PONDER : Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifice
Madhav Gopal
From: Abhishek Avtans <abhia...@gmail.com>
Date: 26 April 2011 15:40
Subject: PONDER : Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifice
To: Abhishek Avtans <abhia...@yahoo.com>
The Courage with which Japanese people have been braving all the odds nowadays is inspiring.
Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/) http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=467066&type=Opinion EDITOR'S note: THIS letter, written by a 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 nuclear power plant. It was translated by NAM editor Andrew Lam, author of "East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres." Shanghai Daily condensed it. "Brother, How are you and your family? These last few days, everything was in chaos. When I close my eyes, I see dead bodies. When I open my eyes, I also see dead bodies. Each one of us must work 20 hours a day, yet I wish there were 48 hours in the day, so that we could continue helping and rescuing folks. We are without water and electricity, and food rations are near zero. We barely manage to move refugees before there are new orders to move them elsewhere. I am currently in Fukushima, about 25 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant. I have so much to tell you that if I could write it all down, it would surely turn into a novel about human relationships and behaviors during times of crisis. People here remain calm - their sense of dignity and proper behaviour are very good - so things aren't as bad as they could be. But given another week, I can't guarantee that things won't get to a point where we can no longer provide proper protection and order. They are humans after all, and when hunger and thirst override dignity, well, they will do whatever they have to do. The government is trying to provide supplies by air, bringing in food and medicine, but it's like dropping a little salt into the ocean. Brother, there was a really moving incident. It involves a little Japanese boy who taught an adult like me a lesson on how to behave like a human being. 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 will distribute 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! |
Live Simply so Others May Simply Live.
Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस
Central Institute of Hindi केंद्रीय हिंदी संस्थान
Agra - 282005, UP, India आगरा -२८२००५, उ.प्र. भारत
It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived
--
Madhav Gopal
Centre for Linguistics,
School of Language Literature and
Culture Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi-67
India
Mob. +91-9811021605
pat...@iitk.ac.in
Thanks a lot, Sir, for this wonderful piece!
Best regards,
B.N.Patnaik
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Abhishek Avtans <abhia...@gmail.com>
> Date: 26 April 2011 15:40
> Subject: PONDER : Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifice
> To: Abhishek Avtans <abhia...@yahoo.com>
>
>
> The Courage with which Japanese people have been braving all the odds
> nowadays is inspiring.
> Here is a small testimonial to their rock strong spirit
> Read on.....
> Warm regards
> Abhishek Avtans
>
>
> Published on *ShanghaiDaily.com* <http://shanghaidaily.com/> (*
> http://www.shanghaidaily.com/* <http://www.shanghaidaily.com/>) *
> **http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=467066&type=Opinion*<http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=467066&type=Opinion>
> *
> EDITOR'S note:** THIS letter, written by a 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 nuclear power plant. It was translated
> by NAM editor Andrew Lam, author of "East Eats West: Writing in Two
> Hemispheres." Shanghai Daily condensed it. *
> ************ *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!
> *Live Simply so Others May Simply Live.*
> * *
> --
>
> Abhishek Avtans अभिषेक अवतंस
>
> Central Institute of Hindi केंद्रीय हिंदी
> संस्थान
>
> Agra - 282005, UP, India आगरा -२८२००५, उ.प्र.
> भारत
>
> Academia Profile <http://hindisansthan.academia.edu/AbhishekAvtans>
>
> It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of
> life
> you have lived
>
>
>
> --
> Madhav Gopal
> Centre for Linguistics,
> School of Language Literature and
> Culture Studies,
> Jawaharlal Nehru University,
> New Delhi-67
> India
> Mob. +91-9811021605
>
> --
> अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं
> संग्रामं न करिष्यसि।
> ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च
> हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।।
> तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय
> युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।
> निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा
> युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)
>
Retired Professor of English and Linguistics
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Current Address:
Visiting Faculty
Center For Exact Humanities, IIIT, Hyderabad
Gachibowli
Hyderabad - 500032
Permanent Address:
8061, Sobha Daffodil Apartments
Somasundara Palya
HSR Layout
Sector II
Bangalore - 560102
Phone: 080 - 42083143
Alternative Email: bn.pa...@gmail.com
Blog: http://saralamahabharat.blogspot.com
http://linktopatnaik.blogspot.com
Website: http://bnpatnaik.wordpress.com
Ram Sharma
From: Madhav Gopal <mgo...@gmail.com>
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tue, April 26, 2011 11:21:38 AM
Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} PONDER : Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifice
nagaraja m c
Really an eye opener one for Indians. When the same one was sent a few days ago, one of the administrators of BVP had threatened me that if any rubbish (????) like these should sneak into the BVP, I would be put out of the Parishad (?). He had very clearly informed ME that anything out of Samskrit was not welcomed on this site.
Madhav Gopal
श्रीमल्ललितालालितः
Thank you Mr. Nagaraj ji for sharing your views. Actually, the aim of all shastra-s should be how to make the society more beautiful, more sensitive towards humanity and more caring about each other.
We should keep on exploring ways of refining, developing our nation/people with the help of our shastra-s.
And also if we could add something new for the benefit of humanity, then it can't be said shastra-viruddha but it would be the enrichment of our shastra-s.
S P Narang
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} PONDER : Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifice
Madhav Gopal
श्रीमल्ललितालालितः
To practice shastras is much more difficult than writing a mail or just perusing them. We need to know why we write shastras, why we study them and why we practice them? Without knowing these things we cannot go anywhere.
I think there is always time to improve oneself, to improve ones nation/society. How we can have maximum benefit of our shastras, and how we can serve our nation beautifully with the knowledge of our shastras are, I think, the main issues that we should worry about.
I do not intend to argue with anybody. I just invite every body to spread the message of love and 'sevaa' every where in the world and try to regain our age-old credential of 'jagatguru'.Thank you.With love, affection, respect and 'sevaa-bhaava'Madhav
hnbhat B.R.
अपि च शास्त्राणि इष्टसाधनाद्युपदिशन्ति न तु कारयन्ति किमपि । अत एव सत्याहिंसादावुपदिष्टेऽपि न सर्वेषां तत्र प्रवृत्तिः । मिथ्याभाषणादौ चेष्टसाधनत्वग्रहात्प्रवृत्तिः । यत्र यस्याग्रहस्सः तत्करोति । तथा च सत्यभाषणादीनां गुणानां न सर्वथा शास्त्राधीनत्वम् । जन एव करोति सत्यभाषणादौ सौन्दर्येष्टसाधनत्वादिग्राही स्वेच्छया तदाचरणम् । अत एव जना एव सम्बोध्या त्वया न शास्त्राणीति -
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R.
EFEO,
PONDICHERRY
S P Narang
narayanan er
शास्त्रमेव हतं हन्ति शास्त्रं रक्षति रक्षितम्।
तस्माच्छास्त्रमधीतैव ब्रह्मलोके महीयते।। इति।
From: श्रीमल्ललितालालितः <lalitaa...@gmail.com>
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wed, 27 April, 2011 10:16:52 PM
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} PONDER : Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifice
hnbhat B.R.
Jagannatha s
prafulla mishra
Prafulla mishra
From: S P Narang <spna...@yahoo.com>
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wed, April 27, 2011 6:35:35 PM
prafulla mishra
From: "pat...@iitk.ac.in" <pat...@iitk.ac.in>
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tue, April 26, 2011 11:00:03 PM
Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Re: {à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤à¥€à¤¯à¤µà¤¿à¤¦à¥ वतॠपरिषतॠ} PONDER : Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifi ce