【英文 Essay】"Respect for the elders is lacking among youngsters today." Do you agree?

Respect is needed for a society to work well. Children are usually taught by their parents to respect their elders, but it is disturbing to learn that many youngsters are not sensitive towards elderly people nowadays. Recently, there has been an increasing number of news articles on old folks expressing disappointment over how they were treated in public, especially by the young ones. Much resentment has been generated between these two groups of people. Therefore, I strongly agree that respect for the elders does lack among youngsters today.

In these days of rapid technological change, youngsters are reluctant to accept their elders' traditional thinking. When elders do their best to give advice, these youngsters basically neglect the elders' good intentions, as well as try to avoid being criticized. It eventually leads to a quarrel between them and perhaps even elderly abuse. 7 years ago in Singapore, a 23-year-old athlete, Sumanthiran Salvarajoo, was jailed for brutally beating an elderly man to death. It is truly heartbreaking that old folks are not being well-treated and respected. We are often inundated by stories of isolation and loneliness among the elderly people, particularly in urban populations. When youngsters grow up, lots of elders either live alone or with their spouse because these youngsters personally choose to leave home, as most of them want their private space. In such a case, the elders may feel that they are a burden to society.

The lack of respect for the elders among youngsters can be seen evidently in our society. Youngsters do not recognize the achievements of their elders and feel their elders are blocking their progress. For instance, when taking a crowded bus, a few young people sit on the seats reserved for elders. Even though some old folks ask them politely to vacate their seats, these youngsters still choose to ignore their request by putting on earphones or using smartphones continuously. Once in 2016, an infuriating video went viral depicting a group of Malaysian youngsters ruthlessly yelling at an elderly lady at an accident scene. In the video, the youngsters raised their voices loudly at the poor lady who was shocked. It is an undeniable fact that respect for the elders seems to be something lost in society.

Given the situation, the lack of proper character education is the core of the problem. Many times, parents and other adults allow negative influences to be unnecessarily placed in front of youngsters. For example, parents sometimes allow their children to be exposed to violent movies and television shows, or to play violent video games, and they tend to think it is just harmless entertainment. This causes the feeling of hatred deep inside youngsters' emotions, leading to disrespect for anyone, including elders. Besides, youngsters grow up in an environment whereby everything is provided, so they forget that everything they have is due to the elders' sacrifices in the past. These young people demand respect before respecting their elders. It is very inappropriate to do so as the elders deserve respect simply because they are the ones who contribute to what the present generations enjoy today.

Elders are our backbones, and in them is where we seek hope, help, and happiness. As our world becomes self-centered, the behavior of the younger generation towards the elderly is a cause for concern. The local authorities should take prompt actions, including parenting skills and public education, to reverse the trend of this shameful social issue. Every youngster also has to value every moment with their elders.

Written by Ginson Lim

29/08/2018