to be frank, i blame this country, its people and its government for the cause of downfall of mental health in younger generations. mental health as a societal issue is being left behind. there is almost to none in resources for young to seek help for. it all comes down to the high fee charged without any assistance for young to carry the burden of medical fees. no proper development of mental health facilities. even the legal system in singapore is full of injustice. there live no humans in singapore - humans are treated like robot with no feelings and emotion. i blame it entirely on the government of singapore and the adulting pressure that is placed on young without any sorts of assistance. all ■■■■ they do is just create such a platform, but no actions are done. there is only power play and selfishness in securing their own benefits. if they cannot even fix the issue of blaming its own people, their reply would probably to blame and defend themselves for their actions. the irony is that im blaming too, but this is the essence of being in singapore. screw this place and its people and its authoritative system
im curious on what you mean by there are almost to no resources for young to seek help for
I hear you. I used to feel that way too. I guess I still do, but I have come to see there are no perfect countries in this world, and we can’t choose where we were born. And if we shrink it down, which family we are born into is also really not up to us to choose. But what can we choose and what variables are there that we can influence? How can we be difference makers? How can I leave a situation better than I enter it? Those are little guiding principles to live life by that maybe I can work on day to day. Coz if I’m gonna always think about the if only (wistful) and the what ifs (regrets), I’ll stay stuck in this perpetual state of ennui. But if I try to make a difference to someone or find a purpose or mission, then I have direction and won’t keep sinking into my quicksand of SIAN-ness.
So like for example, how we feel kids are too stressed out or lack money for tuition… we can be part of the solution. Be a good listening ear perhaps to some of the kids in the community or the juniors. Help tutor juniors or younger kids in subjects you are confident in. There was this uncle near my block who did that— he gathered the low income family kids to the void deck and tutored them. He continued even when he was struggling health wise, only stopping closer to when he passed away. I respect that. He could have lived his life, did his own thing but he carved out time to be a solution.
Then for VIA we worked with Fion Phua — she goes door knocking every weekend at the one room flats to see if she can make a difference to the people living there. She reminded us we are not helping these people, they are helping us to be useful people, to grow us. Those words stuck. She was tired of seeing people fall through the cracks so she rallied others who were tired of it like her. They cut nails for the elderly, clear the homes of hoarders, get rid of bedbugs infestation in homes….
They got me thinking how I can do something to be different.