetting to mention vindictive too..and I'm not exactly sure if i am patient enough not to flare up. Are You very sure You got the right person?
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