A costly lesson about free things.

(Baonghean) - Today Bim went online and excitedly read me a funny story: "There was a barber who decided to give free haircuts to customers for a week to celebrate the opening of his shop."

"The first customer was Italian, so the next day the barber got a free pizza. The second customer was French, so the next day the barber got ten delicious French loaves of bread. The third customer was Vietnamese, so the next day ten other Vietnamese people were waiting outside the shop for a free haircut." After telling the story, Bim burst out laughing, and I frowned and asked her:

Why is Bim laughing?

- Because those other customers are so foolish; only Vietnamese people are the smartest, knowing how to take advantage of the opportunity to get a free haircut. Who would ever refuse something that's given for free?

Her answer made me think for a moment. Was that truly a sign of wisdom, or was it a selfish way of thinking, chasing after small gains without realizing how much we've lost?

I'm reminded of the ridiculous story of Hanoi residents scrambling to climb over fences and "rush" into West Lake Water Park after hearing that entry was free. It's unclear how much money they saved, but all I saw was overcrowding, pushing and shoving, cramped pools, and poor hygiene. Even shameful incidents occurred, such as groups of young men ganging up to bully and harass female visitors. Clearly, in that situation, there was no joy to be found; only shock and sadness at the uncivilized behavior of some young people. Before people could even finish lamenting the above story, a statement from the park manager made me laugh uncontrollably: "There was no harassment here; the problem lies in the quality of the swimwear." At this point, one truly has to take their hat off to this naive yet… tasteless way of thinking.

Because that is the mindset of those who turn a blind eye to vices and reprehensible phenomena in society. When they see and hear undeniable facts, they distort and obscure the truth, diverting public opinion from the perpetrator to the victim. Is it because they don't dare speak out against or criticize the wrongdoing; because the source of the ugliness is related to them; or simply because the victim is the weaker party, and attacking the weak is always easier? All these reasons stem from one root: cowardice, indifference, and even cruelty when faced with choices, opinions, and actions in the face of social injustice.

Of course, those ugly seeds are present within each of us because the light and dark sides of human nature always coexist. The ultimate determining factor in whether a person turns to good or evil depends on their surrounding environment. Therefore, in this story, the victim is not entirely blameless. After all, if people hadn't flocked to the park, there wouldn't have been such chaos and loss of control, creating an opportunity for those with ill intentions to act.

Speaking of free things, in essence, this is a form of marketing, product promotion, or attracting public attention. However, this also gives rise to many distortions, the most dangerous of which is "corrupting" consumers. The effectiveness of a free campaign relies on curiosity, interest, or, more negatively, the "greed" of consumers. Gradually, consumers will develop a habit of liking free things, leading to a distorted mindset about consumption habits, causing social disorder and imbalance.

Remember that nothing is truly free. Everything is an exchange, perhaps we just haven't immediately recognized the price of what we receive. We must cultivate the habit of being willing to pay (or exchange in other forms) for something of real value. Only then will we learn to appreciate value and improve our quality of life, leaving no room for the ugly seeds within us to sprout.

Hai Trieu