我找到了生存的尊严.docxVIP

我找到了生存的尊严 It is common on weekends to see dark-complexioned foreign workers shopping at NTUC FairPrice supermarkets. In groups of two to three, they appear careful in deciding what they will buy and are often seen chatting among themselves. While they speak softly, they are far from diffident. They may be cautious about what they spend on but they do not appear hard-pressed. This is a sight that never fails to move meand set me thinking What is human dignity ？ To have a sense of dignity, I think one should at least have the means to afford daily necessities and not suffer from feelings of inferiority due to poverty. WhenI first came to Singapore, I was shocked and awed by the wide array of products displayed in supermarkets. I never knew one could be spoilt for choice ！ As far as I can recall from my childhood memories, a shop was where one could buy soy sauces and vinegar. As for food, it was either bread or dianxin. Even when they had lost their freshness for being on the shelf for too long, they were still beyond the reach of me and my peers. WhenI found a respectable job after completing university education, my salary was barely enough for meals after paying for transport fees, let alone for buying new clothes. Which is why I often feel grateful to Singapore for giving mea sense of dignity. When my father, an elderly man who has been self-reliant and self-disciplined all his life, sighed of late over being reduced to poverty by the rising cost of living and medical fees, it was the Singapore dollar which I converted into Renminbi that helped to preserve his self-respect. Im even more deeply indebted to Singapore for the self-esteem I enjoy as a woman. There is no sex discrimination here and people get equal pay for equal work. The familiar textbook principle of to each according to his work is a practice here. Jobs are available if one is prepared to work hard. A woman who is economically independent is also psychologically independent - there is no need for he