A good example
I was traveling on the train from Jurong to Tampines and along the way a male Chinese national came on board and sat opposite me.I could tell he was not local.
As he sat there, I noticed he was making funny faces at a little boy next to him. The little boy, about 2-3 years of age, was with the parents then. It was quite a cute sight to behold.
A couple of stations later, the family alighted and the man shifted over to the side.
Just about then an elderly lady walked in and sat opposite me, a couple of seats away from the man. I think it was Aljunied.
As the elderly lady was walking in, however, a piece of used tissue dropped out from her pocket. She didn't notice.
Without saying a word, the Chinese national took out a small plastic bag from his backpack and removed its content. After that, he used the small plastic bag to pick up the used tissue from the ground and kept it with him.
All the way until he alighted.
I was so impressed with his behavior and at the same time wonder if it was me, what would I do?
Yes, I'd probably just leave the used tissue for the cleaners to pick up.
Such is the behavior of me who grew up in a place where cleanliness is held in high regards and where being clean and green is a mandate. This is also the place where the name of the country is synonymous with CLEAN.
But no, my behavior and mindset do not even match this young man who may have arrived a couple of years ago. And yet, he showed me what it means to be gracious.
I remember back when I was in the US, I traveled to Maryland to visit a good friend of mine. He never fails to impress me because no matter where we are, he will be picking up trash from the ground and putting it into the trash cans.
I asked him why is he so adamant in picking up these trash?
His response was he couldn't stand seeing the place dirty.
Maybe that's how the Chinese national felt. Maybe because he has made Singapore his second home that he can't bear to see it littered and dirty.
No matter where we are, no matter where we come from, being gracious should be in our nature.
Whether or not the country has a first-class cleaning system is not important.
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Sane is educated.
Sane reflects @ this location permanently
1 reflects:
OH MY....
i am impressed...
cos i might have done one of the following:
1. ask the auntie to pick her tissue up, saying that she dropped sth...
2. pick it up with another tissue paper, when i am getting off...n throw it away... but NOT hold it ALL the way like that guy... that's very nice of him...
3. if i'm out of tissue... someone who comes up n wants the seat will swipe it down to the floor before they sit on it... BEFORE i can do ANYTHING...
i think used tissues r still ok to pick up n throw away...
cos i've witnessed ppl leaving their used sanitary pads on top of the toilet paper dispenser... n walk out of e cubicle to wash their hands leaving e thing there!!! n another person comes into e cubicle n sees e thing there... n when e person comes out e owner has oredi left...
i used a toilet paper to pick it up n throw it away for her... cos i thought it was too gross, disgusting n unhygienic to leave it there... of cos i scrubbed my hands with loads of disinfecting soap after that...
some ppl r juz inconsiderate...
there's very little graciousness here in singapore that i witness everyday...
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