Moral Stories Part V

MORAL STORIES

THE JAPANESE WAY

The Japanese love fresh fish. But the waters around Japan have not held as many fish as they used to, for decades now. To feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The return trip took more time, and the fish were not fresh.

To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. However, the Japanese customers could taste the difference between fresh & frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen fish.

So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis. But that was resolved and today, they get fresh- tasting fish in Japan. How did they manage to do that?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but along with a small shark. To stay alive, the fish have to constantly stay on the move. Which also happens to keep them fresh!!

Moral – At work, sharks are the new challenges that we face every day, in current tasks or processes, or when facing customers.  You are active, energized & happy when you are constantly conquering challenges. You have the resources, skills & abilities to make a difference. Think about innovative ways /ideas to overcome these challenges.

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IF OPPORTUNITY DOESN'T KNOECK, THEN BUILD DOOR

A jobless man applied for the position of “office boy” at a very big firm.

The  manager interviewed him, then a test: clean the floor. “You are hired” he said, “give me your email address, and I’ll send you the application to fill, as well as when you will start.” The man replied “I don’t have a computer, neither an email.”

“I’m sorry”, said the manager, “if you don’t have an email that means you do not exist. And who doesn’t exist, cannot have the job.” The man left with no hope at all. He didn’t know what to do, with only $10 US in his pocket.

He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10 KG tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital. He repeated the operation 3 times, and returned home with $60 US. The man realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go every day earlier, and return late. Thus, his money doubles or triples every day. Shortly later, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later, the man became one of the biggest food retailers in the US. He started to plan his family’s future, and decided to have a life insurance.

He called an insurance broker, and chooses a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied: “I don’t have an email.” The broker replied curiously, “you don’t have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Do you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?”

The man thought for a while, and replied: “An office boy!”

Moral: Sometimes, the greatest difficulties give us the opportunity to try a new approach in life.

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LIVING THE CAB RIDE

It was just before five o'clock in the morning when he arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes, he walked to the door and knocked.

"Just a minute," answered a seemingly frail, elderly voice.

He could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened and there stood a very small woman, probably in her 90's, wearing a faded print dress. On her head was a pillbox hat with a veil pinned to it. The cabby thought it was like something out of a 1940's movie.

A small, nylon suitcase was by her side. Peering inside the door, the cabby saw that the apartment seemed tired, almost empty, and with all the furniture covered with sheets. There appeared to be no clocks on the walls; no knick-knacks on shelves; no utensils on the kitchen counter. A cardboard box stood in the corner, filled with old photo albums and glassware.

"Would you please carry my bag to your car," she said.

He loaded the small suitcase in the trunk of his cab, then returned to the front step to assist the old woman. Taking his arm, they walked slowly toward the cab, and she thanked the cabby continuously for his kindness.

"It's really nothing," he said. "I just try to treat all my passengers the way I would want my family to be treated."

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said. When she had settled in the cab's rear seat, the elderly woman gave the cabby an address, then asked if they could drive through downtown.

"Well, it's not the shortest way," he answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospital."

He glanced in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

"I don't have any family left," she continued in a small voice. "The doctors say I don't have very long. I'd really love to see the city one more time."

The cabby reached over and quietly shut off the meter.

"What route would you like to take," he asked. And for the next two hours, the cabby and his precious passenger drove through the streets of 'her' city. She showed him the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator; the place where her old school, now demolished, once stood; the church in which she was married, her children were baptized, and from which both of them had been buried.

They drove through neighborhood where she and her husband had lived as newlyweds and after their family began to grow. She had him pull up in front of a discount furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom, and told him how much she had enjoyed dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she would ask the driver to slow in front of a particular building, or corner, and then would sit staring out into a different time and place, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sunrise was cresting the horizon, she announced that she was tired.

"Let's finish our journey now," she said quietly.

They drove in silence then to the hospital, a tidy, small, single-storey building with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two members of the hospital staff came out to meet the cab as soon as it pulled to the front door. They were solicitous and intent, and quite probably had been expecting her. The cabby removed the small suitcase from his car and took it to the door, handing it to one of the hospital workers. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair, looking exhausted.

"How much do I owe you," she asked very quietly, reaching for her purse.

"Nothing, Missus," he said. "You've already paid me."

"Oh, now, you have to make a living," she said.

"There will be other passengers," he replied. Then, intuitively, he bent and gave her a warm hug. She held tightly to him.

"Thank you," she said. "You've given an old lady a few moments of joy."

The cabby squeezed her hand, then walked slowly back to his car. Behind him, a door shut; the sound of a closing of a life.

He didn't pick up any more passengers during that shift. He simply drove aimlessly through the city streets, lost in thought.

"What if that woman had gotten an impatient or angry driver? What if he had refused the call and gone home instead? What if he had honked only once, then driven away?"

On reflection, he realized that he had just done the most important thing in his life. With his own eyes glistening, he drove slowly home.

Moral: We are conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware, beautifully wrapped in what others may consider small ones. People may not remember exactly what we did or said - but they will always remember how we made them feel.