Dr. Abdul Jalil of New Delhi, once had the
opportunity to visit Japan in 1970, where he stayed
for six months. He later recounted an incident to me
which cast a significant light on the Japanese
character. It seems that during his stay in Tokyo, he
would often take a 15-minute ride on a suburban
train to a place just outside the city. One day, when
the fifteen minutes had passed and there was no
sign of his station, he began to feel uneasy. Sure
enough, when the train stopped, it was at some
other station, and he realized that somehow or the
other he had boarded the wrong train at Tokyo. In
some agitation he tried to get help from the
Japanese who was sitting next to him, but since
neither could speak the others language,
conversation was impossible. Dr. Jalil then thought
of writing down the name of his station in block
capitals and showing it to his travelling companion.
The Japanese could apparently read that much and
promptly pulled the communication cord to stop
the train, which had just begun to move out of the
station. He hurried Dr. Jalil off the train and took
him to another platform which was for trains going
in the opposite direction. There he put Dr. Jalil on
the right train, and, in spite of the fact that no
conversation was possible, insisted on
accompanying him to his destination. Only then did
he take his leave and go off to board another train
which would take him on his way.
Another incident he recounted was that of a car
accident which he witnessed himself as he walked
along the pavements of Tokyo. Two cars, both
driven by Japanese, had collided The two drivers
immediately got out of their cars and stood facing
each other with heads bowed. Both said: “It’s my
fault. Please, forgive me.”
Only people with a constructive temperament could
behave in such a self-abnegating way. A
temperament such as this is a major guarantee of a
nation’s success. By contrast, individuals who care
for nothing but their own selfish interests can
neither achieve personal success, nor can they make
any contribution to the building of their nation.
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
