An example of moral decline

A man, working as courier in Shanghai, is reported to have accidentally dropped 17,600 yuan ($2,823) that he was supposed to deposit in a bank recently. As the currency notes flew in the wind, dozens of people made a dash for them. As a result, the man got back only 3,700 yuan. The case reflects the falling standards of morality in society today, says an article in Southern Metropolitan Daily. Excerpts:

The courier, a migrant worker, reportedly went down on his knees and begged the people who had grabbed the currency notes to return them, but almost none of them acceded to his request. Failing to get back the entire amount, the courier reported the case immediately to police but they could retrieve only 3,700 yuan.

The media have appealed to the people who "looted" the money to return it to the migrant worker, whose annual income would add up to the amount he was carrying to deposit in the bank. But instead of the people who pocketed the money, others have come forward to help the courier with donations.

According to criminal psychology, people usually indulge in open plunder when they are certain that their identity cannot be established by law enforcement officers and no one will try to retrieve the stolen property.

Rather than appealing to people for help, police should have conducted a thorough investigation, like checking CCTV footage and enquiring with shopkeepers and residents, to identify the people who fled with the courier's money. And the authorities, on their part, should enact legislation to punish people who take part in such open theft.

Let thrift rule Spring Festival

Spring Festival signifies the start of a next year, and it is the time when feasts are organized and gifts, some expensive, exchanged. But it is high time that people stopped wasting food and money for vanity's sake, says an article in Guangming Daily. Excerpts:

Thrift is closely related to virtue. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, frugality cultivates virtue. Fighting against extravagance and waste is also related to social morality.

Banquets and gifts are where most of the money goes during Spring Festival. Huge leftovers have become common at Lunar New Year's Eve dinners. Some people order much more than they and their relatives and friends can consume to "save face", but a majority do so to show off their wealth or power.

And most of the expensive gifts that people get during Spring Festival don't have any practical use and are thus a waste of money.

Thrift, as history tells us, is also closely related to a nation's policies. The central government asked the people to start the year 2013 on a thrifty note. So they should continue the practice during Lunar New Year, too.

It is good to see that some changes are taking place and some local governments are reducing money on official banquets to give them to model workers and disadvantaged groups as rewards. In fact, the sale of some expensive seafood has largely declined before Spring Festival because restaurants are buying less expensive food products to cater to guests.

Here's wishing everyone a happy, healthy and a waste-free Lunar New Year. And let us maintain our traditional values without spending huge amounts of money on dinners and generate waste and buy extravagant gifts just to show off and satisfy our sense of vanity.