Last night, I was sent
to a little grammar school to help a charity organization distribute food to
the refugees. It was a long line that snaked this way and that and I saw a
little boy around 9 years old. He was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. It was getting very cold and the
boy was at the very end of the line.
I was worried that by the time his turn came there wouldn't be any food left. So I spoke to him. He said
he was at school when the earthquake happened. His father worked nearby and
was driving to the school. The boy was on the third floor
balcony when he saw the tsunami sweep his father's car away.I asked him
about his mother. He said his house is right by the beach and that his
mother and little sister probably didn't make it. He turned his head and wiped his tears when I
asked about his relatives.
The boy was shivering so I took off my police jacket and put it on him. That's
when my bag of food ration fell out. I picked it up and gave it to him.
"When it comes to your turn, they might run out of food. So here's my
portion. I already ate. Why don't you eat
it?"
The boy took my food and bowed. I thought he would eat it right away, but he
didn't. He took the bag of food, went up to
where the line ended and put it where all the food was waiting to be
distributed.
I was shocked. I asked him why he didn't eat it and instead added it to the food pile. He answered:
"Because I see a lot more people hungrier than I am. If I put it
there, then they willdistribute the food equally."
When I heard that I turned away so that people wouldn't see me cry. A society that can produce a 9-year-old
who understands the concept of sacrifice for the greater good must be a
great society, a great people.
Well, a few lines to send you and your family my warm wishes. The hours of my
shift have begun again.
Ha Minh Thanh
************
LESSON TO LEARN FROM JAPAN ***********
10 things to learn from Japan.
1. THE CALM Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild
grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.
2. THE DIGNITY Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or
a crude gesture.
3. THE ABILITY The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but
didn’t fall.
4. THE GRACE People bought only what they needed for the present, so
everybody could get something.
5. THE ORDER No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads.
Just understanding.
6. THE SACRIFICE Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors.
How will they ever be repaid?
7. THE TENDERNESS Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The
strong cared for the weak.
8. THE TRAINING The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And
they did just that.
9. THE MEDIA They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly
reporters. Only calm reportage.
10. THE CONSCIENCE When the power went off in a store, people put things back on
the shelves and left quietly!
----------------------
THIS letter, written by Vietnamese immigrant Ha Minh Thanh working in
Fukushima as a policeman to a friend in Vietnam, was posted on New America
Media on March 19. It is a testimonial to the strength of the Japanese
spirit, and an interesting slice of life near the epicenter of Japan 's
crisis at the Fukushima nuclearpower plant. It was translated by NAM
editor Andrew Lam, author of "East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres."
Shanghai Daily condensed it.
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