Basket.

A tragedy happens. The victim is found to have been forced into suicide by poverty. People all over Singapore are touched by his tragic fate and the plight of his family, left broke with their sole breadwinner dead. Deciding to help the family as best as they can, Singaporeans gather a total of $300,000 dollars in donations, in the hope that the money will be used by the family to rebuild their lives and create for themselves the comfortable existence they hitherto had never led.

Perhaps proving the ancient wisdom that money is the root of all evil, this generous sum sparks lesser souls into insinuating that the family will not put the money to good use, is stingy and greedy for accepting such a large amount and that Singaporeans are stupid, gullible and naive to be taken in by their trickery.

Is it me, or is there more than a whiff of sour grapes in the air?

Honestly, people gave that money out of the kindness of their hearts. People from all walks of life: rich, middle-income, even those struggling to fill their rice-bowls like the deceased did. They gave the money voluntarily to a family that needed it, some with little regard for their own meagre existence, and for that they get called names? Just because some petty creature is jealous that it wasn't him or his family getting that kind of "windfall"?

The truth is we have no idea of the true situation this family is in - and thus we should not rush to judge them so harshly. Anyone who does is, honestly, just jealous. But I don't know - his wife lost a husband and his children will grow up without a father. Is losing your father or your husband so suddenly and in such a horrific manner worth $300,000 to you?

The second point is, of course, the money was given to them. As such, it is now theirs. Theirs to decide how to use. Does anyone tell you how to spend your money? Would you like it if anyone did? I'll wager you won't, but isn't that what you are doing when you assert that this family is just going to fritter away their "windfall"?

Also, stop going on about "They should...", "They should...". There are few "should"s in this world, and while I agree that it would be a very nice gesture for them to donate some to charities for the needy, no one has any right to say that they should do it. They are not obliged to. Perhaps their not doing so is not exactly morally correct, but people have done worse things. People do worse things everyday. It is a deeply amoral world, and before you get moralistic perhaps you ought to examine your own behaviour.

But I think, asking Singaporeans not to be judgemental, moralistic and self-righteous, is like asking fish to stay out of water.