<Author>Michael</Author>
<Topic>Don't Hesitate to Say "No"</Topic>
<Source>CET6 Composition Topic of Janurary 1999</Source>
<Nationality>USA</Nationality>
Sometimes we say "no" to someone who asks for help, or perhaps we do not say "no" when we should. Why does this happen? Maybe we are very busy and don't want to take the time out of our own schedules to help someone else. In the United States, if we are driving along a busy or isolated road as a man standing beside the road asks us for help, we might be fearful that he will rob us. Sometimes we simply don't want to be involved in other people's problems. Sometimes, when I see a stalled car or an accident, instead of stopping in busy traffic, I will simply call "911" which contacts us with the police, and then the police can come and assist with the problem. Sometimes, we pass by less fortunate people who are asking for money. At the same time, in safe situations, Americans often are very generous in providing help to someone in need. Chinese also are very helpful to international guests, children, or older people and are basically kind, and help these groups without saying "no."
There are times when we do not say" no" when we should do so. H someone is asking us to engage in illegal or immoral activity, we certainly should say "no. Sometimes, however, we say yes, perhaps naively when we should indeed say, "No. This can get us in a lot of trouble with the law, or even with our own values and sense of correct behavior. Sometimes, we think that no harm will be done, either to ourselves or others. But this is not always true. We may find ourselves in difficult situations if we say "yes" when we should say "no." A number of young Chinese men tell me that even though they know the harmful health risks of smoking, or by an excess amount of alcohol, if they are offered a cigarette or too much alcohol by a business man, they would not say "no" as they need to learn how to operate in the business road. This is unfortunate, as such actions might lead to addictive behaviors and bad health.
We should always judge carefully when it is right to say" no," and when we should always think about why "no" might be better than "yes.