Empathy

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By: Andy F. Noya

One night, after work, I stopped at a fast food restaurant in the area of Bintaro. Quiet. Outside the rain. All the servants already packed. Restaurant to close. But maybe I see the face of the pleading for food, one of them signaled to continue to serve. In fact, if you want, they could have refused.

While eating I began to watch the activities of the waiters. There are counting money, packaging utensils, mopping floors and some are clean and tidy tables cluttered. I imagine their life routines like that from day kehari. So far, it escaped my attention.

To be honest, if accompanying the children eat at fast food restaurants like this, I will not bother their existence. As if they were between there and gone. They're there if I needed help and they seemed dead if I was too busy eating the food.

But that night I could see something that had seemed invisible. I saw how the waitress was clearing the remnants of food on the table. The scene is actually mediocre. But, perhaps because that night my mind's eye view, the view became special. Looking at the remaining pile of food on top of one table was cleared, I wondered to myself: who exactly had just dine at the table? When viewed from the remnants of food scattered, apparently large enough group. But what caught my attention is how the group had left the former junk food. It was a horrible sight. Chicken bones strewn on the table. And there are cardboard boxes that can be used as a trash can. Rice here and there. Not to mention under the table also soiled by the spill crumbs. Perhaps the group took the children. The table was like a slaughter field. Scattered bones. I do not understand how they once would leave garbage strewn like that. It never occurred to them how the remnants of that horrible food that must be cleaned by someone, even though he was a servant.

Since that night I decided to throw his own leftovers when dining at such restaurants. I also asked the children to do the same thing. Not easy at first. Before this I never did. But my actions were just a laughingstock friends. I pretty much westernized sok. Sok show ever come out of the country. Because in many countries, especially in Europe and America, have multiple customers own waste food scraps into the garbage. The waiter is limited because of expensive labor.

Actually not too hard to clean up the remnants of our food. Summarize living and threw it in the trash. Just takes a few minutes. A small deed. But if everyone does it, it means it will be great for the waiters.

I once read a book about small acts that have great meaning. Including the story of a father who took his son to clean up trash in a vacant lot in their house compound. Because of the complex residents daily see the father and son clean up the garbage in there, their long embarrassed to dump there. Later all the residents and even moved to follow his father's footsteps and end up housing a clean environment and healthy. Though there is no single word from the father is. There are no slogans, banners, let alone banners or billboards. He just gave the example. Small example of a big impact.

I also once read a story about the power of a smile. If only every person to give a smile to at least one person who met that day, then the impact will be extraordinary. People who got the smile will be happy. He will smile at other people he encountered. And so on, so that the smile had spread to many people. Though originally from just one person who smiled.

Inspired by a story in a book "Chicken Soup", I often pay a toll ticket for the car behind me. No matter who's behind. Because of the stories in the book, people behind me would have been a surprise. A pleasant surprise. If he was happy that day, then a beautiful day would make him such happiness spread the virus to people he met that day. I hope that the virus can spread to many people. Imagine if you give a sincere compliment for at least one person every day. Praising it would give a chain effect when you praise people feel happy and happiness is contagious to those around him.

My child is in elementary school always reminded if I forget to say the word "thank you" when the officer gave a ticket highway and change. According to him, said "thank you" is the "magic words" that will make others happy. So did the word "please" when we ask for help from others, such as our housekeeper.

I used angry if there is public transportation, such as bus, microbus, bajaj, or angkot casually grab my car. Until one day my wife reminded that I should empathize with them. The public vehicle driver must strive to pursue the deposit. "While you're not chasing the deposit?''The advice that my wife obtained from an article late Father Mangunwijaya. Ever since, if there is public transportation that pilfer as good stomach, I immediately remembered the advice the wife. I thought, how beautiful our lives if we can make other people happy. It would be wonderful if we could empathize with the feelings of others.

How happy when we realize the rest of our food waste at fast food restaurants, we've alleviate waitress job. So do not throw away the toll ticket just after paying, we had a janitor burden. By not throwing bubble gum at random, we have to avoid people from feeling upset because shoes or pants got sticky gum. We often claim that cultured nation, but how many of us that when in public places, when he opened the door, held it a moment and turn round in case anyone else is behind us? Personally I often see people who opened the door and let it go without the care of people hit by the door behind them.

If we want, many little things we can do. It is not our burden, but of great significance for others. Start with small things-small. Start with yourself first. Begin right now ...!!!