視野

大女兒的男友也在投資銀行工作，兩人差不多同時間由悉尼回香港工作，很多人都會問這問題，在悉尼做得不錯，為何要離職而去。我相信主要是女兒的主意，趁年輕、無負擔要出去闖一下。我不捨得女兒，但大力支持她擴闊視野的看法。那是兩年前的事。

他們一起遇到這拾紙皮的老婆婆，驅使我寫了感觸淌淚一文。女兒早幾天跟舊同學去外遊，臨走把紅色的衫裙放入洗衣機，昨日男友洗完衣服，發覺5件恤衫都給紅裙染了色，使他沮喪。沮喪主要是因此浪費了幾件恤衫，也使他反思這拾紙皮婆婆的故事，在臉書寫了一番感想，我貼了在下面。

他們兩人在一起，我十分安慰，我對他們也頗滿意。在香港長大而在投資銀行工作的人，有幾多肯自己把扔棄的傢具拿去垃圾收集站去棄掉，他們還被人誤以為是拾荒者而敬而遠之。香港每年去外遊的人多不勝數，有幾多人有機會真正體會別國的風土人情而擴闊視野呢？

大女兒上星期告訴我，最近公司請人，她與一個曾經在兩間銀行做過intern的男孩面試，女兒説這男孩連握手這基本禮貌也不懂，她幾乎要把他從椅子扯起來。可能他的父母和大學都沒有教他待人接物的禮儀，但他自己不用去學嗎？

2 dollars

January 18, 2014 at 11:21pm

A wise little lady once said to us, "2 dollars can go a long way."

This 2 dollars wasn't in Australia where 2 bucks can still buy you a very cheap coffee.
This was in HK, where 2HKD won't even get you a ride on the tram.

This comment wasn't made by anyone related to me, this comment came from a little old lady who collects cardboard close to where we live, and was imparted onto us when we gave some unwanted cardboard to her, which she then dragged to the collect station and came back telling us she got 2 dollars for it, and how "2 dollars can buy heaps of stuff."

Having caused a personal mishap of ruining a weeks worth of work shirts this morning, I decided to take a long walk to clear my mind and also go buy some replacement shirts.

Living in Sheung Wan, there are many options to get to causeway bay, with the cheapest being walking, then tram, then maybe mtr and bus, and finally cab. I dislike unfamiliar crowds so the best (and least chosen) method which was to walk my way to Causeway, taking it slowly and observing my surroundings, the trip to and back took a total of 2.5hrs.

In that 2.5hrs, I had time to think about the 2 dollars comment some more and realise that earning the 2 dollars is really not as easy as we think. A bus trip to Causeway and back would require the little old lady to drag cardboard boxes to and back almost 10 times, to grab a cab to and back will require almost 30 times...

Christine and I recently discussed how many times the lady would have to drag cardboard before she makes an hour of what we make collectively, and depressingly, it was hundreds upon hundreds of times, and honestly, it is not fair. Some may say that the old lady may not really be poor and is doing it to kill time, but what if she is actually needy, in what universe is it fair for a little old lady who was kind enough to help us tie up the rubbish we had left over before we drop it off at the depot to have to collect cardboard on the street day and night just to make a living.

For people who know me well, I hate and depise buying clothes, I see them as a chore and most often than not, I'd wear clothes till they are in tatters or I'm forced to throw them away, I am also someone who apart from work clothes and running clothes, where quality comes first, I do not care the slightest for brands. So my frustration of my mishap this morning was frustrating because I had wasted so many thousands of times worth of cardboard dragging on something that I despise so much about. 

Sadly, too many in our society do not give the slightest damn about spending 10 times cardboard dragging on a short cab ride when walking will suffice. Most are too focussed on taking selfies showing off their most recent outings or purchases to our friends, it is so severe that now there is a psychological disease called social media depression where people are depressed when they cannot keep up with their friends.

Now there is definitely nothing wrong with enjoying our spoils, because hopefully, most of us at least worked hard for our money and obviously deserves to spend it, but my view lies in the view that we should draw the line on what is sufficient and also having some perspective on what is happening people who are less fortunate than us.

Most likely, I am going to get negative feedback for my views, but most recently, new policies offering help for families close to the poverty line and the elderly were introduced, the policies was not what I am upset with, it was the feedback from some middle class families that made me think: "can we really be so selfish?"

Not being a fan of CY, or the HK government in any way, during a panel, a middle class salaryman called through saying that their family is earning 30k a month, and had to pay for mortgage, domestic help, schooling, and there is just not much left, and what policy is there to help them out.

It is undeniable that income gap in Hong Kong is ridiculously unfair, with median family income of about 25k, having 30k puts you at middle class and given the cost of property and schooling, there really isn't much left, honesty, many people have it tough; but please take a moment to take things into perspective.

The complaint was about how the new policy does not help these families to have much "left"...what this caller failed to consider is that the policy was introduced to help people who are living on a deficit, who don't have the luxury of having things "left" every month; these people do not have domestic help, chances are, they may not even earn as much as your help earns, and your help gets a place to live for free.

To me, people who are living in poverty, the homeless and displaced elderly takes precedent ahead of the middle class any day, not because I am being insensitive about the working middle class, but because the assistance will be given to people with life and death reasons, not how much "left." In a perfect world, assistance should be given to the lower middle class as well, but not before another family's need for survival.

It is also undeniable that there are people who abuse the system, there will always be people who abuse welfare, whether you're the needy or the middle class, there will always be people who work less than they should to abuse the system, but overall, freeloaders are always going to be the minority compared to the truly needy.

Given the option, would these "middle class" workers voluntarily swap spots with the people the policy is helping just to get the assistance? If the answer is no, then there are people much more in need than you.

Sadly, we have slowly grown into a society where people are so focussed on themselves, most look down on people based on the way they dress, which was particularly interesting given the day we were pushing the cart full of old furniture to the rubbish depot, a lady with her husband walked past and made the comment "look at him, collecting rubbish with his partner, don't get too close" I don't blame her for thinking I was a rubbish collector, because honestly, I dress very poorly outside of work, but what is truly wrong with rubbish collection, at least they keep streets that slightly cleaner.

I cannot change the way people act and I don't intend to, it is merely a sharing of observation, and next time you decide that 20hkd or 3 dollars AUD is nothing, remind yourself that it takes a little old lady 10 cardboard drags before she earns that much; even if you don't have to do it, someone out there is doing it.