Bai Yansong, the well-known anchorman on CCTV, can recall the time when he was in Japan some years ago.

　　One day, while strolling around the city he spotted a man wearing a mask. Mystified, he turned around and asked what was wrong with the man. When told that the man might have caught the flu and the mask might serve as a precaution to guard against the virus being transmitted to others, he sighed with admiration for the self-discipline and altruism displayed by the lone Japanese.

　　In contrast, we Chinese are mostly loyal followers of the stereotypical ideology: it's human nature to be selfish and anybody who runs counter to that will surely bring down all kinds of curses on his head, or pay no heed to whatever does not concern us.

　　To prove my point, I've only to cite the following incident:

　　It was only the other day that an old man in his 60s ran afoul of the "golden rule" observed by most of us. He pointed a finger at a young man and cried out, "It's him!", after a woman had discovered her handbag had been stolen.

　　The thief, instead of beating a hasty retreat, confronted his accuser and hit him in the face delivering a smack on the jaw.

　　No match for the able-bodied young man, the frail old man was knocked down, groaning in pain, his glasses broken and his face smeared with blood.

　　At the same time, a large crowd had gathered to gawk at the scene with folded arms.

　　The woman, who seemed to have forgotten all about her handbag, joined the ranks of the spectators watching the one-sided fight. Nobody dialled 110 for help, let alone came to rescue of the "grey head".

　　Before long, the young man walked away in a leisurely manner, feeling sure that nobody would keep tabs on him.

　　"I've to foot the medical bill by myself," the old hero told a television interviewer. "It seems I was beaten up for nothing, just for being meddlesome. The physical pain is nothing compared with the mental trauma.

　　"So far the woman has not shown up to pay me a visit. I don't really hope she will compensate me for my suffering. I wonder if she could ever be harassed by a guilty conscience."

　　In fact, similar incidents are not rare. Some people have attributed the phenomenon to the ingrained had habits of the nation as a whole, reflecting a "can't help it" approach.

　　Indeed, to cultivate altruism is easier said than done and to do away with time-honoured beliefs is almost hopeless.

　　For my part, I'm incapable of prescribing a cure for the nasty, yet tenacious, national ailment. It may require generations of persistent effort to cast away false convictions and realize the importance of interaction.

　　As for the present, can't we make a point of praising and rewarding those who put public benefit ahead of their own while lambasting those notorious for being cold and indifferent or showing the white feather when danger appears?

　　In this regard, hopefully public opinion and the media may be an effective weapon in forcing passive on-lookers into realizing their mistake and taking steps to turn over a new leaf.