Occidental people have the culture of sharing. They share something with others. That's very nice. We should think of the future of the earth. A throwaway society would not be good.

Japanese don't like sharing. Japanese sometimes own something in common. That is not sharing. Are Japanese stingy?

Occidental people have the culture of donation. Japanese also donate. But Japanese like to donate less than Occidental people. Japanese think donation should be done by anonymity. If donation is good, anonymity is not necessary. Why? Japanese are shy?

After the huge earthquake in 2011 in the East Japan, Masayoshi Son who is the CEO of the big IT company donated 100 million dollars for damaged people. Some people praised him. Other people blamed him. Japanese donate by anonymity. He donated without anonymity. Japanese don't like that. Why?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masayoshi_Son

Japanese don't have the culture of donation or sharing like as Occidental people. But Japanese have the culture of conceding.

Japanese conceding is not like as the conceding of Occidental people. For Japanese conceding is the best virtue. It is the base of Japanese morality. Japanese conceding is different from others'. That is very important. I will tell you.

For example, there are 5 persons who are starving. They have only a piece of bread.

What do you do?

Occidental people would share the bread fairly.

Japanese people don't share. I can imagine the situation as reality. A person says, "I am well. I need not the bread. You should eat it." Another person says, "I am well, too. You should eat it." All 5 persons say so. A person says, "Then, I think the youngest child or the eldest person should eat it, because of weakness." Other persons agree. The youngest or the eldest person says, "I cannot eat it because you are patient. Please share." Another person says, "No. If you eat it, we get vigor. You should eat it for us."

In 1995, we had very terrible huge earthquake in Japan. More than 6000 people died. That was like the hell. Big cities were destroyed in a flash.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hanshin_earthquake

I had been there as a volunteer. I saw the following scene 9 days after the earthquake.

Then people didn't have enough food yet. Many people were hungry. At noon, the government distributed many box lunches. They were put on the stand in the athletic ground. Nobody took them. Lunches were put for an hour. I asked a man why he didn't take it. He said, "I am well. There are many people who are babies, kids, the sick, the elderly or other weak. I can take it after them." I asked some other persons. Everybody said the same thing.

For Japanese conceding is quite natural and basic moral. If I don't concede, am I punished? No, but I will be blamed. Ruth Benedict, the author of "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword", said that Japan has a 'shame' culture. I know Occidental people think so. But Japanese would not think 'shame' culture.

We are said, "If you don't concede, you will lose your happiness finally." That words show the law of cause and effect. Conceding is not a social rule. If I describe with such words, you may misunderstand. However I don't know other ways to describe. I concede for myself, because what I concede will come back to me perhaps with another form which I don't expect but perhaps which will give me better future than I expect.

Occidental people think "Giving is good. I will have much to give others." Saying with short words, "Giving after having." That seems right.

On the other hand, Japanese think "Giving is good. I will concede for others." Saying with short words, "Giving before having." That seems strange.

If I give something before I have it, I cannot get it and I will lose. That is right. But the law of cause and effect says another wisdom. Giving before having, I can make a good cause for my future.