Reading about how the Japanese are helping each other warms my heart. You have instances like small little boys helping out with relief works, people of all ages (including youths) donating to the earthquake relief, free meals and warm beverages, etc. Not only that, many Japanese seem to be staying put to help out, and even though the traffic lights are not working, you do not hear any honking and you can see drivers giving way to one another. So far, there are also no news of looting.
This is what Yamato-damashii is all about. The true Japanese Spirit.
This makes me wonder if Singaporeans have this kind of spirit in times of trouble. Will we behave like the Japanese, or will most of us try to take the first plane out of here? Sad to say, I think in terms of loving our country, we're no where near the Japanese. Look at Mediacorp. They were advertising their Ad Slots immediately after the earthquake. Is everything always about money?
Where is the Singapore Spirit? How can we encourage such actions? Can we stop measuring everything in monetary terms?
I guess only time will tell.
Below are some of the links containing details on how to aid Japan in their relief efforts:
5 comments:
Did you hear what the SM Goh had to say. With Ministers like him who take every opportunity to blame the citizens instead of taking ownership, the only culture we will achieve is that displayed by our morally corrupted politicans. The Japanese leaders have honour so it transcends to the people. Ours don't that's why we are what we are.
Fat hope if you think people in Singapore (both citizens and non-citizens) will behave like the Japanese. Definitely we will behave more like the Americans --- mass lootings, robberies, opportunistic rapes as seen in the LA earthquake aftermath and also in New Orleans after Katrina hurricane. We won't have gun fights like in US, but definitely people will carry knives, choppers, parangs, sharpened metal pipes, even if have to carry hidden in underwear or in trousers.
Who created this material culture and the me first mentality. The same people who need the world's highest salaries to stop them from being corrupted. Indirectly they have confirmed that they are basically crooks who only stay out of corruption because they are very paid.
I am tickled by the title. One third of the population in Singapore are foreigners. How will they behave?
Japan Apple Store offers Shelter, Support and Power
-----
"The Apple store has stayed open late into the night teaching people how to check news on their devices or use the store’s free Wi-Fi to e-mail and FaceTime with loved ones.
Apple told both its retail and corporate staff that they could sleep at Apple stores. After the initial earthquake hit on Friday, senior managers ran out to stock up on food and drinks to prepare their stores as emergency shelters.
Employees have been able to stay overnight in the store and even bring family, with one business team member’s mother walking 3.5 hours to get there. When she arrived, store staff greeted her with the kind of standing ovation that Apple Stores use for big product launches.
Apple corporate employees also told retail staff that, should they want to attempt to go home, Apple would cover the costs of food and transportation.
Should employees find that they couldn’t make it home, Apple would also pay for a hotel."
Full report here:
http://kevinrose.com/blogg/2011/3/14/apples-role-in-japan-during-the-tohoku-earthquake.html
Heartwarming to know there are still responsible corporations out there that contribute during a crisis.
Post a Comment