was just reading the papers yesterday and i was filled with a sense of woe.

what a screwed-up world we are living in right now.

just a casual flip through the papers turned up so many discomforting news. 'crisis spreads' screams the headlines, about the seemingly impending and inevitable financial meltdown, which would throw the world into yet another recession, and people are panicking, fearful that their policies worth thousands of dollars accumulated over decades would turn to dust overnight.

reports regarding the appalling tainted formula outrage and the respective plans of the united states of america and russia to 'secure their energy supplies' follows. parents in china do not know what to feed their young children now, especially those who are poorer and cannot afford the expensive imported milk powder, and the united states, to in a bid to be 'energy self-sufficient', instead of exploring greener alternative and renewable energy sources, the congress took the easiest way out, to allow drilling for oil and gas in the waters off the alantic and the pacific. russia on the other hand are preparing to claim much of the artic region as its own. russia trying to save polar bears? you wish, they're only interested in the mineral resources underneath the ice. what consequence to the environment and to the eco-system from the pollution that would certainly occur from the mining and drilling, the governments of the world's super-powers do not care.

next comes an article on the impact of the russian-geogrian conflict, and the inability of the nato to act. and so, yet again, a smaller nation is sacrificed to appease a bigger nation by the big nations who are supposed allies. so now, collective security isn't quite as secure anymore, because the big nations do not believe that it is worth going to war with a super-power, like russia, over an insignificant strip of land, that concerns them in no way whatsoever anyway. this sets a dangerous precedent, for small nations, more than anyone else are heavily dependent on the concept of 'collective security'. for who then are we supposed to look to when singapore is attacked by a foreign power if our allies do not deem us as important enough to go to war for? we've always emphasised on the need for a strong defensive force to deter would-be invaders and to hold the invaders off till aid arrives. but what if aid never arrives?after all, we are but a 'red dot', does anyone really believes that our allies would do anything more than condemn the actions of the invader? especially after what happened to georgia?

a little closer to home, the number of sexually active teenagers is increasing, and accordingly, the number of sexually transmitted infections among teenagers is at an all time high of 820 last year. this is nothing new, sexually active teens, and i do intend to judge them, but there's a quote in the papers that i feel, captured the changing attitudes towards sex among teenagers. "i don't want to be like my mother and have one man my entire life but i also don't want to be the women where half the men at my wedding are people i've slept with.".

reading all these brought a quote from battlestar galactica to mind:

bill adama: we never answered the question "why?" why are we as a people worth saving? we still commit murder because of greed and spite, jealousy, and we still visit all of our sins upon our children. we refuse to accept the responsibility for anything that we've done... sooner or later, the day comes when you can't hide from the things that you've done anymore.

is it really that peculiar then, that from where i am now, i do not see myself having children? granted i am not thrilled about changing diapers, nor do i relish having my sleep disrupted and neither am i excited about dealing with wailing/shrieking banshees, and ergo, i could have been labeled as 'selfish' by some. moreover, others argue, children bring fulfillment, joy and purpose to one's life, all rather abstract concepts which may or may not be true. but looking at things from a different perspective, is it not selfish too, to bring a child into a world that is in financial turmoil - where even huge firms are declaring bankrupt, where inexpensive milk formula could very well be tainted, where the leaders of the world's power are so short-sighted, selfish and simplistic in their thinking that by drilling for more oil, they can be 'energy self- sufficient', or have more clout in global affairs?

isn't it selfish to bring a child into a world where sovereignty of the small states are at the mercy of the bigger powers, where more of their peers are sexually active and are increasingly liberal in their views towards sex, where chastity and being celibate are viewed as idealistic and unnecessary, if not downright pointless and old-fashioned?

isn't it selfish then, to bring a child into such a world for YOUR fulfillment, YOUR joy and YOUR purpose in life?

no, i'm not bashing people up for wanting to have children, nor am i discouraging others from starting a family.rather, i'm just penning my views that this world that we're living in, is not the best place for a child, so please, parents, give your child your best, and do not shirk from your responsibility as a parent to provide, nurture, inculcate, guide, mentor, teach, help, care, protect and most of all, love.

after all, it is a great onus to be responsible for the life of another being.

and it is a screwed-up world that we're living in now.