Take 5: 9 October 2017 by Mr Chong Zi Yi

Good morning Mdm Tan, Mr Lee, Mr Chung, fellow colleagues and all Gessians. Last Wednesday, Mrs Tay Yen Ping started our special October Take 5 and High 5 ‘Respect’ story series with her story about the angry father and the surgeon. On Friday, Miss Beh Jing Ying shared her story about Grandfather and his wooden bowl. Today I will be continuing the story series with a story about a young man and his job interview.

One young, academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the first interview but had to pass a second interview with the company’s director who was to make the final decision to hire him or not. The director discovered from the young man’s CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way from secondary school until his postgraduate research. Never was there a year when he did not score straight As.

The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?”

The youth answered “none”.

The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school fees?”

The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees”.

The director asked, “Where did your mother work as?”

The youth answered, “My mother works as a dish washer.

The director requested the youth to show him his hands.

The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect”.

The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the dishes?”

The youth answered, “Never! My mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash dishes faster than me”.

The director said, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning”.

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange. Happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her son.

The young man cleaned his mother’s hands slowly. His tears fell as he did so. It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so wrinkled, and that there were so many bruises on her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother cringed when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed countless dishes every day to enable him to pay his school fees. The bruises on the mother’s course hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future. After finishing the cleaning of his mother’s hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining dishes for his mother. That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

The next morning, the young man went to the director’s office. The director noticed the tears in the young man’s eyes and asked: “Can you tell me what you have done and learned yesterday in your house?”

The young man answered, “I cleaned my mother’s hand, and also finished washing all the remaining dishes.”

The director asked, “Please tell me how you felt”.

The young man said, “Now I know what appreciation is. Without my mother, there would not be the successful me today. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship”.

The director said, “This is what I am looking for in a manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired”.

From that day on, this young man worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently together with him as a team. And the company’s performance improved tremendously.

I hope that you enjoyed listening to this story. The moral of this story is simple. Respect and appreciate your parents who work hard to provide for you. Only when you learn to respect and appreciate others and your parents, will you be able to earn the respect of others.

Last Friday, Miss Beh asked you when was the last time you showed appreciation to your parents and grandparents? And she also asked you what you can do over the weekend to show your appreciation? So Gessians, have you done it?

As this Friday is marking day, we will continue our ‘Respect’ story series next Monday.