Skyrocketing prices in goods and services, joblessness, political battles, wars, natural disasters. Day by day we all go head-to-head with our own personal challenges big and small. These are trying times. But observing how the Japanese people have reacted in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and tsunami really made me sit up and take notice. There has been little if any looting and no rioting. People wait in orderly lines outside stores and gas stations. They see the workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant who are trying to keep the plant from melting down as doing their job not as heroes like we might because they are risking their lives. I did a little research and found out that the difference between American and Japanese culture is that Japanese culture encourages cooperation and discourages self-interest. It is deeply ingrained in them from birth. Americans value self-determination, individuality, independence, and a strong sens...
Ho HO HO - Merry Christmas to you both and have a wonderful and safe holiday season! - Randy
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