Aquino, Mia Angela IA14215

Bobon, Ricardo III October 21, 2015

De Guzman, Shaina Kaye

Pura, Nicole Anne

Torres, Angeline Joy

Deliverance

There was this story made by Conrado de Quiros on the Philippine Daily Inquirer it was entitled
Deliverance. It was all about police Vietnamese immigrant in Japan named Ha Minh Thanh who worked
in Fukushima. One day after an earthquake strike Japan, Ha Minh Thanh was sent to help in the charity
organization to distribute food to the refugees. On that very long line he saw a little boy around 9 years
old all the end of that line, he got worried maybe when the time that the boy’s turn there will be no
food left, so he went to the boy and spoke to him. The boy told that he thinks he lost his family in the
tsunami and neither one of them make it, sympathizing to the boy Ha Minh Thanh gave his food to the
boy but to his surprise the boy put the food that was given to him to where all the foods are piled up
because for he see a lot more people who is hungrier than he is and he wanted to have the food
distributed equally.

This is all about sacrificing when it times there are calamities that occur or even in an ordinary
event, we too should learn how to sacrifice, we should not be selfish about ourselves even if we are in
deep struggle because we are not the only who is experiencing trials and hardship. We should open our
eyes to those who are also in need. We should not focus only to our need but to the needs of many.

Another thing is that even if we are not in the same flock, group, country or etc, we too have an
obligation with each other, we should have concern with each other, we should sacrifice for them.
Forget what your differences are we should always remember to help one another.
THE END OF THE AMERICAN CENTURY

By Steven Schlossstein.

537 pp. New York:

Congdon & Weed

In explaining why, Mr. Schlossstein argues that Japanese dominance will be dangerous
because many Japanese assert values that are diametrically opposed to those of most
Americans. While we advocate freedom, equal rights and justice, the Japanese are governed
by hierarchy, loyalty, conformity, duty and obedience. Moreover, he argues, the Japanese
are obsessed with their own homogeneity, and as an example he cites former Prime Minister
Yoshiro Nakasone's comments that Japanese education is superior to America's because
Japan is not troubled with minorities. The combination of this emphasis on ethnic purity
and other Japanese values, Mr. Schlossstein asserts, leads to totalitarianism and is
dangerously close to racism. This is why none of Japan's Asian neighbors want it to gain
hegemony and why, the author concludes, it is imperative that the United States not let it
happen.

TOKYO —

There isn’t a country in the world immune from stereotypes. All people form opinions about
places and their inhabitants based on whatever they can glean from the food, tourism, and art of
the culture. But not all sweeping generalizations have to be mean and unfounded.

The results on a thread on Madame Riri asking for the “perfect words to describe Japanese
people” were surprisingly positive.

Here are the most common adjectives that Westerners chose when characterizing the people of
Japan.

#1. Polite

Weighing in at number one was polite, or in Japanese “reigi tadashii.” Everyone has heard of the
traditional Japanese bow used as a greeting during any given exchange. Though handshakes are
perfectly common in Japan now, they more often than not come with a bow as well (or two or
three). To the Western mindset, this style of address already seems much more polite than a
simple handshake, high-five, or shoulder clap. Of course, the term “polite” in and of itself
doesn’t only have a positive connotation. It’s possible to remain too polite and distant from a
person, even if you’ve known them for quite a while.

#2. Punctual
Japan takes its time management very seriously. The Japan Railway (JR) and other connecting
subways and train systems are well-known for their incredibly punctual schedules. As such,
when there is a delay of even a minute, the whole system gets thrown off. Trains often issue late
slips for passengers to take to their employers if their trains get delayed. After all, it leaves a very
bad impression if you’re late to work.

#3. Kind

Unlike polite, which can have its downsides, kind is a genuinely positive word. In Japanese,
words with similar connotations to the English phrase are “yasashii” or “omoyari no aru,”
meaning “thoughtful of others.” One sterling example of this is the custom of bringing a gift
(usually food) when you visit another person’s house in Japan. This praiseworthy adjective was
the third-most repeated term in the thread. That’s a winning score on anyone’s report card.

#4. Hard-working

A hard-worker or “hataraki-mono” is definitely a common word that classifies a Japanese

mindset. In a culture where your job is supposed to take precedence over even your family at
times, it’s unsurprising that foreign nationals would latch on to this particular description. There
is even a word for “death by overwork” in Japanese (“karoshi”). It’s not uncommon for people to
work several more hours after their contractual quitting time and, if you’re not a contract worker,
that means that you aren’t paid for that overtime. Even if you have a “haken” (contracted job),
it’s still considered rude to leave right on schedule.

#5. Respectful

Another tie-in with polite, respectful or “tanin ni taishite keii wo hyo suru” to loosely describe it
in Japanese, is a mainly positive word. However, it can sometimes be associated with distance.
With the epidemic of idolization in Japan, it’s also possible to take respect just a bit too far.
Many Westerners find the concept of being so respectful to their elders a bit outside the norm.
But in Japan, the older you get, the wiser you are considered and the more respectfully you’re
treated. You’ll get in big trouble if you use informal language with a person older than you
unless they’re family. Even then, some relatives still expect proper formal language befitting of
their senior status.

#6. Shy

An overall impression of the citizens of Japan is that they’re very shy people, or
“hazukashigariya”. This might be linked to their focus on politeness and respect. It is true that
you don’t always hear a lot of outspoken Japanese people, especially tourists in foreign
countries, but this might be for a different reason altogether. Many Japanese people worry about
their foreign language skills and fear saying something incorrectly in English when they talk to
native speakers. Conversation practice has only recently become a staple of English classes in
Japan.

#7. Intelligent
There’s a definite stereotype of people from Asian countries being the brainy cream of the crop.
Whether this is factually correct or not wasn’t technically relevant to the survey thread, but it
certainly was a nice compliment. The Japanese word for intelligent is “kashikoi.” Incidentally, if
you tried to say the katakana pronunciation of smart, “sumato,” that actually means to be thin
and attractive in Japanese. Not that they’re mutually exclusive adjectives, but be careful of
confusing your Japanese friends by trying to call someone intelligent and accidentally calling
them slim and sexy.

#8. Grouping

You know how girls are always said to travel in packs? Same goes for Japanese people,
apparently. A word of advice to any aspiring English teachers in Japan is to make lots of group
activities. Unlike America, where group work is often disliked because sharing the workload
with other students inevitably means that it gets divided unequally, Japanese students thrive off
of it. They prefer not to have to voice their opinions alone, but would rather share ideas with
their peers and make a group decision. In a class of thirty Japanese kids, not many people want to
stand up by themselves and read out of an English textbook. But put everyone in groups of three
and make them read it in turns and you’ve got yourself an engaged classroom.

#9. Formal

Tying in with polite, Japan has a reputation for being very formal. This manifests itself in both
manner and language. Japanese has many different formality levels depending on who you’re
addressing. This can be tiresome for people attempting to learn the language, and it can also lead
to crossed wires between friends, especially in the case of foreigners and Japanese people. An
American might wonder why their friend still calls them “David-san” when they’ve known each
other for a few years. Far from wanting to keep distance between them, the Japanese friend
might just be waiting for David to mention that they don’t really need to keep titles between
them. After all, without checking first, it can be considered rude to suddenly stop using formal
language (an act called “yobisute” or “dropping the name honorific”).

#10. Clean

Many Internet users have seen Japanese tourists pick up trash from around campsites and rest
stops even when they didn’t make the mess themselves. This habit and others added the
description of clean to the list. Did you know that Japanese students clean their schools by
themselves? No janitors, just students hauling trash bags, sweeping the steps, and wiping down
the halls with washcloths for a good 30 minutes each day. Most storefront owners sweep up the
sidewalks and streets outside their stores, too. Making it your business to keep communal space
clean is a distinctly different mindset from some Western countries. Just think of all the gum-
strewn, littered streets of big cities in America.

Overall, the impression of Japan from a Westerner’s eyes is pretty darn good, though perhaps a
bit lacking in the relaxed and fun-loving department. My personal word pick for Japan would be
focused. Whether it’s staying after school for 3 hours practicing with the baseball club, going to
cram schools to get into good colleges, or clocking in extra hours of unpaid work at their jobs,
Japanese people seem to find a goal and stick with it. Even in more fun pursuits, Japanese people
throw themselves into their hobbies and work with a zeal that is truly commendable, in my
humble opinion.

Source: Madame Riri

http://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/issue/10.1111/aman.1957.59.issue-6/

Christian Character Traits

http://www.discipleshiptools.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=4166&view=post&articleid=37084&f
ldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

Character is a spiritual Fruit that is built from our real, godly relationship and commitment to Christ as
LORD. It is the fiber of our moral center that stretches throughout our being, embracing and holding
together our relationships when it is sealed as a choice and commitment, and not just a feeling or a
personality. ·Love, Peace is surrendering and yielding to the Lord's control, for He is our ultimate peace,
Fairness, Honest is being truthful and doing what is sincere and right before God and others. (Heb 7:26),
Hospitality is a willingness to share, with discernment, what God has given us, including our family,
home, finances, and food. (Romans 12:13), Selflessness, Servant Leadership, Sincerity, Suffering is not
sought, but when it happens, it is d allowing it to turn into a mold to allow us to be made for the better
as "Christ hath suffered" makes us better. It is not a personal attack, rather it is a means to get our
attention to make us better, more useful, stronger, and to understand what takes place in others. (1
Peter 4:1-19)

And, there are dozens of more godly characters, emulated in the Bible, which God calls us to embrace,
and apply into our lives! Remember, these all synergistically combine to help create the mature, Christ-
like Christian. What Christ gives to us in grace, and how we respond towards others around us are
essential in all of our relationships.

When the other ingredients of a good relationship are right, then the love will come. Love does not
stand alone, it needs to be in synergy with good character, attitude, and reverence, so we can stroll
through the maze of relationships with confidence, and the assurance that Christ is lighting our path.