A little joke about integrity

An American businessman said: A person can lose wealth, career, and opportunities, but he must never lose credibility.

A group of American middle school students copied some materials provided by a website while completing a biology class assignment. It actually caused an uproar across the United States.

According to the New York Times report on February 14, 118 second-year students at a high school called Piper in the suburbs of Kansas City in the United States were asked to complete a biology class assignment, and 28 of them were Some ready-made materials were plagiarized from the Internet. This incident was discovered by Pelton, the female teacher, and was judged as plagiarism. As a result, 28 students received zero marks in the biology class and were in danger of repeating the grade. After complaints and objections from some parents involved, the school asked the female teacher to improve the scores of those students. The 27-year-old female teacher resigned angrily.

Facing pressure from public opinion, the school board had to hold a public meeting in the gymnasium to listen to opinions from all parties. The result was that the vast majority of participants supported female teachers. Nearly half of the teachers at the school said they would resign if the school downgraded its performance to meet the demands of a small number of parents to revise their grades. They believe that educating students to be honest citizens is far more important than passing a biology class. Pelton said that on the first day of taking care of her students, she made rules with her students and had them signed by their parents. The rules state: "All assignments must be completed by students themselves. Cheating or plagiarism will result in failure of the course."

The female teacher receives more than a dozen calls every day from people who support her or plan to hire her. . Some companies have already faxed schools to request the names of the students involved to ensure that companies will never hire these dishonest students in the future. A university told a girl wearing a Piper school T-shirt during the entrance exam: "Don't cheat." A local woman told a TV reporter that she was very worried about the people in her community in the future. If you go out, you will be labeled as dishonest...

Here, we cannot laugh at Americans' fussing or worrying about things. What we feel is the heavy weight of the word "integrity". Although these two words cannot be said to be more important than life to the vast majority of people in the United States, they are the foundation of society. This is also one of the scenes that impressed me most deeply after living and studying in the United States for a year.

Credit record, start now

I just arrived in the United States and want to get a mobile phone. Faced with all kinds of mobile phone discount plans in the overwhelming newspaper advertisements, I happily chose AT&T's plan that charges US$29.99 per month, provides 650 minutes of free calls per month in seven or eight eastern states, and sells a mobile phone for only US$20. But was ruthlessly rejected. I tried several other companies and it didn't work either.

People don’t look at the money in your hand, they just ask you for your credit card. So the only option for the poor cardless people like me is to spend at least more than 100 US dollars to buy a mobile phone, and prepay more than tens of US dollars in mobile phone bills every month, and the money will be deducted every minute.

Not willing to give in, apply for a credit card quickly. Major credit card companies such as Master, Visa, American Express, etc. have tried one by one. Many credit card agency banks and large companies such as AT&T have also visited the terminals one after another, but they have encountered obstacles one after another. There is only one reason: I have no credit record. In other words, because I, a foreigner, have no record of borrowing and repaying money in the United States, I currently cannot be trusted by others.

It’s better to retreat and build a network, so I started to build a credit record honestly, such as paying phone bills on time, using shopping mall shopping cards to make purchases and sending checks on time, and communicating with the outside world as much as possible. Some transactions involving borrowing money and repaying money occur, etc. Later, with the help of HSBC, the Master Card Company finally appreciated my little "credit" and granted me a Master Card. Later, when I was about to return to China, I probably found out from some channel that I was indeed a creditworthy citizen with a good record. Many companies, including those I had contacted and those I had not contacted, came in droves, hoping that I would use their services. Credit card limits are getting wider and wider, which is really touching, but it’s a pity that I don’t need these anymore.

Americans are very serious about their credit records, so I also treat all kinds of bills that come to my door with caution. When I go on a trip during the summer vacation, the first thing I do when I come back is to check if there are any bills that are about to expire, and send the checks one by one as soon as possible. Once, a music company promised online that I would get a number of free records if I became a member. But when I received the records, a bill of tens of dollars was also sent to me. The small print on the bottom line of the bill stated that this was the shipping fee and packaging fee. fees and labor costs. I felt unhappy and wrote a letter of complaint, but I also attached the check in full, lest I might get a bad credit record if the truth was not on my side. Before returning to China, I placed an advertisement in the newspaper for three consecutive days, intending to sell the horse that had traveled more than 20,000 kilometers with me. The newspaper absolutely believed in me and agreed with just one phone call, saying that I would pay after the bill was received. But until the day before I returned to China, the bill had not been sent. It is true that the emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuch is. Fortunately, the bill was received on the day the plane took off, so the last thing I did before returning home was to mail the advertising check - to pay off the last debt.

It is understood that business credit between American companies is more important than personal credit.

Once a company breaks its promise or fails to repay the money it owes, it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the business world, and its business life may even end as a result.

Looking back at the common phenomenon of triangular debt in China, the repeated bans and intensification of fraud by accounting firms, and the way many companies act like grandsons when they borrow money and act like me when they owe money, we sincerely feel that we It is really far from the essence of commodity economy - the spirit of contract.

It feels so good to bathe in the "believe you" atmosphere

I think that the female teacher must have felt deceived when she decided to give duck eggs to 28 students.

In America, a lot of things are based on believing in you. You said that you would complete the homework independently and signed the classroom discipline terms (so it can be regarded as a contract). How could the teacher not believe you? Unexpectedly, you failed to fulfill your contract!

In fact, in daily life in the United States, you can enjoy the pleasure of being trusted everywhere.

I once took my parents to Manhattan to visit the USS Invincible aircraft carrier. After buying the tickets and walking out of the crowd, it suddenly occurred to me that there might be a discount for seniors, so I hurriedly returned to inquire. After hearing the news, the conductor lady quickly apologized and refunded the remaining balance according to the senior citizen discount. She does not check any of your documents, nor does she even check whether you are really old (only seniors over 62 years old can enjoy the discount). What she pursues is the principle of "trust you".

Later I discovered that in almost all public places, if there are discounts for the elderly or children, you don’t need to show your ID. It’s all up to you and people will believe you, even some elderly people. They look very young, or some children look quite tall. It is really shameful for people to trust you so much and then lie or pretend. Because of this, when I once took my daughter to visit a museum (the ticket office stated that children under 6 years old were free of charge, and my daughter had just turned 7), when the ticket salesperson asked with a smile, "How old is the child?", I hesitated for a moment, but still Say "7 years old" truthfully and buy tickets accordingly. Later I even blushed for my moment of hesitation. Once I went to a large shopping mall to copy a book. After printing more than 200 pages of the book, I went to check out. The cashier lady did not check the number of pages printed. She only collected the money based on the number you reported. No one suspected that you would falsely report an underpayment.

The "believe you" scene that left the deepest impression on me occurred during a series of important interviews.

In addition to studying at school, I also plan to complete a huge plan, driving to visit famous American newspapers and large newspaper groups, and have interviews with the top eight circulation companies such as "USA Today" and "USA Today". Interviews with publishers or editors-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and other newspapers.

I know this is difficult. Think about it, how easy is it for an ordinary journalist to meet the bosses of major newspapers in China without being introduced by acquaintances or recommended by large organizations? Even if you were lucky enough to meet him, who would sit down and talk to you for an hour? What's more, I work in such a global newspaper empire, facing newspaper bosses who are called "big men" by my fellow journalists. Will they meet me?

But I am determined to give it a try. The premise of my determination to give it a try is also based on my confidence that Americans advocate treating each other with sincerity. Of course, most of the initial attempts were rejected, and many letters even ended up in the sea. So I shared my professional experience in China, research results, work done in cultural exchanges between China and the United States, my understanding of the other party, and the importance of the visit to my research through mail, e-mail, and phone calls, etc., in detail. Inform the other person. Thank God, these methods of mine worked one after another. The newspapers were convinced of my own narrative and began to express interest. No one asked to verify the materials I provided.

During the entire subsequent visit (except after the 9.11 incident), I almost never had to show any documents or letters of introduction that could prove my identity. The security guard only asked me to register my name when I entered the gate. and driver's license.

The publisher, editor-in-chief and their assistants, who were strangers to each other, happily received me, a strange foreigner, including accompanying me to visit, talking to me, allowing me to record, and allowing me to take photos. There are only two minor exceptions. First, 20 days before my visit to the Washington Post, the secretary of the newspaper’s editor-in-chief sent me an e-mail, asking me very politely to send her a business card, emphasizing that it was only needed by the security department and not by the president. The editor and herself. The other time was when I visited the Philadelphia Inquirer, a prestigious newspaper in American history. An assistant editor-in-chief of the newspaper tactfully wrote to me asking if I could provide a certifier from my university. I then informed the other party of the contact address of a department head of our school. Such a proof obviously satisfied him very much, and he arranged a full day's schedule for me at the newspaper: I met with the newspaper's editor-in-chief, the vice president in charge of circulation, the vice president in charge of advertising, a famous critic and a We talked with an ordinary editor who had visited China for a year and attended his afternoon pre-editor meeting.

The date is set, never break the promise

During these interviews, I was equally moved by the newspapers’ abiding by their promises. All my visits in the United States are usually agreed with the other party one month in advance, and the time is accurate to the minute.

What will happen during this month? Based on my nearly 20 years of experience as a newspaper editor, the work intensity of newspaper bosses is always very high. They have to face various variables and make judgments and reactions at any time. Many decisions must be implemented through routine and temporary meetings. , often have to work overtime, in comparison, dating with me is a very minor thing. So, will the appointment I made a month ago be changed or even canceled due to unexpected circumstances?

Facts have proved that my worries were unnecessary. According to various newspapers, once agreed on my visit, there will never be any changes. Sometimes I was worried and would call to ask if there had been any changes before the visit. The other party would always ask in surprise: "What, are you going to change the date?"

Fortunately, they strictly kept their promise. Otherwise, my visit plan will be fragmented or even fail, because my long-distance visit is also subject to many factors. Before each trip, I must carefully agree on the visit time with the other party according to my own plan, and based on this, I must arrange the itinerary, determine the driving route, choose the stopping points, and book hotels along the way. My time is limited, and the cost of food and accommodation along the way is also limited. Once a certain link is changed, it is not a big waste of money (the hotel room fee will be deducted from the credit card), but it is a big thing to affect the entire visit chain.

For example, during my summer trip to the Northeast, I had predetermined eight organizations to visit, including the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Newspaper Company, and the Boston Globe. All tasks must be completed within half a month. Complete, how can there be room for the slightest change? But precisely because all the news units kept their promises, I returned from this trip with great success. The only minor change I encountered in all my visits was in the New York Times. At that time, I made an appointment with the vice president in charge of advertising of the newspaper to meet on a certain date and time. But when we got to the lobby of the newspaper and talked to him on the phone, he told me apologetically that there was an impromptu meeting that he had to attend, so I had to ask a department manager to attend. The director spoke to me with full authority on his behalf and said that the director would answer all questions that should be answered by the vice president himself, hoping that I would be satisfied. I was indeed very satisfied afterwards. The department director not only talked with me enthusiastically for nearly an hour, but also answered some of my additional questions via email.

In the postal environment, "letters" can be seen everywhere

Over the years, due to the stricter requirements of domestic post offices on envelope specifications and the increasing popularity of telephones and computers, there have been several cases of delivery loss. , delays and beautiful stamps missing from letters, my dealings with the post office have become increasingly rare. Unexpectedly, when I arrived in the United States, I couldn't live without the postal service. I received mail almost every day. The amount was probably more than the total of my personal mail in the past 10 years in China. Many things that seem extremely important are delivered by Americans by ordinary mail, and they are foolproof.

The first thing that impressed me deeply was that although the U.S. Post Office had automated letter sorting many years before China, Americans still use a wide variety of envelopes to send letters, ranging from as small as a palm to as large as a 4-inch newspaper. I have received envelopes. In order to send some special thank you cards or commemorative cards, some Americans often make homemade envelopes and send them without fail. If you put something bulky in the envelope, such as film or records, you can actually send it. I have developed and printed nearly 20 rolls of film in the United States, all of which were sent and received in envelopes, even though there were one or two rolls of film in the envelope, which was a bit funny. Because it can save you the trouble of going to the supermarket to pick up film photos and save some money, many Americans like to use this method to develop and print photos. I talked about this with an American friend, and she thought it was normal. She said that once you hand in the mail, you trust the post office. As long as the address is written correctly and the postage is paid in full, the post office will definitely accept it.

Not only are there a variety of envelopes, they often contain important things. On the second day after arriving in the United States, I applied for a Social Security number. This Social Security number is an indispensable item for survival in the United States. Various personal records such as income, taxes, and criminal records are linked to it. Employers who do not have a security number will be considered illegal.

You will also be asked to fill in your social security number when attending classes at school, applying for medical insurance, taking a driver's license test, etc. For such an important thing, he, an American, sent it by ordinary mail without requiring a signature. There is also a driver's license, which is the most difficult personal document in the United States besides the citizenship certificate and green card, because through the information on the driver's license, the police can retrieve all personal records from the computer, including your birth, nationality, address, and social security number. . With a driver's license, you can go anywhere, including flying. Such an important driver's license also comes from an email that does not require a signature. Such things include bank checks, money orders, bank cards, credit cards, library cards, bills, etc.

Home mailboxes in the United States are usually erected on the side of the road and are not locked. Mail is placed inside waiting for the postman to pick it up. But according to my personal experience and that of all the friends I know, no matter how important an email is, it is never lost. At first I was a little nervous when I put the film in the mailbox (once the important film is lost, the loss will be irreversible), but later I felt calm. Within a year, I mailed about 50 checks to pay bills, and each one was safe.

Ashamed, I once "disbelieved"

However, I am ashamed to say that I lied once in the United States. One day, my assistant Christie, a fourth-year college female student, suddenly asked me while chatting: "I heard that many people in China like to eat dog meat. Do you eat it?" This sentence made me nervous.

If you don’t live in the United States, it’s hard to understand Americans’ love for dogs. There are probably not many fewer dogs in the United States than there are people. It is not uncommon for a family to have two or three dogs. If you don’t understand English when you go to the supermarket, you might accidentally buy something from the dog food section and use it as canned food at home (a Chinese friend of mine had this glorious experience). It is also common to treat a small pet dog as a member of the family and allow it to act as a "third party" sleeping between couples every night. Former President Clinton's pet dog was unfortunately buried under the car of a middle school student a few months ago, which made the Clinton couple sad for a long time. Although the police determined that it was a dog and violated the regulations, the female student involved in the accident still cried bitterly. Her father continued to explain to the press how his daughter loved dogs, saying that this incident would cause her daughter lifelong pain. In a country where dogs are regarded as human beings, eating dog meat has become a truly treasonous act. Last year, a New York TV station aired an account of our reporter's witness of a dog being killed and eaten in a Korean restaurant, causing a sensation. Residents of the Korean community in New York quickly counterattacked, listing a large amount of evidence to prove that the person killed and eaten by the restaurant in East Asia was not a dog but a "coyote", and strongly protested to the television station. Even the Chinese in Chinatown joined the protest, forcing the TV station manager to write a letter to the Korean community to explain. (Later, some bold Koreans commented in newspapers, saying that Americans with only 200 years of history have no right to judge Koreans with a long food culture. Even if Koreans eat dogs, they are not the kind of pet dogs in the United States. , just like Koreans regard cattle as friends and cannot accuse Americans of killing cattle and eating cattle.)

In any case, when faced with such a sensitive issue, I just "Wang Gu left and right". ": "Many Chinese people don't eat dog meat, especially in big cities..." Unexpectedly, she refused and continued to stare at me with her big blue eyes: "So, do you eat dog meat?" She looked at her with a look. He looked serious, and I completely lost the courage to tell the truth, so I had to shake my head seriously. She immediately felt relieved and said how much she hated others killing and eating dogs. I believe that if my answer is the opposite, it will most likely hurt her feelings, and our cooperation and friendship will undoubtedly be terminated immediately.

What will happen if you don't "believe"?

When I go shopping in various shopping malls in the United States, I have never seen any inspection or anti-theft devices at the exits, let alone security guards guarding the doors. Customers steal small things from nowhere. In fact, the phenomenon of theft in supermarkets in the United States also exists, and it was even more serious for a period of time. Didn't a female movie star steal from a supermarket not long ago?

When discussing this matter with American friends, they would shrug and say that there is nothing we can do about it. They said that shopping malls always try their best to avoid any trace of distrust of customers, so even if someone is monitoring them, they will be very covert. , often one is lost and ten thousand are lost. But they also said that the crime cost of stealing in the United States is quite high. Even if you steal a small thing, once you are exposed, the record will follow you for life. I believe this. There was a grand talent recruitment event held in the university, and I found that many of the jobs had a rule when recruiting employees: no records of theft, fraud or other crimes in the past 15 years.

15 years, can a person with a thief heart hold on? Therefore, Americans regard it as their important responsibility to educate their children to be honest and trustworthy from an early age. Some newspapers and periodicals are also discussing how parents can set an example in front of their children and cultivate honesty in their children. My daughter is in the first grade of an elementary school in the United States. She is most afraid of me telling her teacher that she is lying. Once, she picked up a 25-cent coin from the ground and played with it in her hand. When she came back, she told me that the teacher had given it to her as a reward. How could I be confused by her? She immediately expressed that she wanted to check with the teacher. Upon hearing this, she immediately told the truth and burst into tears, promising not to lie again in the future. Later, during a school activity to collect coins to donate to charity, she took the initiative to hand over the coin to the school along with many small coins we gave her.

In the United States, I met two international students who had just arrived from China. They took turns working in a laundry owned by Hong Kong people on weekends. The two have a very good relationship and are almost like sisters, but their working concepts are different: Girl A believes that the salary given by the boss is not high, so she should not work too hard for her - work more when the boss is there, and try as little as possible when he is not. Do it or even don’t do it, just show off; Girl B thinks that since the boss hired you, you should do things well, be sincere to others, and treat everyone the same before and after you. Therefore, Girl A often sees the pile of washed clothes in the morning, and only folds some symbolically. She does not get busy until the boss comes in the afternoon, and talks about how busy she is in the morning; Girl B, on the contrary, always takes advantage of the guests to drop off clothes in the morning. When there is a gap between clothes and clothes, hurry up and fold and pack the clothes, and try to complete the tasks in front of you. Sometimes, you don’t seem too busy when the boss is around. Unexpectedly, after such a period of time, the first people to be unhappy were the Americans who often came to do laundry - the boss's regular customers. They couldn't bear to see workers who were dishonest to their bosses. They complained to their bosses about how lazy Girl A was and how she only read books and did not work in the morning. However, they praised Girl B whose English was not as good as A's. The results can be imagined.

When chatting with some Chinese friends who have lived in the United States for many years, they all told me with deep understanding that when it comes to working for a boss, it is no better than working for some government departments or state-owned enterprises in China. Be lazy and cunning, otherwise you will be the most uneasy person, because you may be fired at any time, or even leave a bad reputation in the industry.

The biggest disaster caused by dishonesty is the impact of the Enron bankruptcy case. The American company Enron is a world-famous energy multinational company with the seventh largest assets in the United States and the 35th place on the Fortune magazine's Global 500 list. At the end of last year, it suddenly became insolvent and filed for bankruptcy, causing the largest case in the history of the United States. Bankruptcy case. That's all. The government agreed to allocate huge sums of money to deal with the aftermath, and the company's bosses could still live a prosperous life. Unexpectedly, some major frauds of the company were soon exposed, especially those of a prestigious third-party company in the United States. The five major accounting firms were suspected of committing fraud, causing a nationwide credit panic. A large company that had signed an agreement of intent with it to acquire it (a move that could turn the tide) also gave up the acquisition just because it discovered some of the tricks. As a result, a vice president of the company committed suicide, the chairman of the board of directors and other responsible persons faced prosecution, and a large number of related persons, including federal government officials, needed to be cleared of suspicion. An expert wrote an article and pointed out that if the Enron incident led to an integrity crisis in the business community, the disaster would be no less than 9. 11 events.

Alas, American society relies so much on the word "integrity". It is really worthy of serious consideration by our compatriots who once believed that "people cannot stand without trust".

A story about integrity.

In the early years, few foreigners set foot in the southern foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. Later, many Japanese came here for sightseeing. It is said that this was due to the integrity of a young man. One day, several Japanese photographers asked a local boy to buy beer for them, and the boy ran for more than three hours. The next day, the boy volunteered to buy beer for them again. This time the photographers gave him a lot of money, but the boy had not come back until the afternoon of the third day. As a result, the photographers talked a lot, thinking that the young man had cheated the money away. On the third night, the boy knocked on the photographer's door. It turned out that he only bought 4 bottles of beer. Then he climbed over a mountain and crossed a river to buy another 6 bottles. He broke 3 bottles when he returned. He cried, holding the broken glass, and handed back the change to the photographer. Everyone present was moved. This story moved many foreigners deeply. Later, more and more tourists came here...

I can't say it casually>

Two days ago, I wrote a post with the title "Speaking casually", which was very satisfying. As everyone knows, that complacency was quickly dispelled by a sentence in a student's essay: Teacher, you said you wanted to show me your article about your feelings on snowy days, why haven't you shown it to me yet?

Huh? Yes, why did I forget all about this "promise"! Although it was just a reply to an article written by this student a few weeks ago: Snow days may not be as fun as you say, right? I’ll show you my article about my feelings on a snowy day later.

Perhaps it was just a whim at the time, and I wrote it down by hand. This casual "promise" did not really stay in my heart. I just forgot about it as I revised the essay and sent it out. Little did I know that the student was eagerly waiting for me to show her that I had broken my trust, so what!

Be true to your word and bear fruit in your deeds. Once a word is spoken, it is hard to follow. Not everything can be said casually.

Since ancient times, the story of "Zengzi's Wife" has been circulated. Zengzi was a student of Confucius. One day, Zeng's wife wanted to go to the street, and her child was crying. Zeng's wife told the child not to make trouble, and promised to kill a pig for him to eat when she came back. It seems that she has no intention of fulfilling her promise. Because when she came home, she saw Zeng Zi really preparing to kill the pig, and immediately stopped her, saying that she was just talking to the children for fun. Zengzi said: If parents break trust with their children, it is tantamount to teaching their children to cheat. After saying that, he killed the pig.

Thinking of this, I resolutely wrote in the student's essay: Sorry, I almost missed the appointment. I will give you the article before the holiday...

Story 1:

A wealthy gentleman in England in the 18th century was walking home late one night when he was stopped by an unkempt little boy in ragged clothes. . "Sir, please buy a pack of matches," the little boy said. "I don't buy it." replied the gentleman. As he spoke, the gentleman dodged the boy and continued walking, "Sir, please buy a pack. I haven't eaten anything today," the little boy caught up and said. When the gentleman saw that he couldn't avoid the boy, he said, "But I don't have any change." "Sir, please bring the matches first, and I will change the change for you." After saying that, the boy ran away quickly with a pound given by the gentleman. The gentleman waited for a long time, but the boy still didn't come back. The gentleman went home helplessly.

The next day, the gentleman was working in his office. The servant said that a boy came and asked to see the gentleman. So the boy was called in. This boy was shorter than the match boy and his clothes were more ragged. "Sir, I'm sorry, my brother asked me to bring you some change." "Where is your brother?" the gentleman asked. "My brother was hit by a carriage and seriously injured on his way back to you after changing his change. He is lying at home." The gentleman was deeply moved by the little boy's integrity. "Let's go! Let's go see your brother!" When I went to the boy's home, I saw that there were only two boys' stepmothers at home greeting the seriously injured boy.

When he saw the gentleman, the boy quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't send you the change on time. I broke my promise!" The gentleman was deeply moved by the boy's integrity. When he learned that the biological parents of the two boys were both dead, he decided to take on everything they needed in life.

Story 2;

In the seventeenth-century German army, there was a prince who treated his subordinates as brothers and was deeply loved by soldiers and officers at all levels. On the way back after a failed attack on a certain country, it was late at night in winter. The severe cold and hunger tortured him and some of his subordinates. In the state of extreme cold and hunger, the prince slowly fell into sleep... In his sleep, the prince dreamed that the sun was exceptionally bright and warm. When he woke up, he found that he was covered with many coats and his life continued. Looking around, he saw that his men had all covered the prince's body with their coats, and they had all frozen to death.

p>Idle evil lies in sincerity

Rhetoric establishes sincerity

One word can make a difference.

A promise is worth a thousand dollars.

Keep your word.

Golden words.

What you say must be true, and your deeds must be fruitful

When a gentleman speaks, his word is the final word

Sincerity leads to gold and stone opening

One Once the words are spoken, it is difficult to chase them

If a person has no faith, he does not know what he can do