Single Salesman

One of my girl friends lamented how women who are still single after certain age are met with dubious eyes; they are either not desirable or are homosexuals. Even the Straits Times columnist, Sumiko Tan, who is single at 40 found herself labelled as an "old hag". My friend claims she is a victim of prejudice as she prefers to be single that's all. She then proceeded to sell the idea of being single to me.

Being single means liberty. There is no need to think for two; no hassle of having to keep up with appearances and basically do what you want when you want to. Imagine wanting to go home to have a good rest after a long hard day of work or wanting to party with friends last minute, you can just go ahead and do it! Looking it long term, relationships can be costly; dates don't come free, marriage especially the compulsory Chinese Wedding Banquet costs a bomb, a home to call your own is already enough to strap you down for life and if children come into the picture, you might just drive yourself to poverty.

I queried about the issue of loneliness. However, without even batting an eyelid she replied me. There are just too many things in life to keep you occupied; You can spend more time and even afford more money with friends and relatives, or even pamper yourself with travels and engage in whatever hobbies and activities. In short, you can almost spend what you earn on other people and things you love.

Perhaps this explains why the number of singles are rising rapidly, especially in developed nations like Japan. People in modern society do not like to be tied down and have dreams and ideals to pursue. The social stigma faced by people like Sumiko Tan and my friend is slowly fading and being single almost becomes the sensible thing to do. Yet eventually it really boils down to personal choice, for which there really is no right or wrong.