This story began with a sailing trip. It's a story of pizza (比萨), sailing and being afraid of buying ice-cream with a US $20 bill.
I was going to Marblehead, Massachusetts, with my Optimist (a sailboat) racing team for the New England Optimist Championship.
The team was racing down the highway at 85mph (miles per hour) when we all realized we were hungry.
Luckily, we saw a rest area ahead. I was very excited, because I had a new US $20 bill. I was so excited because I had never had that kind of money before. I had money I had saved, but spending it on food seemed like throwing it away.
We all rushed into the pizza line. Finally I got a cheese pizza and drink, and walked to my table.
About halfway through the meal, I realized I had not actually handed my money
to the cashier(收银员). I had just walked out, and nobody had noticed. I felt terrible.
My conscience(良知) opened its mouth and swallowed me. I couldn't get over it. I just couldn't go back to the cashier and pay for my stolen, half-eaten pizza. I would be more embarrassed than I ever had been.
I was so sorry that I refused to give myself the pleasure of an ice-cream in fear that someone would say, "Hey, Jeff, why don't you use the change fromthe pizza instead of that nice, new US $20 bill?" I was not so proud of my money now.
For the next two years, whenever I was reminded of (thought of) the "Pizza incident," I closed my eyes and said to myself, “Don't think about it. Don't think about it.” I have learned two things from this experience. Maybe I was an unwise person for giving in to my conscience, and being too stupid to appreciate a free pizza. But I think the real lesson is that if you let being embarrassed get in the way of doing the right thing, then your conscience will catch up with you.
I think this reflects the saying, "A coward (懦夫) dies a thousand deaths, a hero
dies one." I was a coward and have felt terrible about that incident at least a thousand times. If I had been a "hero" and gone back up to pay for the pizza, then I would have felt a little embarrassed about it only once, or maybe twice.
I was going to Marblehead, Massachusetts, with my Optimist (a sailboat) racing team for the New England Optimist Championship.
The team was racing down the highway at 85mph (miles per hour) when we all realized we were hungry.
Luckily, we saw a rest area ahead. I was very excited, because I had a new US $20 bill. I was so excited because I had never had that kind of money before. I had money I had saved, but spending it on food seemed like throwing it away.
We all rushed into the pizza line. Finally I got a cheese pizza and drink, and walked to my table.
About halfway through the meal, I realized I had not actually handed my money
to the cashier(收银员). I had just walked out, and nobody had noticed. I felt terrible.
My conscience(良知) opened its mouth and swallowed me. I couldn't get over it. I just couldn't go back to the cashier and pay for my stolen, half-eaten pizza. I would be more embarrassed than I ever had been.
I was so sorry that I refused to give myself the pleasure of an ice-cream in fear that someone would say, "Hey, Jeff, why don't you use the change fromthe pizza instead of that nice, new US $20 bill?" I was not so proud of my money now.
For the next two years, whenever I was reminded of (thought of) the "Pizza incident," I closed my eyes and said to myself, “Don't think about it. Don't think about it.” I have learned two things from this experience. Maybe I was an unwise person for giving in to my conscience, and being too stupid to appreciate a free pizza. But I think the real lesson is that if you let being embarrassed get in the way of doing the right thing, then your conscience will catch up with you.
I think this reflects the saying, "A coward (懦夫) dies a thousand deaths, a hero
dies one." I was a coward and have felt terrible about that incident at least a thousand times. If I had been a "hero" and gone back up to pay for the pizza, then I would have felt a little embarrassed about it only once, or maybe twice.