During my last meeting with my Korean student, we exchanged some travel experience during holiday season. She went to Spain. I went to Italy last Thanksgiving. She said there were plenty of signs warning people against pickpockets. I shared with her a picture that I took in Italy. You often see it in places of tourist attractions.
Beware of pickpockets sign greeted us as soon as we landed on Venice
She shared this experience with me, "Once I was walking in Paris. I felt someone pulled my backpack. I looked back and saw two girls were unzipping my backpack and was thrusting her hand into it. I held tight my bag and shouted at them, "What are you doing?" They acted like nothing wrong had ever happened, not feeling a shade of shame."
I told her, while in some culture, stealing is considered a shame, a wrongdoing, in some culture people may not share the same moral values, especially when they are deprived. For them, stealing meaning sharing with the "rich." No sense of shame at all.
There is a Chinese saying that connects hard work with rewards in life, 人生在勤，不索何获？(Rén-shēng zài-qín, bù suǒ hé huò) That is, The key in life lies in diligence. No pain, no gain.
The idea that only those who work hard should be rewarded is very much rooted in the principles of meritocracy and the belief that hard work should be recognized and rewarded. Otherwise, what's the point of working your ass off?
But the reality involves much more complexity. Some people may emphasize factors like socio-economic familial background, arguing that it is not fair to those who don't have the equal starting point and the same access to resources.
Today, my daughter works till 11 pm because she is a true believer of 人生在勤，不索何获？