Morning Explosions

1. Writing is a tension between a need for self-expression and a need for acceptance.
2. One does not really know who he is until he interacts with others.
3. The clash of wills. The imposition of one's will upon others versus respect for truth and reality.
4. The contempt one has for some who are clearly inferior in intellect and sentiments and whether such contempt should ever be expressed publicly at all. The abhorrence of arrogance.
5. Contrast of education/training in the humanities versus training in science: human reality versus physical reality.
6. War as a topic of literary production. The tragedy of Vietnam War. The impact it has on the mindset of the Vietnamese.
7. Last but not least. Ah, poetry, the slippery terrain. Everybody should attempt to write poetry just to see how hard it is to put words together in a suggestive, moving, memorable, and yet musical way. The role of language, especially in poetry, in expressing thoughts and feelings. The current resistance against the VCP and China needs more memorable poems.