Germany is a highly industrialized country. In such a country, many will think its people lead a luxurious life.
When we arrived at Hamburg , my colleagues walk
ed
into the restaurant, we noticed that a lot of tables were empty. There
was a table where a young couple was having their meal. There were only
two dishes and two cans of beer on the table. I wondered if such simple
meal could be romantic, and whether the girl will leave this stingy guy.
There were a few old ladies on another table. When a dish is served,
the waiter would distribute the food for them, and they would finish
every bit of the food on their plates.
As we were hungry, our
local colleague ordered more food for us.When we left, there was still
about one third of un-consumed food on the table.
When we were
leaving the restaurant, the old ladies spoke to us in English, we
understood that they were unhappy about us wasting so much food.
"We paid for our food, it is none of your business how much food we left
behind," my colleague told the old ladies. The old ladies were furious.
One of them immediately took her hand phone out and made a call to
someone. After a while, a man in uniform from Social Security
organisation arrived. Upon knowing what the dispute was, he issued us a
50 Euro fine. We all kept quiet.
The officer told us in a stern
voice, "ORDER WHAT YOU CAN CONSUME, MONEY IS YOURS BUT RESOURCES BELONG
TO THE SOCIETY. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS IN THE WORLD WHO ARE FACING
SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES. YOU HAVE NO REASON TO WASTE RESOURCES."
The mindset of people of this rich country put all of us to shame. WE
REALLY NEED TO REFLECT ON THIS. We are from country which is not very
rich in resources. To save face, we order large quantity and also waste
food when we give others a treat.
(Courtesy: A friend who is now changed a lot)
THE LESSON IS:- THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT CHANGING OUR BAD HABITS.
Expecting acknowledgment, that u read the message and forward to your
contacts.
VERY TRUE -"MONEY IS YOURS BUT RESOURCES BELONG TO THE SOCIETY."
______________________
"This
linkage (our consumption and loss of resources) can be illustrated with
the issue of shark fin. To many traditional Chinese shark fin soup is a
status symbol. The inclusion of it in a feast gives the host much
“face”. He can say to the anti-shark
fin soup brigade, “I can afford it, so what’s that business to you?” It
is our business because for that little bowl of soup a whole shark is
wasted."
Sound and Silence, Dunstan Chan.