Sharing the wealth

A rather old man who lives in my Tokyo neighborhood came shuffling along on his way to go shopping. He stopped and talked with a girl of about six who was playing in the parking lot of my apartment complex. It was obvious by their animated conversation that they knew each other well.

The man asked how she was doing in school and she replied that she was working hard and even though it meant less play time, she was studying a lot every day. He praised her for her effort and exhorted her to do her best. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy bar which he offered her as a reward. She bowed and accepted without hesitation. The old man smiled, bowed back to her and continued down the street.

Just as she began to tear off the candy wrapper, her older brother and his friend came along. The brother quickly decided that all three of them should share in her bounty. He took the candy away from his sister and began to think out loud about how to split it up. He and his friend started arguing over who should get what as the girl stood there and began to cry. I was tempted to intervene, but I thought it unwise. Even though the children and I were rather friendly, I thought I might be out of place to step in.

The noise of the arguing boys and crying girl drew the mother's attention. It took her only a second to size up the situation, and she took the candy from her son and gave it back to her daughter. She gently yet sternly scolded her son saying," not only were you treating your sister badly, but you were teaching your friend bad manners as well." The son bowed to his mother, offered his apologies, and then bowed and apologized to his sister. His friend was quite embarrassed and stood there staring down at the ground.

The mother knelt down and drew her daughter to her side. She asked if everything was ok and the girl replied "yes." Next the mother said, "even though your brother has been quite naughty, it is still better to share what you have with others rather than keeping it all to yourself."

Still teary eyed, the girl nodded her head as she stood there with the candy in her hand. She asked her mother if she could give some candy to her brother and his friend. The mother replied, "as an act of kindness, it would be a very nice thing to do." The girl divided the candy equally as the boys apologized again for their bad behavior.

Smiling, the mother said to all three "go ahead and eat your candy before the chocolate melts in your hand."

Such is life in Japan!

Image via Flickr user speedye via the Creative Commons license.