The World of Confucian Chivalry

The world of Confucian Chivalry was created a triumvirate writers composed of Louis Cha (Jing Yong), Gu Long and Liang Yusheng. The three magnates formed the framework and contributed the main contents of this tremendous Oriental magic land which is beyond the understanding and grasp of English-only readers. Taken for instance, one of the title translations, The Book and the Sword, translated by a western scholar and published by Oxford University Press, is nonetheless a toning-down and simplification of the original Chinese title.

It’s really hard for the western readers to get a hand on the so-called Chinese WuXia genre, or let me use an analogy, the genre of Oriental Chivalry or Confucian Chivalry. It’s a contemporary Chinese literature genre which enamored almost the whole Chinese community, domestic and worldwide. Basically, the fictions of Confucian Chivalry tell the story of the so-called Chinese knights and the oriental chivalry associated with them.

The Chinese knights lived in the Chinese dynastic eras and needed not to be conferred by the royal house. No patent was needed to create a Chinese knight. The knighthood was in the heart of those destined. Also, they were born of Confucian spirits and were meant for some great journeys which always would produce empathy among the readers who are also deep-rooted in the Confucian heritage.

Most of all, the heroes depicted by the writers were often of humble births and worked all their way up the social ladder by series of lucky encounters. Much like a modern computer game, the good fortune is always the mechanism for the upbringing of an apprentice. The apprentice would manage to build the strongest mental and physical power, and excel the rest. The Chosen One, just as Harry Porter, figuratively speaking.

The Gongfu movie which later swung and changed the Hongkong film industry as well as the major Chinese movie genre ever landed in Hollywood, was spawned by the fictions of the WuXia genre. As portrayed by the Gongfu movies, the heroes always could perform stunts beyond the capacity of a normal man. Such as flying above the roofs, controlling stuff through the manipulation of field conjured by mental power, and even the magic touch of a finger could destroy a subject. However, more astounding stunts described in the books are off the limits to the modern cinematography.

Meditation is one of the main methods of training a Confucian knight. The mental power is far stronger than the physical strength that could be acquired through earthly exercise. The mental power is infinite and beyond imagination. Actually, no one can achieve the ultimate level, or the ultimate level is beyond any secular experience that has ever happened. It’s like a pilgrimage to the holy temple, and only to find an unfathomable, extraterrestrial being. It’s called GOD in the western hemisphere and known as DAO in oriental world.

The guidance is the teachings of Confucius. By following Confucius’ practices, an apprentice could pursue the right road leading to the holy place. However, the achievements of a Confucian knight apprentice would not be only judged by the power he accumulated but also by the merits he culminated. A chivalrous heart could always achieve higher level of Gongfu and put his strengths to the use of the poor and oppressed.

The final judge of a Confucian knight is the transcendence of the smallness of oneself and the reaching of the highest level of humanity. That’s also the purpose of Confucian. Ultimate sacrifice would always be the final call to the culmination of a Confucian knight. For nation, for family and for friendship, a broad spectrum of love is always the theme. And for most of the time, the hero is the center of a great tragedy, personal sacrifice leading to the prevalence of collective purpose. However, most of the finales would always provide a satisfactory ending and revealing the eagerness of the writers to please their readers. That’s another reason for the popularity of this kind of fictions. Always the feelings of the readers are assuaged and pacified by a happy ending no matter how the rescue had gone off human logic. And maybe that’s one of the reasons this genre is less recognized by the scholar world.

The financial situations are seldom mentioned in these fictions. It looks like the heroes were born into good financial status. Or a growing social standing was the byproduct of the development of a Confucian knight. Sometimes, the protagonist was granted property and wealth by the then royal house, or local magistrate. Sometimes, the protagonist developed connection with nobles, and therefore gained fortune through trading services. Or, sometimes, the protagonist was in the hands of kindhearted local landowners and marriage was always the solution. Anyway, most of the protagonists could make use of their talents in exchange for personal wealth. Or they could choose to stay poor which is one of the teachings by Confucius.

Well, at the last, let’s touch upon the three giants in the realm of Confucius Chivalry. Liang Yusheng could be the most traditional writer of the three. Even he wrote the chapter titles of his fictions in the form of traditional Chinese poems. Most of his works took the style of traditional Chinese literature and fabricated with significant amount of Chinese traditional poems and conversation style. Also Chinese history lays the foundation of his works. He altogether accomplished a total of 33 fictions.

Jing Yong is a contemporary of Liang Yusheng. And the two worked in suit with each other to kick off the Wu Xia fiction age. Although Jing Yong finished only 14 fictions altogether, but his achievement transcended Liang’s in a great leap. Jing Yong perhaps is the most influential contemporary Chinese writer and all his works have been adapted to movies or TV sitcoms. Jing Yong is a household name among Chinese community and even the characters of his books have entered the daily language vocabulary.

Gu Long is the youngest of the three and writes in the most modern style. He tends to write little of the scene of a fight which is the climax of a Wu Xia fiction but dedicate most of the volume to the development of the plot which carries only one topic, LOVE. He is the most radical of the three and rid of the vestige of traditional Chinese literature. He broke off with the old legacy and leaned more towards English classics such as Ernest Hemingway.

Cromwell versus Shangyang

The idea to put Thomas Cromwell and Shangyang in juxtaposition is inspired by their paths of life. Thomas Cromwell, the Chief Minister under King Henry VIII of English, lived from 1485-1540 AD; Shangyang, one of the Chief Ministers under Emperor Xiao of China Qin Dynasty, lived from 390-338 BC. The two tried to enforce reformation which would change the landscape of European history and ancient China history. Both had origins of plebian. Both with the full support of kings uprooted the then existing societal system. With the upheavals in minds, both were executed later by king for their reformation interfered and vitiated the powers and benefits of imperialists and nobilities.

Thomas Cromwell, an English statesman also the son of a clothworker/smith/house keeper(different accounts), rose to power for offering advocacy to King Henry VIII’s religious reformation which broke English from the control of Rome Papacy. Though King Henry VIII’s purpose was to denounce the marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, the mother of famous Elizabeth I. King Henry VIII was a devoted Catholic to the Pope of Rome. But under the old Rome Catholic church system, the Pope of Rome would deny Henry VIII’s request of the announcement of a null marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon.

Catherine of Aragon was also the aunt of the then King of Spain, Emperor Charles V, who put the then Pope of Rome in prison. After King Henry VIII was bewitched by Anne Boleyn, whose action was under the maneuver of her father, Sir Thomas Boleyn. Being an ambitious statesman, Thomas Boleyn first sent his elder daughter, Mary Boleyn, to be the mistress of King Henry VIII. After Mary lost Henry VIII’s favor, Anne Boleyn was arranged to flirt with Henry VIII. And the king fell into the trap. Under Anne’s insistence, Henry VIII resolved to divorce Queen Catherine and establish Anne as the Queen of England. That’s where Cromwell seized the opportunity to rise to power.

Cromwell first served under the Cardinal Wolsey who tried to mediate between the King Henry VIII and Pope of Rome to achieve the goal of divorce but failed. And Cromwell rode the waves and became the strongest advocate of His Majesty. In order to break away from Rome Church, Cromwell pushed the religious reformation, which made the King Henry VIII the head of England Church. Also, Cromwell put force a radical eradication of Catholic churches and their influences in England. A great societal upheaval was detonated, and not only some court members and royal family members were dissatisfied with the reformation, even a plebian rebellion was sparked which for once frightened His Majesty, King Henry VIII. However, the breakaway gave England the opportunity to enjoy autonomy and later developed different social and law system which, under the Elizabeth I, created the era of Great Britain Empire.

Yang, also a son of plebian, was raised to learn the law and jurisdiction system. By then, the ancient China Kingdom was broke into numerous small states, and the power of the ancient East Zhou Empire was eclipsing. Those ambitious Dukes were actively recruiting intellectuals and smart statesman to beef up their own strength. Before Yang, there were a few jurisprudents such as Wu Qi began to spread the importance of law and its supremacy. One background tip, during the Zhou Dynasty, the very beginning of China civilization, law and jurisprudence was under their very earliest age of development.

Enamored by the theories advocated by legists, Yang spent great amount of time studying law books and their applications. Yang was noticed by the chancellor of Duke of Wei. He was recommended to the Duke of Wei upon the chancellor’s death. The chancellor said to the Duke to use Yang as the future chief minister, or deprive his right of life in case of no interest. The chancellor warned the loss of Yang to other states would be a disaster to Wei. However, after the passing away of the chancellor, Wei ignored either his recommendation or the warning. Yang left State of Wei and went to State of Qin. The duke of Qin, Xiao, was experiencing great military failure and invested heavily to recruit the most talented person nationwide.

Yang managed to talk to Xiao, Duke of Qin, and had the duke prevailed. Eager and thirsty for new policy to strengthen his power, Xiao gave Yang the full power and support. Named one of his chief ministers, the only one non-royal family member of the four chief ministers, Yang was granted the full control of the reformation. And he began to press his way. By then, royal family members were above laws, and in order to demonstrate the supremacy of laws, Yang even punished the tutors of princes and received the oppressed acquiescence from royal family members and nobilities. Also, in order to enrich the Qin state treasury, Yang enforced laws to confiscate the lands once owned by nobilities. The nobilities championed the old instituted political system of Empire Xia, Shang, and Zhou, whereas Yang debated the once successful political system couldn’t adapt to new situations. Not to mention, the reformation pushed by Yang striped the inherited benefits away from nobilities.

Under Yang’s reformation, Qin sailed into prosperity and finally was able to defeat all the states and unite the whole nation. Empire Qin was born with the blessing of Yang’s reformation. Yang once was awarded with the state of Shang, and he was later remembered as Shangyang. However, the next Emperor was so dissatisfied with Yang, bearing in mind whose tutor was punished by Yang, also with the encouragements of those nobilities who hated Yang so much, that the Emperor sealed Yang’s miserable ending. Shangyang was executed alive by four chariots, which torn his body apart. And Yang’s family was destroyed entirely.

Cromwell suffered the same fate. His head was cut off and boiled and spiked on a rod for public display. That’s the fate of reformers, doomed from the beginning. People would wonder if there is any way for a successful reformer to maintain a blessed ending. However, no mater whatever the personal consequences, Cromwell and Yang were able to change the land of Europe and the land of China forever.

Octavian vs. K’ang-hsi

Recently when I am half way through the book, the Penguin History of Europe, I suddenly came to an involuntary comparison of Octavian, the great “Augustus” in ancient Roman time, and K’ang-hsi (Kangxi), the great emperor of China Qing dynasty.

Though the idea is quaint, the possibility is highly recommendable. Some similar characteristics of the two great ancient leaders, one in the Occidental from 63 BC to 19 Ad, one in the Oriental from 1654-1722, can be found easily. 

First, the longevity of the two emperors. Octavian outlived many of his contemporaries, even some among his next generation died before him. The longevity of Octavian is an odd phenomenon in Roman time, since most of the population couldn’t make even their thirties. In an era of turbulence, watermarked by “Dark Age”, endless wars and domestic violence gulped lives like those lives were not in existence at all. On the other hand, Kang-hsi was lauded one of the longest lived emperors in China ancient history. Though he short lived Octavian several years, the comparability is still reasonable. The longevity of both guaranteed a certain length of peace time for both peoples. The Romans acquired a respite of rest under Octavian’s reign, and several civilization achievements were able to come into being. The same applies to Kang-hsi, the years under Kang-hsi’s reign was accredited “Prosperous Era of Kang-hsi” and he laid the foundation for his successor, “Prosperous Era of Qianlong”.

Second, both suffered the agonized period of young ages under another ambitious regent. Octavian has to fight Antony, who has an affair with Octavian’s mother, Atia, the sister of Caesar, the dictator of Roman Republic. And Kang-hsi has to manage to survive under the regentship of Oboi, since he came into throne only at age of seven. However, Octavian had already grown up to 19 when he was adopted by Caesar when the famous assassination occurred. Under the maneuver of a smart mother, Atia, Octavian along with his own achieved intellectual mentality managed to live and survive and crashed Antony finally in the later Rome-Egypt War. But Kang-hsi is not that lucky. At the age of 15, under the support of the Grand Dowager Empress, Xiaozhuang, he arrested Oboi and claimed the full throne without an army. Xiaozhuang, the legendary empress of Qing Dynasty, a smart, decent and long-lived lady, was behind the looming prosperity of later emperors. The comparison of Xiaozhuang and Atia, both the ladies behind a thriving ancient empire, could generate interesting findings for the women’s influence in the occidental and oriental history.

Third, both are warmongers. During Octavian and Kang-hsi’s whole life, both fought against external foreign nations as well as domestic rebellions. And under warfare, that the two great emperors were able to stabilize internal societal status as well as expand into larger territories never being forgotten by history. Octavian suppressed the other triumvirs during the first and second triumvirate periods. And his coldness and iron hand murdered as many senators as possible. Also, he sought opportunities to initiate wars against his enemies inside and outside. Finally he claimed the title of Roman Emperor, and under his series military campaigns, the Roman Empire was able to expand and realize its “sovereignty without limit”. One of Kang-hsi’s achievements was to stall the invasion of Mongol and Russian Empires. At the time around 1700, Russian Empire thrived under the reign of Peter the Great, and kept a strong nation well into 19 centuries. Also, Mongol clans were eyeing at China territory for long. The conflicts led to wars and Kang-hsi himself as commander in chief fought with Mongols. Finally Qing signed a treaty and fixed a border with Russia. And though the harassing of Mongols lasted longer Qing finally defeated the efforts of invasion. Also, Kang-hsi initiated the wars against the three Feudatories. Among them, the wars with Wu Sangui, the most powerful feudatory, was the most legendary. It took several years to overthrow the internal rebellions. And finally, Kang-hsi rejoiced in his empire without limit, though confined to oriental boundary.

Interesting similarities can be found if you delve into mountainous historical materials. However, the societal settings are in sharp difference. The ancient Rome had established the idea of Republic and built up the rudimentary Senate system. Democracy was a prevalent ideology even Octavian had to bend his head, though he stole the dictatorship in a stealthy way. And Europeans never get used the idea of one uniform and culturally homogenous kingdom for thousands of years. The existence of many nations on the land of Europe gave the birth to the quintessential modern democracy system, United States. On the contrary, Chinese for thousands of years are under the mentality of one nation one people. Since the prevalence of Confucius Doctrine, Chinese always seek to unite under one nation. Against the rebels of feudatories, China stays one nation.

Dark Matter

First of all, I never thought that a visit to DVDPlay booth on a whim would bring the DARK MATTER to me. I never thought I would rent such a title without any fame. But after read the short pitch lines, I learnt that this movie is about how a Chinese student couldn’t fit into American culture and finally got his American dream somehow busted. Then I guess maybe it’s just an indie film that somehow weirdly appears on the screen of DVDPlay machine. So, without much thinking, or apparently there are not many choices since I’ve kinda of exhausted those titles, I rented it.

First shock, the male lead is Liu Ye. So creepy that actually I knew Liu Ye is more of a domestic actor, but he just popped out of screen! Dark Matter. What’s that mean? Or Liu Ye somehow managed to improve his English skills so as to escalate to international stage? But wait a minute, as the reel rolling forward, for the first several chapters Liu Ye just spoke rather awkward English. Does he play dumb here? Or just a trick?

Second shock, the female lead is Meryl Streep. Wait…..am I out of my mind? Liu Ye and Meryl Streep? The Meryl Streep in Lion for Lamb(2008), with Toms Hanks? The Meryl Streep in Doubt(2009)? The Meryl Streep showed up in the latest Oscar Award Ceremony? Yeah, that’s her! The award winning actress! What the hell is she doing here? Then she’s playing this American lady who kinda of falling love with Chinese culture or even some obsessions, and she’s trying to be the sheepherder to Chinese students on her premises.

Then, here is the story. A young Chinese student (starred by Liu Ye), whose parents are just rural workers working in mine and textile mills and living around poverty line, came to U.S. and continued his study in the field of cosmology. Apparently, he was the most brilliant student in the lab under the supervision of the renowned professor. At the beginning, everything looked bright and promising and an exciting future was waiting ahead. Liu Xing, the name of the protagonist, embraced the freedom of academic reach and the rich resources of equipments, facilities and pure academic environment, soon emerged himself totally into the world of Dark Matter(a emerging theory that could explain the origin of cosmos). And soon, he started to shine. He has the confidence to conquer a Nobel Prize. But as innocent and naïve as a devoted scholar would be, his academic ambition soon was confronted by his professor who would not allow any defiance against his established stature. Since the theory that Lin Xing was formulating would override his theory, he decided to compromise and even hamstring Lin Xing’s endeavors. Liu Xing couldn’t graduate and the ring over his head was deprived by a clandestine clan, a small group of professors on the academic board. Unable to figure out a way out, Liu Xing decided to resort to gun and bullet. He shot several guys including the professor in the front of a public speaking opportunity. And he shot himself dead at last.  

It’s a tragedy. And I like the film depicted several familiar and typical scenes of international student life here in U.S. But I don’t like the story. Although the film is based on real event, the whole film demeaned the community of Chinese international student. Also the whole film makes the American Dream a cheap joke. You can see the hallmark of racist everywhere in the film. The Chinese student who decided to follow the professor blindly just for academic awards or jobs from big corporation with the professor’s reference, loyalty in exchange for material benefits is a reality for international students. It’s not a story of thriving, but a story of surviving. Yeah, after so many years since 1976 Deng Xiaoping reformation, Chinese students in U.S. are still on the fringe of American dream and only find a way to survive. Most of Chinese students with engineering major basically are cheap labors for U.S. professors. The exploitation of Chinese talents render an invisible sweat shop on the campus of U.S. universities. All right, that’s the price to pay for the realization for American dream, from the perspective of Chinese international students, that’s fair. But, the film, Dark Matter, contorts the idea and shifted it in a different angle that makes the Chinese students some despicable guys. That’s not faire.

 Anyway, it’s your turn to watch it and let me know your opinion.

Boundary

In the “Legend of Seeker”, there was a boundary separated the world apart in the middle age. The boundary was composed of magic power and in the form of amorphous energy wall which could destroy any trespasser who dared even a look at the other side of the world. And the analogy is applied to this world as well. The boundary of culture.

It’s really hard to say the boundary of culture could be of such atrocious power as to slay every creature trying to break through. But the soft side of the counter effect would almost exert such detrimental influence as to deter any further communication. So people on either side starts to surmise the life on the other side and often the judgments are based on the experience gained on the half world that the reckoning one inhabits.

And the boundary of culture most of the time takes the guise of different languages. People would imply depend on translation as the weapon to penetrate. Or at least to cast of crackle. Such innocent people knows no power of culture shocks. Since they have no knowledge of the other side, when confronting the challenge of translation, they usually resort to explaining phenomenon by making analogy to the common sense of the world they are living in. So the blindness makes them assume things on the other side should follow no exception other than their experience. If things go awry, the bigotry often would try to act as the Procruste, the notorious Greek pirate who cut legs of civilians according to the same table size.

Thus the boundary begins to resist the efforts of merging. First, the boundary will blur the far from uncovered the truth, wielding the power of misunderstanding. Like the hatreds to communism traditionally has been held by a typical western politician. During the Vietnam war, the excuse of balking communism was once widely exploited by the U.S. government to encourage American soldiers to frontline. Or let’s look at the 60s civil right movement in U.S. The denial of equal civilian rights to black people and the battle of societal equality took the form of bloody street fights, gun shots and deaths. Now there is an African American President of United States. The newly elected chieftain of different color of skin is tasting the victory of a century long grudge and rebel.

Such is the power of cultural boundary. One can not simple rely on translation to grip the essences of the other side of the world. One needs to trudge a long way and bears the extremity of suffering and lands the foot on the other side of the world. And most important of all, he can embrace the essences while absorb the energy of shocks. The he can understand the happenings and the underlying rationale, and also the causality between happenings. And most of all, he can refer back to the counterparts in his own country and let the people back home understand the difference by relating to their own experiences. Once broke through and settled a footing on the ground of the other side of the world, the boundary is about to shatter.

However, such feat is not an common achievement. That’s the purpose of taking down the Babel Tower, which God knows the power of unity and solidarity among human beings can accomplish. Thus God separates human beings by making them speak different languages and gradually evolves into isolated countries surrounded by boundaries of cultures. By the ways, God knows no human being can compete with the divine power.

YesTerday is B-Day!

YesTerday is B———-ig Day! But, yesterday is gone. So quick. You couldn’t feel it. But, however, unfortunately, it’s gone.

 

Maybe it’s a big day in you life, like yesterday in Barack Obama’s life. His inauguration and swearing-in as President of United States. “God bless you. God bless of United States of America!” He hailed. But, that’s yesterday’s blessing. Not Today’s.

 

I like this saying from somewhere, but I don’t know. It goes like this, “My life is not an apology, it’s a life.” I do like. No mater how apologized you feel for yesterday, how awful the mistake you made yesterday, how disastrous you life was ruined yesterday, it’s gone. There is nothing you can do to make yesterday right.

 

But today, you can do something, maybe not big but really tiny effort, like brushing your shoes. Like many other normal days that have past away, no significant increase at sight or sensible, just another day. But, keep going, keep rolling, keep pushing, somehow, you find a bit of something in the pit of your stomach is fermenting.

 

Life is a magic. You can’t see the chicken before it cracks the shell. And even before that, no one can tell how the elements can pull together and give birth to a life. Out of nowhere, a life is born. It’s a transformation in a split second. The previous changes within the microscopic level are no seen to eyes. It just happens.

 

No, it doesn’t just happen. It takes a long time to form a life. Drawing all the necessary components into one purpose, with a spirit in the core, all the time hard working, the cells take great pain and hurt to break through and merge with other cells to form different part of a life. And the final breakout takes the life-or-death exertion. Like the long-time scream let out from the mouth of a pregnant mother in labor. Sometimes, the mother dies in order to give birth.

 

So, when you work hard, for a long long long time, no blessing from God, no progress at sight, no payoff showing off. You don’t just give up. You don’t just go around. You don’t just mess yourself up. It can take years to the one night birth.

 

You just stick to it. Do you best today. Let God decide tomorrow. No matter bad or good the result, you are at peace.

Today is B-Day!

The inauguration of Barack Obama! The 44^th U.S. president! The first ever African American President!

2 millions spectaculars on spot! And millions more on-line/via TV watching the whole ceremony! Even when at work! Yeah, today is no public holiday. But, it’s the holiday for all the Americans! Especially African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans!

“Today is a justice day!” One of colleagues yelled out from her cubicle, who is an African American girl. Aren’t you exited?! My office was holding a small luncheon celebration! Boss ordered in different kinds of foods, and turned the meeting room into a merry whirl! 

The swore-in of Barack Obama is of paramount significance to folks like you and me. It holds something you always dream of and fancy about. Don’t get loose, don’t get frightened, don’t slip away! Believe something! Something is good enough to happen only you can hang around long enough to make it happen!

Today is B-Day! Big big big day! 

No matter you believe it or not, it’s happening. The parade of celebration is paving forward. The advancing of Barack Obama is crunching over the white house! Millions of millions of ordinary people, deep grass-root, are witnessing this historical moment, with their own eyes. Something big can happen in real life, not only on the screen of Hollywood blockbuster. 

From the very beginning, not a single voter could foresee this day. Sarcasm, disbelieving, mocking, even humiliating are the core of the origin of this humble campaign. It’s a true story, a perfect movie material, an invigorating spirit. 

Let me be you hero! Somehow, I believed Obama would repeat it to himself all the way to the peak. Don’t let down, don’t give up, don’t fool around, get up, pick up, let’s do it! Let’s do it again! Let’s do it once again! Let’s do it a thousand times again! Let’s rock!

I am so awed by Michelle, the first ever African American first lady. She looks so grace on screen. The aura of first lady doesn’t make her haughty, presumptuous, or pride. She’s not Her Highness. She’s she. Mild, easy, nice and soothing. She’s the power of calm. Sufferings soaked her, sucked her, but strengthened her! 

You need a wonderful woman to brace you up! Man. 

What else to say? Speechless is the current reaction right now. Taciturn is not the result of cowering, but the roaring and rolling of a stronger inside power! When hurt can’t ruffle you any more, you are invincible!

Let’s hail the B-Day!

Man Flies

As of the first blog for year 2009, I particularly don’t feel such a strong desire to writing. The deeper I get closer to the local community and people, via meetup.com, thanks God invented this genius website and also craigslist.org, and I know the way is there and I’ve found it.

Today is Martin Luther King Day, my boss hasn’t particularly asked me to come in office, so I took today off. Wanna a refresh and rethink of the next few days left on Jan of 2009. I’ve devoured several books since entered Year 2009. And tomorrow, should witness the magic day of American history, the inauguration of Barack Obama. Hmm, the first African American President. My former roommate, Regina, told me with amazing enthusiasm how this poor origin guy managed his way up to the apex of his life, the life of any African American since the founding of U.S.

Man Flies.

Last Saturday, I went to Michigan avenue, and bought a watch from Cartier as one of my friend asked, and happened to read several pages of this book, Man Flies. It’s about the man invented balloon, who conquered air. The story of Alberto Santos-Dumont, Master of the Balloon, Conqueror of the Air. This man is rarely known, at least less than the famous Brother Wright. But somehow, a journalist strived all the way, jotting down all the details, and scavenging the old dusted documents in libraries to trace down this should get acclaimed man.

A man of free will and strong mind can fly.

Martin Luther King is a man of free will and strong mind and full of dedication. He knows something deep down his heart stirring him all the times. He won’t get at peace until he find his own place. Somewhere off the earth. Somewhere aloft in the air. Somewhere one can’t get without extraordinary efforts and sacrifice. It takes great pain to get away from mother earth and even deep hurt to fly. Cutting loose from ties and posts is not something usual. Free will, strong mind, solid dedication, and final release won’t come easy way. It’s like barefoot walking on top of bed of nails, each step forward taking great pain and blood shedding to receive its forwarding. That’s the price to pay.

And the endurance, for God sake, who knows will last how long. But, that’s the grind stone. You walk out the thorns a soldier. You walk out the darkness a commander. You are captain of your soul. That’s the final payoff. No matter how many times you get pissed off, you manage to pick yourself up and rise up the first thing next morning. And you learn patience, sticking to details, navigating across potholes, the art of slowing down and gearing up, forestalling potential dangers, maneuvering each step up your ladder…….The wisdom of life comes into your mind, your body, your heart and finally merges with you, making you a veteran.

It’s not the war time that can make a man a man, but the peace days. The longer you wrestle with your own mind, the longer you survive, and the longer you stick around, the better chance you can resurrect as a free mind and a flying man.

Man can fly.

A Fine Balance

Rohinton Mistry wanna steal the heart of his readers. The book, A Fine Balance, is no balance at all. And if you wanna deeply hurt the feelings of a stranger, a tragedy will do the magic. That’s what A Fine Balance strenuously working on.

 

While, this is really a sad story while Rohinton painted a broad picture of the Indian society at large in 1970s. He picked several typical normal people and pull their separate lives out of the amalgamated messy and miserable and meshed lives with each own class. The magic he plays with was to put these characters from different tracks of life together and see what happens while letting those characters acting autonomously.

 

Some very basic background hopped here. There were five castes of people in the old India society while the shadow of the ingrained heritage still lingering today after it being uprooted around 1980s. The rule is once you are in one caste, and then there is no way out. The weight of keeping order of social hierarchy is out of everyone’s burden. And the cruelty of keeping cut the border and shoveling out every attempt of breaching is not at the cost of life. Torture, endless unimaginable and inhumane, will smash every bit of wanting fight and defiantly deny the succumbed body a finale.

 

That’s what dumfounded my mind, blowing my mind all the way to inability faint. While I was reading the part Narayan was tortured to death only for his little oral offence and his little efforts trying to break a small hole on the wall between castes. Allow me jump the description of his tortures. That’s so cruel way beyond your moral capacity. I don’t want to nauseate your good appetite.

 

But the fall of Narayan is not the most surprised design by Rohinton for his character. Hint from the name of the book, A Fine Balance, what balance could be ahead for the heavy darkness shrouded life without any possible sighting of light?

 

After my racing through the 600 pages fiction, I only hit the abysmal of another dark night. And the supposed bubbles of hope with its flimsy deceiving sanguine colors burst out at last; a hope is succumbed to no hope at all. That’s what Rohinton’s treacherous pen bringing us up to.

 

At last, one young lad trying to fight his way out, committed suicide. The tailors ended up on the streets another pair of beggers. And the lady widow desperately exerted all her life away from what she detested, returned to the origin point and took the doom without any more resistance.

 

That’s something Rohinton wanna remind us. Always remember the struggles by small people in old time. While we have the chance of freedom and democracy to pursuit our own dream nowadays.

Freedom Writer

It’s been a while since my last writing. And I never thought this posting would be poked by a movie. Well, when the moment comes, I just couldn’t resist it.

 

Freedom Writers is a brilliant composition. And it’s a 2007 make movie though I never thought it could be so inspiring and touched. It’s about a teacher and her cohort of students full of colored origins in Long Beach, California.

 

This lady teacher, Erin Gruwell, has every want of getting to know her class which was a chaotic riot at the beginning. And the inducement of this problematic class was racial hatreds culminated in the 60s. Not only wars broke out between white and non-white, but also between the tribes within the colored people. They were suffering. These kids.

 

When it seems no one would come to their aide, these kids just simply gave it up. The only hope was to end up the day not dead. And no one even care about to this group and schism was tearing this group apart. It’s more like at the end of world, people just getting started preying on each. Eating fleshes just to get outlived others.

 

And this lady, Erin, put every bit of her sympathy with the sufferings of her students and chose to fight with them. Standing by her students, she sacrificed her marriage, taking additional jobs to supply the monetary needs for her education, and above all, fighting her own way against the board of school. A group of opinionated education practitioners who exerted every effort to balk her effort.

 

And in the middle of this long haul resurgence, Erin used the tool of journal letting her students jotting down any piece of life, the real life of her students, no matter how cruel and cold the reality was. And through this way, the students melt down to her heart and significantly achieved progress on her class, English.

 

I have no shame to tell you, that my tears couldn’t hold themselves but burst out of the constraint of the eye socket at one scene. When one of her student, reading aloud his diary, telling everyone in front of him, that how he was feeling hope again after he was evicted from his home and since then became homeless.

 

And the whole collection of student journal was published under the title of Freedom Writers Diary. And it’s a real story. Those kids later on founded thee Freedom Writers Foundation to assist any student with the same background.

 

And what hit me the most is the lines from this movie, roughly saying that we are normal people, and we are not heroes, but what we can do is to turn on a small light, at the small time, for another small people.