The Good Samaritans
The first match of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar was played between the host nation and Ecuador, with the South Americans emerging easy winners. Once the match got over, some of the spectators instead of leaving the stadium in a rush to avoid the crowd, stayed back and when everyone had left, began cleaning and lifting the garbage around them. These good Samaritans were Japanese Football Fans.
Not for the Cameras
The Japanese spectators’ actions were not meant for the shutter bugs, however their efforts were recorded by an Arab YouTuber, who filmed the activity and let it out for the World to see. The Japanese won tremendous appreciation from all and Sundry. They repeated the same in all the games in which Japan played. The result of the match notwithstanding, the Japanese did not leave the stadium before cleaning it.
The Way of Life
The Japanese Way of Life
This benevolent act of theirs is a reflection of the Japanese way of life. Keeping things clean around them is a part of their daily routine. From a very early age they are taught to keep their surroundings clean. Children clean their classrooms, the working class ensure that their offices and working areas are clean, there is no littering in common places and people also volunteer to keep the area around their homes and offices spotless. They practice this as a form of meditation and have totally integrated cleanliness into their lives like any other repeatable daily chore.
Some more get Inspired
The impact of their actions rubbed on to others as well. Fans from Morocco followed in the Japanese footsteps and began cleaning stadiums post the matches featuring Morocco. Just imagine how much this initiative would have helped the workers, exclusively deployed for cleaning the stadiums. This act of service is akin to helping your brethren, helping mankind. The workers surely would have said a good intentioned prayer in favour of the fans.
Need Clean Hearts Too
Cleanliness is next to Godliness is what we have been taught from our childhood. So let’s strive and keep our surroundings, our homes and our work places clean. Of course not to forget the heart. The World needs a clean heart too.
Let’s do it the Japanese Way !!…in the New Year.
Read QUICK, Read BETTER @ rizkhan.in
Featured image courtesy : The Peninsula Qatar
Excellent read.A lesson of service to humanity…to be learnt.The japanese culture of volunteering to keep their surroundings clean is such an act of inspiration…making them stand out for this unselfish act…If we all become a little more sensitive and responsible the world wouid be a different picture altogether.