Kindness begets kindness. Three separate words. Two indistinguishable terms. One single notion.
Be kind, and you shall receive kindness in return.
It’s easy to understand, easy to preach, but as far as the practical side’s concerned it’s a virtual impossibility. Just look around you. The society, as we know it, is slowly crumbling.
Gone are the manners of old; it’s now every man and woman for themselves. The Coronavirus outbreak, bleak as it is, has undoubtedly extricated the worst of humanity.
A worrying sight? Indeed.
But throughout it all, single acts of kindness have managed to shine like a beacon in this ocean fraught with kiasu-ness and kiasi-ness.
Neighbours have given out free masks on a voluntary basis; people have been generous with their sanitising supplies. Entire countries, too, have sportingly donated masks to nations in need…
Which was subsequently reciprocated in kind, I might mention.
Yes, folks, in circumstances as ruthless as our current plight, the unassuming phrase of ‘kindness begets kindness’ still finds its way into our midst…
And if anything else, it serves as an indicator that humanity might yet prove all the naysayers wrong.
Jack Ma Donates 1 Million Masks To Japan
According to The Star, Jack Ma, the internet guru who co-founded Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant Alibaba and subsequently bid farewell to it in rock star fashion, has donated 1 million facial masks to Japan in return for the generous help Japan previously gave China.
The announcement was made on Monday (2 March 2020) by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation. The masks will reportedly be donated to Japan to help relieve suffering in the epidemic.
“Like the mountain range that stretches before you and me, let’s share the same trials and hardships together. We hope everything will get better soon,” Jack said through his Weibo account, citing an old Chinese poem.
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The masks, which weigh 49.4 tons, have since been transported via China Eastern Airlines.
They are believed to have arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday (3 March 2020).
When China Was in Trouble, Japan Came Forward To Help
Since the outbreak in China, Japan’s central and local governments, as well as Japanese companies, have donated a collective 2.72 million masks to China to halt the spread of the infection.
As of 7 Feb 2020, Japan had also reportedly sent 380,000 pairs of gloves, 150,000 protective units, 75,000 protective glasses, thermometers and antiseptic solutions.
Which is priceless because medical workers in China did not have enough protective equipment to go around.
This resulted in a lot of medical workers getting the coronavirus while taking care of the patients.
They’ve also donated a monetary total of 28.89 million yuan (450 million yen, or SGD$5.72 million).
Now, do you believe that kindness begets kindness?
According to The Straits Times, the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan reached the 1,000 mark on Wednesday (4 March 2020). Of those, 706 are from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, while 12 have died.
