Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wissai's Alley
Wissai caught himself in the middle of penning another essay denouncing the pseudo scholar. Voice told him to stop the childish act and move on with nobler tasks. A man's measure is in his words. Be strong and magnanimous, Voice said. Enough said. Back to writing stories and learning languages and improving your mind. Don't be as petty as the ones you despise.
Post-Traumatic Disorder Syndrome(s)
Everybody has a cursory knowledge about mental disorders. Some use the terminology mental illnesses. We readily label somebody who has troubles maintaining a facade of normal behavior as sick or crazy. Then we read about people get all screwed up inside their head after being exposed to certain trauma. We call it Post-Traumatic Disorder Syndromes characterized by sleep difficulties, suicidal thoughts, inability to let go of certain memories associated with the traumatic events, excessive anger or irritability over small annoyances or problems. I just watched a report about the PTDS suffered by many soldiers of an American platoon sent to fight in Iraq. Many thoughts (one echoed from an assessment of an army psychiatrist) came to my mind when I was done watching the report:
1. War, or any intense, traumatic event, is an abnormal experience. Our feelings to the abnormal event, no matter how excessive or irrational or self-destructive those feelings which then may or may not manifest in actions, are normal. Only starting with this premise, do we embark on a road of understanding our reactions and thus recovery. We will no longer be the same prior to the trauma, but we could be indeed wiser and better, instead of worse, if we know how to confront the ghosts, i.e., the memories. Memories exist because they are useful for survival. We must recognize the function of memories and turn them into our allies, and not into our tormentors.
2. So, with this insight, I begin to understand and empathize with those Viet refugees from the long civil war and then from the oppressive Vietcong, and who now opt to have nothing to do with Vietnam. They simply want to be left alone so they can focus on their own personal lives. Dealing with higher impulses like patriotism and fighting against China's encroachment on Viet territory would be too much for them to handle. After all, to try to hold down a job and to preserve the harmony with their loved ones are tough enough challenges already.
3. War and post-war sufferings because of the VC are not the only traumas in life. We have had intense fights and quarrels with friends and strangers and bosses and relatives. Those fights and quarrels can be traumatic, too, and may lead to painful and persistent memories. How to deal with those memories in a rational manner and don't let them become pernicious forces that sap our energy or even destroy our peace of mind is a hallmark of a truly wise pman. Silence has been recommended as a tool to deal with the memories. But others argue that memories, by their nature, are not silent. They speak to us on a daily basis, sometimes very loudly. They insist on being heard and dealt with. So some of us become aggressive. Others wisely select the path of forgiveness. They forgive themselves and they forgive those who did them wrong. And healing starts. And PTDS begins to fade away. And the individuals become more at peace with themselves.
Further thoughts:
A certain traumatic event happened to us, leaving us unavoidably altered. We have two choices. Either we let it diminish us or we rise to the occasion and learn from it and become more understanding and wiser and thus better. After all, a man's life is nothing but the sum of his reactions to life's experiences.
Viet Cong, like many other individuals who have infuriated us for their greed, lies,
cowardice, and viciousness, left a permanent imprint on us. Either we let that imprint become a festering sore or we turn that imprint into a reminder not to
behave like them. The choice is up to us. Naturally, our inspirations should come from the examples of Lincoln and Mandela. So, we oppose the Viet Cong but we don't hate them with a passion. We don't dehumanize them as they have dehumanized us. We simply look at them as wayward Vietnamese who are not fit to lead Vietnam and must be replaced with those Viet who have love, compassion, self-respect, and patriotism. Once we succeed in removing them from power, we don't persecute them and we don't scream for their blood in the name of justice. They are still Vietnamese. They are still our brothers and sisters. We must not cut off our nose to spite our face. We will not behave like the Khmer Rouge.
Love and understanding are our cure. Only they can bring us peace. Anger, while a catalyst for actions, often leads to excesses. We must guard ourselves against anger, against self-righteousness, against feelings of victimhood as we don't wish to be blind as those who have done us wrong. We, ultimately, are not victims of anything or of anybody. We may suffer temporary setbacks, but we will always rise to the challenges and overcome them because we are stronger than the circumstances and those that have done us harm.
1. War, or any intense, traumatic event, is an abnormal experience. Our feelings to the abnormal event, no matter how excessive or irrational or self-destructive those feelings which then may or may not manifest in actions, are normal. Only starting with this premise, do we embark on a road of understanding our reactions and thus recovery. We will no longer be the same prior to the trauma, but we could be indeed wiser and better, instead of worse, if we know how to confront the ghosts, i.e., the memories. Memories exist because they are useful for survival. We must recognize the function of memories and turn them into our allies, and not into our tormentors.
2. So, with this insight, I begin to understand and empathize with those Viet refugees from the long civil war and then from the oppressive Vietcong, and who now opt to have nothing to do with Vietnam. They simply want to be left alone so they can focus on their own personal lives. Dealing with higher impulses like patriotism and fighting against China's encroachment on Viet territory would be too much for them to handle. After all, to try to hold down a job and to preserve the harmony with their loved ones are tough enough challenges already.
3. War and post-war sufferings because of the VC are not the only traumas in life. We have had intense fights and quarrels with friends and strangers and bosses and relatives. Those fights and quarrels can be traumatic, too, and may lead to painful and persistent memories. How to deal with those memories in a rational manner and don't let them become pernicious forces that sap our energy or even destroy our peace of mind is a hallmark of a truly wise pman. Silence has been recommended as a tool to deal with the memories. But others argue that memories, by their nature, are not silent. They speak to us on a daily basis, sometimes very loudly. They insist on being heard and dealt with. So some of us become aggressive. Others wisely select the path of forgiveness. They forgive themselves and they forgive those who did them wrong. And healing starts. And PTDS begins to fade away. And the individuals become more at peace with themselves.
Further thoughts:
A certain traumatic event happened to us, leaving us unavoidably altered. We have two choices. Either we let it diminish us or we rise to the occasion and learn from it and become more understanding and wiser and thus better. After all, a man's life is nothing but the sum of his reactions to life's experiences.
Viet Cong, like many other individuals who have infuriated us for their greed, lies,
cowardice, and viciousness, left a permanent imprint on us. Either we let that imprint become a festering sore or we turn that imprint into a reminder not to
behave like them. The choice is up to us. Naturally, our inspirations should come from the examples of Lincoln and Mandela. So, we oppose the Viet Cong but we don't hate them with a passion. We don't dehumanize them as they have dehumanized us. We simply look at them as wayward Vietnamese who are not fit to lead Vietnam and must be replaced with those Viet who have love, compassion, self-respect, and patriotism. Once we succeed in removing them from power, we don't persecute them and we don't scream for their blood in the name of justice. They are still Vietnamese. They are still our brothers and sisters. We must not cut off our nose to spite our face. We will not behave like the Khmer Rouge.
Love and understanding are our cure. Only they can bring us peace. Anger, while a catalyst for actions, often leads to excesses. We must guard ourselves against anger, against self-righteousness, against feelings of victimhood as we don't wish to be blind as those who have done us wrong. We, ultimately, are not victims of anything or of anybody. We may suffer temporary setbacks, but we will always rise to the challenges and overcome them because we are stronger than the circumstances and those that have done us harm.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Explosion at Moscow Airport
The explosion at Moscow Airport set up an explosion in my mind also.
1. While I do bemoan deeply the deaths and injuries of innocent people, I understand concepts of the collateral damage and asymmetrical warfare. Russia's brutal suppression of the Muslims in Russia has to be responded. The real question is that will Russia come to the negotiation table with the Islamic insurgents or will it be determined to crush the dissidents at whatever costs.
2. In the same vein, do America realistically think it can achieve a military victory in Afghanistan when its foe is willing to die for its cause? Can the U.S. crush the Talibans who are mostly Pastuns numbering in about at least 40 million straddling
on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border? Does the U.S. ever take in full account the war against the Talibans is radicalizing Pakistan and pushing this nuclear-armed Islamic state into a civil war of its own?
3. The Islamic insurgents are periodically bringing the war into Moscow. Will it be the matter of time we see similar actions in Beijing and Hanoi when the people are fed up with the ineffectual civil protests and turn to armed, terrorist acts?
4. Yes, I am vocal and aggressive against sophistical cowards who ironically love power and love to hide behind stupid and empty rhetoric of civility to mask their apathy and cowardice regarding the pathetic conditions in Vietnam. The scumbags live in fear and silence because they want to take no risks and want to prolong their animalistic existence as long as possible. Yes, I do regard myself as definitely superior to them morally and even in bookish knowledge and reasoning.
1. While I do bemoan deeply the deaths and injuries of innocent people, I understand concepts of the collateral damage and asymmetrical warfare. Russia's brutal suppression of the Muslims in Russia has to be responded. The real question is that will Russia come to the negotiation table with the Islamic insurgents or will it be determined to crush the dissidents at whatever costs.
2. In the same vein, do America realistically think it can achieve a military victory in Afghanistan when its foe is willing to die for its cause? Can the U.S. crush the Talibans who are mostly Pastuns numbering in about at least 40 million straddling
on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border? Does the U.S. ever take in full account the war against the Talibans is radicalizing Pakistan and pushing this nuclear-armed Islamic state into a civil war of its own?
3. The Islamic insurgents are periodically bringing the war into Moscow. Will it be the matter of time we see similar actions in Beijing and Hanoi when the people are fed up with the ineffectual civil protests and turn to armed, terrorist acts?
4. Yes, I am vocal and aggressive against sophistical cowards who ironically love power and love to hide behind stupid and empty rhetoric of civility to mask their apathy and cowardice regarding the pathetic conditions in Vietnam. The scumbags live in fear and silence because they want to take no risks and want to prolong their animalistic existence as long as possible. Yes, I do regard myself as definitely superior to them morally and even in bookish knowledge and reasoning.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Categories of Humans
At some points in life, a man begins to ask some tough questions. As he gets nearer the end of his life, the questions get tougher. Instead of holding the questions inside his head, he casually fling them out into the open for all to see, welcoming dissent and comment. In a way, he is brash and confrontational. In other words, he forever is in search of facts and truths. The farce of the Viet commie "congress" just drew to an end. Some appointments were announced. And the Viet populace yawned and seethed in anger at the same time. And that triggered the following musings:
There are four types of men: the sheep, the shepherd, the jackass, and the thinker.
We all know who the sheep are. They are always in the majority. Men and women of no distinction and no brains of their own. They are the followers. They are afraid and in awe of authority, either secular or otherwise. Their mission in life is to live as long as they can. Whether or not their lives have meanings or not, really make no difference to them. To them, life is the striving for longevity. As simple as that. From that standpoint, they are not much different from lower forms of life. In them, the suffix in the term "human animal" is gravid with meaning. Sure, they have disquieting moments when they ask themselves if all these sufferings and heartaches and brief interludes of joys are all there is in life. Unfortunately, those moments of introspection are brief and few and far in between. In the end, they take comfort in the belief that they will go to "heaven" or have a better life in "next" life.
Whenever there are sheep, there are always predators who prey on the sheep, who call themselves with an euphemism "shepherds" ("leaders"), those who herd the sheep and keep them in line. The shepherds are cunning and driven by a lust for power, whether or not they are qualified to wield it at the service of the sheep is of no interest to them. They invented myths to explain the workings of the world (and the universe) when science was unknown or still in its infancy. The myths still have a very strong hold on the sheep, even to this day. They came up with rules with strong emphasis on law and order and scant regard for civil liberties. Slowly over time, the shepherds realized that totalitarianism was not the optimal way to govern sheep if the society wanted to make lasting progress and to slouch towards stability. The 21st century sees a trend towards democratization and pluralism in governance where the shepherds could compete and vie for leadership. Those societies that remain autocratic get stuck in low or no economic development and general, pervasive "sheepish" (pun intended) discontent. The single exception so far is Red China where vast and cheap sheep resources have been utilized in combination with Western technology and investments to produce stunning economic growth, with no regard for the environment and civil liberties. How long the Chinese are content to live as unfree sheep remains to be seen. After all, sheep do have a need to roam free now and then, don't they?
There are those who aspire to become shepherds, but they are not good enough to do so. In the end, they turn into jackasses. These are the despicable organisms which follow the prevailing winds to get some crumbs of benefits. They have no political principles other than to kiss the ass of whoever in power. Some of them even fancy that they are educated because they hold a paper saying they completed some university education. A properly educated person is the one whose mind and whose heart are both developed. He knows right from wrong and walks on the right path. He does not lie and he does not resort to sophistical reasonings in a desperate attempt to prevail in a debate. Of course, the shepherds are too smart to make use of the jackasses other than to have them serve at tables where the jackasses are forced to eat the leftovers, of which the jackasses are happy to do so, even under full contempt and disdain of the shepherds. Jackasses have no sense of pride.
The last category of men belongs to the thinkers who are neither sheep nor shepherds nor jackasses. They are solitary and few in number. They usually laugh at all the sheep, shepherds, and jackasses. Some thinkers even love to write. Occasionally some of their writings are known and have served as beacons in the night for humanity.
There are four types of men: the sheep, the shepherd, the jackass, and the thinker.
We all know who the sheep are. They are always in the majority. Men and women of no distinction and no brains of their own. They are the followers. They are afraid and in awe of authority, either secular or otherwise. Their mission in life is to live as long as they can. Whether or not their lives have meanings or not, really make no difference to them. To them, life is the striving for longevity. As simple as that. From that standpoint, they are not much different from lower forms of life. In them, the suffix in the term "human animal" is gravid with meaning. Sure, they have disquieting moments when they ask themselves if all these sufferings and heartaches and brief interludes of joys are all there is in life. Unfortunately, those moments of introspection are brief and few and far in between. In the end, they take comfort in the belief that they will go to "heaven" or have a better life in "next" life.
Whenever there are sheep, there are always predators who prey on the sheep, who call themselves with an euphemism "shepherds" ("leaders"), those who herd the sheep and keep them in line. The shepherds are cunning and driven by a lust for power, whether or not they are qualified to wield it at the service of the sheep is of no interest to them. They invented myths to explain the workings of the world (and the universe) when science was unknown or still in its infancy. The myths still have a very strong hold on the sheep, even to this day. They came up with rules with strong emphasis on law and order and scant regard for civil liberties. Slowly over time, the shepherds realized that totalitarianism was not the optimal way to govern sheep if the society wanted to make lasting progress and to slouch towards stability. The 21st century sees a trend towards democratization and pluralism in governance where the shepherds could compete and vie for leadership. Those societies that remain autocratic get stuck in low or no economic development and general, pervasive "sheepish" (pun intended) discontent. The single exception so far is Red China where vast and cheap sheep resources have been utilized in combination with Western technology and investments to produce stunning economic growth, with no regard for the environment and civil liberties. How long the Chinese are content to live as unfree sheep remains to be seen. After all, sheep do have a need to roam free now and then, don't they?
There are those who aspire to become shepherds, but they are not good enough to do so. In the end, they turn into jackasses. These are the despicable organisms which follow the prevailing winds to get some crumbs of benefits. They have no political principles other than to kiss the ass of whoever in power. Some of them even fancy that they are educated because they hold a paper saying they completed some university education. A properly educated person is the one whose mind and whose heart are both developed. He knows right from wrong and walks on the right path. He does not lie and he does not resort to sophistical reasonings in a desperate attempt to prevail in a debate. Of course, the shepherds are too smart to make use of the jackasses other than to have them serve at tables where the jackasses are forced to eat the leftovers, of which the jackasses are happy to do so, even under full contempt and disdain of the shepherds. Jackasses have no sense of pride.
The last category of men belongs to the thinkers who are neither sheep nor shepherds nor jackasses. They are solitary and few in number. They usually laugh at all the sheep, shepherds, and jackasses. Some thinkers even love to write. Occasionally some of their writings are known and have served as beacons in the night for humanity.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Why do cowards and scums lust after power even though they are not qualified to wield it?
I submit that most, if not all, life's problems stem from
1. Greed and selfishness.
2. Lack of love.
3. Love of power: ignorance of the nature of power and thus inability to wield it wisely. In fact, several critical thinkers (Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Adler) and many laymen think human relationships are built on power structure.
All the above three factors are merely manifestations of an over-preoccupation of Self, thinking that the Self is different from the Other, and life's purpose is to gratify and satisfy what the Self wants, and not to work out a co-existence with the Other. On a personal note, as I wrote the above words, I could not help but recall an unpleasant encounter about two years ago when I happened to run into an overly assertive but ignorant fellow, who ironically tried very hard to show me, a reader and a thinker, that he "knew" a lot of subjects. He was pitifully trying to establish a "power" relationship with a wrong person. There are many people like him in this world who instinctively lust after power, but are not wise enough to use it effectively and beneficially for all people affected.
Jared Loughner is no doubt sick. And his sickness is exacerbated by his feeling that people have power over him. So he must do something to redress the feelings of powerlessness and dislocation inside. I was once criticized that I should not venture any musings on psychology and that people that went on the Internet not to read about psychological speculations. But doesn't everything we say and do is a reflection of our psychological make-up? The posts that I have seen in the Internet reflect the psychological preoccupation of those who do the posting: from sex and jokes related materials to news about Vietnam to propagating info about China to passionate essays about the necessity to defend Vietnam against China.
As I have reiterated ad nauseam, reasonings had better be rational and sound. Weak arguments only invite laughter and lack of respect.
1. Greed and selfishness.
2. Lack of love.
3. Love of power: ignorance of the nature of power and thus inability to wield it wisely. In fact, several critical thinkers (Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Adler) and many laymen think human relationships are built on power structure.
All the above three factors are merely manifestations of an over-preoccupation of Self, thinking that the Self is different from the Other, and life's purpose is to gratify and satisfy what the Self wants, and not to work out a co-existence with the Other. On a personal note, as I wrote the above words, I could not help but recall an unpleasant encounter about two years ago when I happened to run into an overly assertive but ignorant fellow, who ironically tried very hard to show me, a reader and a thinker, that he "knew" a lot of subjects. He was pitifully trying to establish a "power" relationship with a wrong person. There are many people like him in this world who instinctively lust after power, but are not wise enough to use it effectively and beneficially for all people affected.
Jared Loughner is no doubt sick. And his sickness is exacerbated by his feeling that people have power over him. So he must do something to redress the feelings of powerlessness and dislocation inside. I was once criticized that I should not venture any musings on psychology and that people that went on the Internet not to read about psychological speculations. But doesn't everything we say and do is a reflection of our psychological make-up? The posts that I have seen in the Internet reflect the psychological preoccupation of those who do the posting: from sex and jokes related materials to news about Vietnam to propagating info about China to passionate essays about the necessity to defend Vietnam against China.
As I have reiterated ad nauseam, reasonings had better be rational and sound. Weak arguments only invite laughter and lack of respect.
Public Humiliation and True Pride
As stated recently, problems in life can be traced back to greed and selfishness. We all have private sins when not caught. When caught, they become public (and even national) shame and humiliation. We must fight against the urge of petty thefts. Fear and Pride and a sense of fairness will help us stay on the right path. True pride has many manifestations, including the most important but often neglected aspect of being truthful, factual, and fair in debating or just simple spoken and written communication. A person who falls back easily on sophistical reasonings has no true pride. Neither does a bald-faced and chronic liar who shamelessly denies responsibility of his actions when presented with irrefutable evidence that he has lied. Public humiliation is often self-induced, only because of lack of courage to admit that one has made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Simple apology will bring grace and forgiveness. Petty-minded and stupid blokes never understand this truism. That's why we never see them utter one word of apology, even when they, and everybody else, know they have made "mistakes" and caused people harm.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Feelings and Painful Memories
Somebody unwisely remarked that you liked flattery. You thought about that intemperate comment. It annoyed you for its unnecessary and half-true qualities. You shrugged your shoulders upon hearing the remark and you made a mental note of not making the same faux pas. Tonight in the tranquility of your room, you meditated on pains and memories triggered by your penchant of loneliness and your need for understanding. You thought, of course, of Ag and La, the first two bitches that passed through your life and left a permanent scar in your heart.
You were young and idealistic. You first experienced sexual and romantic feelings. You knew nothing about life. You vaguely knew something about evil and deception. There was a recent mention of the asshole former Embassy worker. And that opened another floodgate of unpleasant memories. The more you know about animals, the more you want to stay away from them.
You were young and idealistic. You first experienced sexual and romantic feelings. You knew nothing about life. You vaguely knew something about evil and deception. There was a recent mention of the asshole former Embassy worker. And that opened another floodgate of unpleasant memories. The more you know about animals, the more you want to stay away from them.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Niebuhr and the issue of forgiveness
Believe it or not, I have wrestled with the questions of God, Love, and Forgiveness all my life. Some individuals may laugh at my struggle and fancy that they are more "mature" and "stronger" (and they did say so to my face! I don't know which one suffers more from high folly: the one who unabashedly admits and confesses constantly and publicly that he is "immature" and "weak" or the one who publicly admonished the other for being "immature" and "weak". I humbly believe that truly mature and strong humans don't go around scolding others) because they have already come to terms with these subjects. Forgiveness reflects strength. Maybe I am not strong enough. Maybe I am cursed with having a long memory and pain seems to stay with me and refuses to go away.
Regardless of what we conceive and perceive as worthy of our time and effort to carry it out, I think we must attach a degree of urgency to it and try to accomplish it in our lifetime.
As for forgiveness, defined as the final form of love by Niebuhr, we all talk about it and know what it means, but rarely do it as it runs counter to instincts. That does not say that all instincts are good. Man is the only animal that routinely can transcend instincts if he so chooses. However, I submit that a measure of stature of a person hinges on his ability to really forgive those who have done him wrong, and to move on with his life, instead of being mired in the misery of memories and to plot of revenge. What one does at a personal level can have national implications. If all the anti-VC aspiring leaders temper their rhetoric and advocate a true spirit of forgiveness and cooperation and love for Vietnam, a more harmonious change in Vietnam might take place. I think the VC know in their hearts that they have been wrong in their conduct, but are reluctant and fearful of cooperating with the non-VC people because of selfishness, greed, and fear of retribution. All Viet leaders must learn from the leadership mode of Nelson Mandela. More than twenty seven years of being imprisoned and a lifetime of witnessing injustice being inflicted on his black people did not instill an abiding hatred in his hearts for all the whites. He hates injustice, but he loves South Africa more. And to strengthen South Africa he must allow room for the whites who are also part of South Africa, with their privileges and former power. Change must come in the form of the betterment of the blacks and the colored, and not necessarily on the backs of the sufferings of the whites. In other words, retribution and revenge are out, and in cooperation and love. We must learn to hate the sin, but not the sinners. Hate brings defenses on the part of those being hated. Love opens up the hearts and strengthens the minds of all concerned parties.
Of course, one can only forgive when one is in a position of forgiving. Forgiving is an act of empowerment, not only from the standpoint of the forgiver, but also from the perspective of the forgiven. It says to the forgiven that I think of the future, and am not burdened by the past. I am not obsessed by settling scores and demanding justice and punishment even though legally and logically it is the right thing to do. What I am interested is for you to acknowledge that what you have done was wrong and that now you are so sorry and want to rejoin the decent folks who are interested in cleaning up the mess you have created. Punishing you and screaming for your blood may be emotionally therapeutic, but economically unproductive. Vietnam needs all the hands, including those of former but now repentant VC.
I think if the anti-VC leaders fight the VC with this enlightened, clear-sighted framework, they would attract more followers and could perhaps weaken the VC more effectively instead of having the same hard-hearted attitude as the VC. Sometimes it is necessary to fight fire with fire. In other circumstances, it is far better to fight evil with love. By appearing unyielding and resolute and hard, the anti-VC resistance movement makes the task more difficult than it already is. We must project a clear image that we are the forces of good, of love, of forgiveness. We can be firm. Indeed, we must be, but we don't have to be doctrinaire, inflexible, hate-inspired, and revenge-obsessed, like the VC. Only by being so, can we attract the fence-sitters to our side. Vietnam is ripe for a change. The leaders for change must be indeed people with vision and heart. They must put the interests of the people above their own. They must perform their duties in the name of love, and not pursuing personal power for power's sake. The power must be used to serve all Vietnamese. Vietnam is bigger than any and all leaders combined.
Now let us follow the example of the people of Tunisia and get into the streets and demand a change. It can be done. If millions of people in Saigon, Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, and Can Tho all demonstrate and demand change, the regime must respond. Fear and apathy are what hold the people back in Vietnam. Fear and apathy and lack of love are what have accounted for the silence and pitiful sophistical reasonings that have appeared in the MC forum. We can put up pseudo arguments. We can all pretend who we are not. But facts and truths always make their presence known. I invariably feel nauseous when I read a self-serving "advice" from certain elements that we must stay away from topics of politics in the interest of preserving harmony of "friendship". Assiduous avoidance of discussions of politics in this current environment in Vietnam when our country is in danger of collapsing into the arms of the Chinese is an act of sticking one's head in the muck, in the sand, in the quagmire of stupidity and cowardice and irresponsibility. The VC and their closet, covert, implicit supporters naturally don't want to engage in any discussions about politics because discussions will inevitably expose the necessity of change of leadership and regime. They don't want change. They want the status quo to remain as it is.
Regardless of what we conceive and perceive as worthy of our time and effort to carry it out, I think we must attach a degree of urgency to it and try to accomplish it in our lifetime.
As for forgiveness, defined as the final form of love by Niebuhr, we all talk about it and know what it means, but rarely do it as it runs counter to instincts. That does not say that all instincts are good. Man is the only animal that routinely can transcend instincts if he so chooses. However, I submit that a measure of stature of a person hinges on his ability to really forgive those who have done him wrong, and to move on with his life, instead of being mired in the misery of memories and to plot of revenge. What one does at a personal level can have national implications. If all the anti-VC aspiring leaders temper their rhetoric and advocate a true spirit of forgiveness and cooperation and love for Vietnam, a more harmonious change in Vietnam might take place. I think the VC know in their hearts that they have been wrong in their conduct, but are reluctant and fearful of cooperating with the non-VC people because of selfishness, greed, and fear of retribution. All Viet leaders must learn from the leadership mode of Nelson Mandela. More than twenty seven years of being imprisoned and a lifetime of witnessing injustice being inflicted on his black people did not instill an abiding hatred in his hearts for all the whites. He hates injustice, but he loves South Africa more. And to strengthen South Africa he must allow room for the whites who are also part of South Africa, with their privileges and former power. Change must come in the form of the betterment of the blacks and the colored, and not necessarily on the backs of the sufferings of the whites. In other words, retribution and revenge are out, and in cooperation and love. We must learn to hate the sin, but not the sinners. Hate brings defenses on the part of those being hated. Love opens up the hearts and strengthens the minds of all concerned parties.
Of course, one can only forgive when one is in a position of forgiving. Forgiving is an act of empowerment, not only from the standpoint of the forgiver, but also from the perspective of the forgiven. It says to the forgiven that I think of the future, and am not burdened by the past. I am not obsessed by settling scores and demanding justice and punishment even though legally and logically it is the right thing to do. What I am interested is for you to acknowledge that what you have done was wrong and that now you are so sorry and want to rejoin the decent folks who are interested in cleaning up the mess you have created. Punishing you and screaming for your blood may be emotionally therapeutic, but economically unproductive. Vietnam needs all the hands, including those of former but now repentant VC.
I think if the anti-VC leaders fight the VC with this enlightened, clear-sighted framework, they would attract more followers and could perhaps weaken the VC more effectively instead of having the same hard-hearted attitude as the VC. Sometimes it is necessary to fight fire with fire. In other circumstances, it is far better to fight evil with love. By appearing unyielding and resolute and hard, the anti-VC resistance movement makes the task more difficult than it already is. We must project a clear image that we are the forces of good, of love, of forgiveness. We can be firm. Indeed, we must be, but we don't have to be doctrinaire, inflexible, hate-inspired, and revenge-obsessed, like the VC. Only by being so, can we attract the fence-sitters to our side. Vietnam is ripe for a change. The leaders for change must be indeed people with vision and heart. They must put the interests of the people above their own. They must perform their duties in the name of love, and not pursuing personal power for power's sake. The power must be used to serve all Vietnamese. Vietnam is bigger than any and all leaders combined.
Now let us follow the example of the people of Tunisia and get into the streets and demand a change. It can be done. If millions of people in Saigon, Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, and Can Tho all demonstrate and demand change, the regime must respond. Fear and apathy are what hold the people back in Vietnam. Fear and apathy and lack of love are what have accounted for the silence and pitiful sophistical reasonings that have appeared in the MC forum. We can put up pseudo arguments. We can all pretend who we are not. But facts and truths always make their presence known. I invariably feel nauseous when I read a self-serving "advice" from certain elements that we must stay away from topics of politics in the interest of preserving harmony of "friendship". Assiduous avoidance of discussions of politics in this current environment in Vietnam when our country is in danger of collapsing into the arms of the Chinese is an act of sticking one's head in the muck, in the sand, in the quagmire of stupidity and cowardice and irresponsibility. The VC and their closet, covert, implicit supporters naturally don't want to engage in any discussions about politics because discussions will inevitably expose the necessity of change of leadership and regime. They don't want change. They want the status quo to remain as it is.
Friday, January 14, 2011
So, did you feel better?
-Roberto, did you feel better now that you reiterated and exposed to the whole wide world what an animal the Monkey was?
-Not really, Silvio, I didn't achieve any catharsis. I wanted more.
-What more did you want?
-You know what I wanted.
-The animal should not occupy your mind that much. It is a despicable vermin. Everybody stays away from it as if it had rabies. Just be cool. Be disciplined. The right time will come.
-Not really, Silvio, I didn't achieve any catharsis. I wanted more.
-What more did you want?
-You know what I wanted.
-The animal should not occupy your mind that much. It is a despicable vermin. Everybody stays away from it as if it had rabies. Just be cool. Be disciplined. The right time will come.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Detachment
Detachment means you don't give a fig about the barkings of dogs and screechings of monkeys and posturings of cowards and pathetic pseudo-pronouncements of wannabe "thinkers" and "scholars" who have no respect for truths but a lot of cravings for fame and status. It also means you would concentrate on your own affairs and your own process of self-improvement. Like today you clawed back from the brink of defeat and lived to stage a comeback for another day. You are watching your health and your mind. You are on the right track. You nurture a burning desire to make up for misspent youth.
Mental Health
So you read about him in the paper and you couldn't help thinking about yourself. Some, if not most, of the things you have done have were borderline abnormal. You have not actually crossed the line and gone way to the other side. Like the thoughts of self-destruction which have been lurking in the back of your mind since you turned 15. And the stupid affection you had for Ag and La and certain other adventures you undertook. You suppose the worst were your flirtation with financial ruin and needless confrontations with scumbags and douche bags. Of course, you have learned a lot about simians and donkeys and pigs and yourself while being out skating on thin ice.
Tonight you were calm and not agitated even though you ran into difficulties. You must train your mind to stay calm at all times. There is a certain detachment you must have if you want to survive.
Tonight you were calm and not agitated even though you ran into difficulties. You must train your mind to stay calm at all times. There is a certain detachment you must have if you want to survive.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Fake, phony scumbags
Everyday you remind yourself that you are going to run into animals and insects masquerading as humans.
One pretends and even enjoys a reputation as an enlightened Buddhist, but you know he is vain and enjoys preaching. In addition, he is arrogant, but tries hard to hide his arrogance behind an exterior of gentleness. You would not know about his arrogance unless you engage him into a discussion about Biddhism. The douche bag would then get on his high horse and regurgitate and parrot the Buddhist wisdom that he has read about, but has not digested. From talking to him, you would easily see that he possesses none of the true understanding and wisdom. A wise and understanding man would speak little of what he knows. And when he does, he speaks simply and directly of the matter at hand. He would not beat around the bush, going around in circle and enjoys being intoxicated with his own words.
Then we have another case of a scumbag who is cowardly and selfish, yet too dishonest to admit so publicly. Worse still, the scumbag loves power! He makes you throw up every time he opens his mouth.
Last but not least, we have another pitiful, pathetic windchaser who is treasonous and fancies that he is a thinker and a scholar. How can animals like those go on living? You wouldn't know. In fact, they make you feel much better about yourself.
And you have not even mentioned the Monkey which is too repulsive to merit an analysis.
One pretends and even enjoys a reputation as an enlightened Buddhist, but you know he is vain and enjoys preaching. In addition, he is arrogant, but tries hard to hide his arrogance behind an exterior of gentleness. You would not know about his arrogance unless you engage him into a discussion about Biddhism. The douche bag would then get on his high horse and regurgitate and parrot the Buddhist wisdom that he has read about, but has not digested. From talking to him, you would easily see that he possesses none of the true understanding and wisdom. A wise and understanding man would speak little of what he knows. And when he does, he speaks simply and directly of the matter at hand. He would not beat around the bush, going around in circle and enjoys being intoxicated with his own words.
Then we have another case of a scumbag who is cowardly and selfish, yet too dishonest to admit so publicly. Worse still, the scumbag loves power! He makes you throw up every time he opens his mouth.
Last but not least, we have another pitiful, pathetic windchaser who is treasonous and fancies that he is a thinker and a scholar. How can animals like those go on living? You wouldn't know. In fact, they make you feel much better about yourself.
And you have not even mentioned the Monkey which is too repulsive to merit an analysis.
Profound and funny
Sau lưng người đàn ông… Phía sau người đàn bà…
01. Sau lưng người đàn ông đích thực là người đàn bà thích đực.
02. Sau lưng người đàn ông yếu đuối là người đàn bà chán chuối.
03. Sau lưng người đàn ông bán chuối là người đàn bà đắm đuối.
04. Sau lưng người đàn ông liệt dương là người đàn bà đáng thương.
05. Sau lưng người đàn ông đẹp zai là người đàn bà (dễ) mang thai.
06. Sau lưng người đàn ông thành công là người đàn bà ngồi không.
07. Sau lưng người đàn ông ngoại tình là người đàn bà ngồi rình.
08. Sau lưng người đàn ông bất lực là người đàn bà rất bực.
09. Sau lưng người đàn ông long nhong là người đàn bà long đong.
10. Sau lưng người đàn ông lảm nhảm là người đàn bà thê thảm.
11. Sau lưng người đàn ông nghèo khó là người đàn bà nhăn nhó.
12. Sau lưng người đàn ông hám của lạ là người đà bà lăng chạ.
13. Sau lưng người đàn ông thành đạt là người đàn bà đánh bạc.
14. Sau lưng người đàn ông mê gái là người đàn bà tê tái.
15. Sau lưng người đàn ông mạnh khỏe là người đàn bà thích đẻ.
16. Sau lưng người đàn ông hết tiền là người đàn bà giữ tiền.
17. Sau lưng người đàn ông lắm lộc là người đàn bà thâm độc.
18. Sau lưng người đàn ông mún nghỉ là người đàn bà năn nỉ.
19. Sau lưng người đàn ông ăn tạp là người đàn bà mún đạp.
20. Sau lưng người đàn ông trăng sao là người đàn bà lao đao.
21. Sau lưng người đàn ông chém gió là người đàn bà đứng ngó.
22. Sau lưng người đàn ông gắt gỏng là người đàn bà hư hỏng.
23. Sau lưng người đàn ông cường tráng là người đàn bà phóng khoáng.
24. Sau lưng người đàn ông lụn bại là người đàn bà ăn hại.
25. Sau lưng người đàn ông có chỗ đứng là một người đàn bà thích chỗ cứng.
26. Sau lưng người đàn ông đua xe là người đàn bà sắp đẻ.
27. Sau lưng người đàn ông có nụ cười duyên là đàn bà mê tới phát điên.
28. Sau lưng người đàn ông dại gái là đàn bà thích mồi chài.
29. Sau lưng người đàn ông ga lăng là người đàn bà thích lăng nhăng.
30. Sau lưng người đàn ông đẹp trai là người đàn bà có lắm “chai”.
31. Sau lưng người đàn ông nịnh vợ là người đàn bà lo sợ.
32. Sau lưng người đàn ông ăn kem là người đàn bà ngồi thèm.
33. Sau lưng người đàn ông thất bại là người đàn bà xúi dại.
34. Sau lưng người đàn ông mê gái là người đàn bà mê trai.
35. Sau lưng người đàn ông hung hãn là người bàn bà thỏa mãn.
36. Sau lưng người đàn ông lắm tài là người đàn bà chân dài.
37. Sau lưng người đàn ông vũ phu là người đàn bà giỏi wushu.
38. Sau lưng người đàn ông buồn phiền là người đàn bà đòi tiền.
39. Sau lưng người đàn ông đang say là người đàn bà càm dao phay.
40. Sau lưng người đàn ông râu quặp là người đà bà rất mập.
41. Sau lưng người đàn ông nổi tiếng là ngời đàn bà làm biếng.
42. Sau lưng người đàn ông hư đốn là người đàn bà thiếu thốn.
43. Sau lưng người đàn ông đú đỡn là người đàn bà khoái giỡn.
44. Sau lưng người đàn ông khôn ngoan là người đàn bà hân hoan.
45. Sau lưng người đàn ông nhu nhược là người đàn bà láo xược.
46. Sau lưng người đàn ông bất cẩn là người đàn bà vớ vẩn.
48. Sau lưng người đàn ông ăn nhậu là người đàn bà rất “quậu”.
49. Sau lưng người đàn ông đi xa là người đàn bà trăng hoa.
50. Sau lưng người đàn ông mê… trai là người đàn bà mê… cả hai!
51. Phía sau người đàn bà hạnh phúc là lũ đàn ông đông đúc.
52. Phía sau người đàn bà nhăn nhó là người đàn ông sờ mó.
53. Phía sau người đàn bà bất hạnh là người đàn ông không mạnh.
54. Phía sau người đàn bà cật lực là người đàn ông hừng hực.
55. Phía sau người đàn bà “cởi mở” là một đám đàn ông hăm hở.
56. Phía sau người đàn bà nóng bỏng là người đàn ông hư hỏng.
57. Phía sau người đàn bà rực rỡ là người đàn ông… ngoại cỡ.
58. Phía sau người đàn bà gợi cảm là người đàn ông lảm nhảm.
59. Phía sau người đàn bà kiêu kì là người đàn ông… bị xì.
60. Phía sau người đàn bà chém gió là người đàn ông chuẩn bị chém nó…
61. Phía sau người đàn bà thành công là người đàn ông bất tài.
62. Phía sau người đàn bà từng trải là người đàn ông hớt hải.
63. Phía sau người đàn bà đáng yêu là người đàn ông lắm chiêu.
64. Phía sau người đàn bà đang bực là người đàn ông đang chực.
65. Phía sau người đàn bà mạnh mẽ là người đàn ông giữ kẽ.
66. Phía sau người đàn bà thành đạt là người đàn ông cầm quạt!
67. Phía sau người đàn bà lo lắng là người đàn ông cố gắng.
68. Phía sau người đàn bà hay mắng là người đàn ông sốt sắng… nghe.
69. Phía sau người đàn bà ngoe nguẩy là người đàn ông lẩy bẩy.
70. Phía sau người đàn bà chua ngoa là người đàn ông ba hoa.
71. Phía sau người đàn bà ranh ma là người đàn ông (đang) lánh xa.
72. Phía sau người đàn bà ung dung là người đàn ông khùng khùng.
73. Phía sau người đàn bà ăn kem là người đàn ông mặt mũi tèm nhem.
74. Phía sau người đàn bà bê tha là người đàn ông 3 thê.
75. Phía sau người đàn bà “vũ thê” là 1 người đàn ông biết karate.
76. Phía sau người đàn bà đang “vượt cạn” là người đàn ông bạo dạn.
77. Phía sau người đàn bà lãng mạn là người đàn ông nông cạn.
78. Phía sau người đàn bà nhiều tiền là người đàn ông hay đến làm phiền.
79. Phía sau người đàn bà vị tha là người đàn ông được thể lê la.
80. Phía sau người đàn bà vừa đẻ là người đàn… ông mê gái trẻ.
81. Phía sau người đàn bà đau đớn là người đàn ông cà chớn.
82. Phía sau người đàn bà bất mãn là người đàn ông ve vãn.
83. Phía sau người đàn bà nhăn nhó là người đàn ông dúm dó.
01. Sau lưng người đàn ông đích thực là người đàn bà thích đực.
02. Sau lưng người đàn ông yếu đuối là người đàn bà chán chuối.
03. Sau lưng người đàn ông bán chuối là người đàn bà đắm đuối.
04. Sau lưng người đàn ông liệt dương là người đàn bà đáng thương.
05. Sau lưng người đàn ông đẹp zai là người đàn bà (dễ) mang thai.
06. Sau lưng người đàn ông thành công là người đàn bà ngồi không.
07. Sau lưng người đàn ông ngoại tình là người đàn bà ngồi rình.
08. Sau lưng người đàn ông bất lực là người đàn bà rất bực.
09. Sau lưng người đàn ông long nhong là người đàn bà long đong.
10. Sau lưng người đàn ông lảm nhảm là người đàn bà thê thảm.
11. Sau lưng người đàn ông nghèo khó là người đàn bà nhăn nhó.
12. Sau lưng người đàn ông hám của lạ là người đà bà lăng chạ.
13. Sau lưng người đàn ông thành đạt là người đàn bà đánh bạc.
14. Sau lưng người đàn ông mê gái là người đàn bà tê tái.
15. Sau lưng người đàn ông mạnh khỏe là người đàn bà thích đẻ.
16. Sau lưng người đàn ông hết tiền là người đàn bà giữ tiền.
17. Sau lưng người đàn ông lắm lộc là người đàn bà thâm độc.
18. Sau lưng người đàn ông mún nghỉ là người đàn bà năn nỉ.
19. Sau lưng người đàn ông ăn tạp là người đàn bà mún đạp.
20. Sau lưng người đàn ông trăng sao là người đàn bà lao đao.
21. Sau lưng người đàn ông chém gió là người đàn bà đứng ngó.
22. Sau lưng người đàn ông gắt gỏng là người đàn bà hư hỏng.
23. Sau lưng người đàn ông cường tráng là người đàn bà phóng khoáng.
24. Sau lưng người đàn ông lụn bại là người đàn bà ăn hại.
25. Sau lưng người đàn ông có chỗ đứng là một người đàn bà thích chỗ cứng.
26. Sau lưng người đàn ông đua xe là người đàn bà sắp đẻ.
27. Sau lưng người đàn ông có nụ cười duyên là đàn bà mê tới phát điên.
28. Sau lưng người đàn ông dại gái là đàn bà thích mồi chài.
29. Sau lưng người đàn ông ga lăng là người đàn bà thích lăng nhăng.
30. Sau lưng người đàn ông đẹp trai là người đàn bà có lắm “chai”.
31. Sau lưng người đàn ông nịnh vợ là người đàn bà lo sợ.
32. Sau lưng người đàn ông ăn kem là người đàn bà ngồi thèm.
33. Sau lưng người đàn ông thất bại là người đàn bà xúi dại.
34. Sau lưng người đàn ông mê gái là người đàn bà mê trai.
35. Sau lưng người đàn ông hung hãn là người bàn bà thỏa mãn.
36. Sau lưng người đàn ông lắm tài là người đàn bà chân dài.
37. Sau lưng người đàn ông vũ phu là người đàn bà giỏi wushu.
38. Sau lưng người đàn ông buồn phiền là người đàn bà đòi tiền.
39. Sau lưng người đàn ông đang say là người đàn bà càm dao phay.
40. Sau lưng người đàn ông râu quặp là người đà bà rất mập.
41. Sau lưng người đàn ông nổi tiếng là ngời đàn bà làm biếng.
42. Sau lưng người đàn ông hư đốn là người đàn bà thiếu thốn.
43. Sau lưng người đàn ông đú đỡn là người đàn bà khoái giỡn.
44. Sau lưng người đàn ông khôn ngoan là người đàn bà hân hoan.
45. Sau lưng người đàn ông nhu nhược là người đàn bà láo xược.
46. Sau lưng người đàn ông bất cẩn là người đàn bà vớ vẩn.
48. Sau lưng người đàn ông ăn nhậu là người đàn bà rất “quậu”.
49. Sau lưng người đàn ông đi xa là người đàn bà trăng hoa.
50. Sau lưng người đàn ông mê… trai là người đàn bà mê… cả hai!
51. Phía sau người đàn bà hạnh phúc là lũ đàn ông đông đúc.
52. Phía sau người đàn bà nhăn nhó là người đàn ông sờ mó.
53. Phía sau người đàn bà bất hạnh là người đàn ông không mạnh.
54. Phía sau người đàn bà cật lực là người đàn ông hừng hực.
55. Phía sau người đàn bà “cởi mở” là một đám đàn ông hăm hở.
56. Phía sau người đàn bà nóng bỏng là người đàn ông hư hỏng.
57. Phía sau người đàn bà rực rỡ là người đàn ông… ngoại cỡ.
58. Phía sau người đàn bà gợi cảm là người đàn ông lảm nhảm.
59. Phía sau người đàn bà kiêu kì là người đàn ông… bị xì.
60. Phía sau người đàn bà chém gió là người đàn ông chuẩn bị chém nó…
61. Phía sau người đàn bà thành công là người đàn ông bất tài.
62. Phía sau người đàn bà từng trải là người đàn ông hớt hải.
63. Phía sau người đàn bà đáng yêu là người đàn ông lắm chiêu.
64. Phía sau người đàn bà đang bực là người đàn ông đang chực.
65. Phía sau người đàn bà mạnh mẽ là người đàn ông giữ kẽ.
66. Phía sau người đàn bà thành đạt là người đàn ông cầm quạt!
67. Phía sau người đàn bà lo lắng là người đàn ông cố gắng.
68. Phía sau người đàn bà hay mắng là người đàn ông sốt sắng… nghe.
69. Phía sau người đàn bà ngoe nguẩy là người đàn ông lẩy bẩy.
70. Phía sau người đàn bà chua ngoa là người đàn ông ba hoa.
71. Phía sau người đàn bà ranh ma là người đàn ông (đang) lánh xa.
72. Phía sau người đàn bà ung dung là người đàn ông khùng khùng.
73. Phía sau người đàn bà ăn kem là người đàn ông mặt mũi tèm nhem.
74. Phía sau người đàn bà bê tha là người đàn ông 3 thê.
75. Phía sau người đàn bà “vũ thê” là 1 người đàn ông biết karate.
76. Phía sau người đàn bà đang “vượt cạn” là người đàn ông bạo dạn.
77. Phía sau người đàn bà lãng mạn là người đàn ông nông cạn.
78. Phía sau người đàn bà nhiều tiền là người đàn ông hay đến làm phiền.
79. Phía sau người đàn bà vị tha là người đàn ông được thể lê la.
80. Phía sau người đàn bà vừa đẻ là người đàn… ông mê gái trẻ.
81. Phía sau người đàn bà đau đớn là người đàn ông cà chớn.
82. Phía sau người đàn bà bất mãn là người đàn ông ve vãn.
83. Phía sau người đàn bà nhăn nhó là người đàn ông dúm dó.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Muhammad and blasphemy laws
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/world/asia/11pakistan.html?pagewanted=2&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22
Dear all:
I didn't agree with the killing of the governor. However, to gain any understanding of how the young lawyers rallied to the defense of the assassin and how the military establishment appears unmoved by the governor's death, one must do serious reading on the history of Islam, especially its early days and the dynamic role that Muhammad played in those days. While he was far from perfect, he was a well-rounded figure and truly a remarkable survivor and man (religion's founder, administrator, military commander, caravan leader whose reputation for fairness was widely known and was often chosen as an arbitrator of disputes, and an employee who later married his widowed boss who was 16 (?) years (from memory, too lazy to look up Wikipedia) older than he was, and who became his first believer and fiercely supported him and to whom he was devoted [he only took on additional wives after she died]). After reading about this man one cannot help but have an affection and even admiration for this illiterate man even if one is not a Muslim. So imagine how the Muslims would feel about him and how much anger they would experience when they see his name and character are besmirched by non-believers. As I stated before, intolerant Christians think it is a sport to make fun of and denigrate Muhammad. Muslims never do so against Jesus of Nazareth because Muhammad told them to respect Jesus and all the prophets mentioned in the Bible. In some ways, Muslims take their religion far more seriously than Christians do. In that context, the U.S. will never succeed in its ventures in the Muslim lands. It only radicalizes the Muslim youth further who feel incumbent to defend their faith at all costs.
Ignorance of others is not bliss. It's very expensive and dangerous.
Dear all:
I didn't agree with the killing of the governor. However, to gain any understanding of how the young lawyers rallied to the defense of the assassin and how the military establishment appears unmoved by the governor's death, one must do serious reading on the history of Islam, especially its early days and the dynamic role that Muhammad played in those days. While he was far from perfect, he was a well-rounded figure and truly a remarkable survivor and man (religion's founder, administrator, military commander, caravan leader whose reputation for fairness was widely known and was often chosen as an arbitrator of disputes, and an employee who later married his widowed boss who was 16 (?) years (from memory, too lazy to look up Wikipedia) older than he was, and who became his first believer and fiercely supported him and to whom he was devoted [he only took on additional wives after she died]). After reading about this man one cannot help but have an affection and even admiration for this illiterate man even if one is not a Muslim. So imagine how the Muslims would feel about him and how much anger they would experience when they see his name and character are besmirched by non-believers. As I stated before, intolerant Christians think it is a sport to make fun of and denigrate Muhammad. Muslims never do so against Jesus of Nazareth because Muhammad told them to respect Jesus and all the prophets mentioned in the Bible. In some ways, Muslims take their religion far more seriously than Christians do. In that context, the U.S. will never succeed in its ventures in the Muslim lands. It only radicalizes the Muslim youth further who feel incumbent to defend their faith at all costs.
Ignorance of others is not bliss. It's very expensive and dangerous.
The Significance of Stories
Imagine you live in a country where you are forbidden or reluctant to tell others, even to your loved ones and dear friends, certain stories because if you do, you may be arrested by the state and you may be tortured. You would experience first hand the capricious and absolute nature of totalitarianism, of the absurdity and obscenity of power that certain individuals in the name of state security exert over you. Imagine also you actually were arrested and mistreated and you are now physically ill from the mistreatment. So the "authorities" (scumbags who abuse power and who are not as smart or educated as you) released you not into freedom but temporarily at the confinement inside your home where you are forbidden to leave and nobody, even if he is a foreign diplomat or a legislator, is allowed to visit you.
If you are such a person whose freedom is taken away from you and if you were trained as a priest, a spiritual leader, how would you react? Do you give up and live the rest of your life like a vanquished animal, eternally in fear and in slavery and keep your mouth shut or will you fight back to reclaim your birthright of freedom? Father Nguyen Van Ly certainly is a true and brave human. Fear is not in his DNA. He issued a call asking the Viet military officers and government officials to demonstrate against the corrupt, inept, treasonous (for selling Vietnam to China) VC government. He is openly challenging the "authorities". He stated if he was arrested, he would go for a hunger strike. The Reverend has no fear of death. Heroes are like that, unlike cowards who always play safe.
Salman Rushdie once defined the human being is "the story-telling animal, the only creature on Earth that tells itself stories in order to understand what sort of creature it is". Basically, every time we open our mouths or commit our thoughts in writing, we tell a story about ourselves. Most of us would lie and embellish our stories to convince others and sometimes even ourselves that we are decent, respectable, "knowledgeable", "sensitive", kind, and even patriotic. But facts and truths always have a way to make their presence known.
Father Nguyen Van Ly is telling the Viet people and the world his story. What about you, what stories you are prepared to tell us?
If you are such a person whose freedom is taken away from you and if you were trained as a priest, a spiritual leader, how would you react? Do you give up and live the rest of your life like a vanquished animal, eternally in fear and in slavery and keep your mouth shut or will you fight back to reclaim your birthright of freedom? Father Nguyen Van Ly certainly is a true and brave human. Fear is not in his DNA. He issued a call asking the Viet military officers and government officials to demonstrate against the corrupt, inept, treasonous (for selling Vietnam to China) VC government. He is openly challenging the "authorities". He stated if he was arrested, he would go for a hunger strike. The Reverend has no fear of death. Heroes are like that, unlike cowards who always play safe.
Salman Rushdie once defined the human being is "the story-telling animal, the only creature on Earth that tells itself stories in order to understand what sort of creature it is". Basically, every time we open our mouths or commit our thoughts in writing, we tell a story about ourselves. Most of us would lie and embellish our stories to convince others and sometimes even ourselves that we are decent, respectable, "knowledgeable", "sensitive", kind, and even patriotic. But facts and truths always have a way to make their presence known.
Father Nguyen Van Ly is telling the Viet people and the world his story. What about you, what stories you are prepared to tell us?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Attacks and Counter-Attacks.
Everybody knows he hates cowards, especially those who ironically lust after power. Slowly he weaned himself of their company. He woukd stay away from them forever, if not for a higher cause he is fighting for. At any rate, his mind refuses to let go of the issue of the illusion of power and why those least qualified to exercise power, ironically hunger for it. The only conclusion he could arrive at is that these scumbags and douche bags just love to feel important since their daily lives remind them of how insignificant and unaccomplished they are. So they campaigned and lobbied for positions of "authority" to make up for feelings of inferiority that choke and humiliate and debase them everyday while they are earning their daily bread. He invariably feel nauseous when he sees these monkeys and cowards "reason". They think and feel like grade schoolers and thus
express their "thoughts" and "ideas" as if they were in grade school: incoherent, illogical, and of course unconvincing. They make him laugh. And these assholes think they are educated? All he has seen from them are attempts to cover up their cowardice and to justify their lack of patriotism. He has yet seen any acts from them that make him sit up and take notice that maybe the assholes are indeed superior to him in both knowledge and morality and he must change his assessments of them.
But all these meditations about them remind him that he must be circumspect to engage in a debate with anybody because most assholes don't take defeat well. When they debate, unlike him, they want to win at any costs, and not to learn about facts and truths. He is a perpetual student of knowledge whereas they think they are very smart and that school was over a long time ago. Interacting/debating with animals would do him no good. It is much better to keep a distance from them for the sake of the peace of his mind. It is better to read a book than to debate with ignoramuses and those who refuse to accept facts and defeat in reasoning. When he sees a person argues, he can tell the level of both intellectual and emotional development. The Monkey is a prime example. It has showed very clearly that it is an animal: rude, cheap, lying, stubborn, envious, laden with inferiority complex, bereft of any sense of honor and dignity, and ignorant.
express their "thoughts" and "ideas" as if they were in grade school: incoherent, illogical, and of course unconvincing. They make him laugh. And these assholes think they are educated? All he has seen from them are attempts to cover up their cowardice and to justify their lack of patriotism. He has yet seen any acts from them that make him sit up and take notice that maybe the assholes are indeed superior to him in both knowledge and morality and he must change his assessments of them.
But all these meditations about them remind him that he must be circumspect to engage in a debate with anybody because most assholes don't take defeat well. When they debate, unlike him, they want to win at any costs, and not to learn about facts and truths. He is a perpetual student of knowledge whereas they think they are very smart and that school was over a long time ago. Interacting/debating with animals would do him no good. It is much better to keep a distance from them for the sake of the peace of his mind. It is better to read a book than to debate with ignoramuses and those who refuse to accept facts and defeat in reasoning. When he sees a person argues, he can tell the level of both intellectual and emotional development. The Monkey is a prime example. It has showed very clearly that it is an animal: rude, cheap, lying, stubborn, envious, laden with inferiority complex, bereft of any sense of honor and dignity, and ignorant.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Suicide and Birth of Humor
The following is taken from the New York Times of today, Arts Section.
When Daniel Kitson was about 9, he told his teacher that he was thinking of killing himself. At some point over the next few decades, he forgot this had ever happened, until just over a week ago when his mother reminded him. Asked in an interview if he really was suicidal or if it was just a plea for attention, he said with a merry chuckle, “I have no idea.”
It’s the kind of odd, intriguing story that Mr. Kitson specializes in: disturbing, willfully open-ended and its content incongruously matched with its tone. In his acclaimed shows Mr. Kitson, a 33-year-old British comic with a bushy beard and a stutter, explores questions about loss and love and the pursuit of meaning that are too complicated to answer completely.
His solo theater work — his show is playing at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn as part of the Under the Radar festival — deserves comparison to the best storytelling of Spalding Gray and Mike Daisey, partly because of this elusive quality.
“I was having trouble coming to a conclusion in writing a show in 2006,” he said on Monday, recalling an artistic epiphany. “There was a point when I realized I could articulate those contradictions and misgivings, that lack of certainty. That became more interesting.”
Despite their simplicity and stylistic integrity, his shows can seem a mass of contradictions. They maintain ironic distance without sacrificing emotional engagement and feature strong opinions before subverting them. His darkest stories come with laughs, and his jokes can choke you up. The New York comic Eugene Mirman, who learned about him through glowing praise from peers like David Cross and Demetri Martin, said Mr. Kitson was “the perfect blend of cuttingly sharp and adorable.” That has led to a cult following, rave reviews and many awards, especially at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where his shows annually sell out faster than any others at the Traverse Theater, the premier home of new drama at that summer event. His success, however, has created another seeming tension. Mr. Kitson doesn’t just dislike fame. He works strenuously against it.
In 2005 he stopped using an agent; he also refuses almost all television requests, puts out no albums and almost never does interviews. His avoidance of the media has become legendary, spawning various legends that he laughs at.
“If you have a modicum of principle,” he said, “they’re like: ‘Do you hear what he did? He killed a man to keep his ticket prices down.’ ”
When Susan Feldman, artistic director of St. Ann’s, broached the subject of an opening party for the show, “The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church,” which tells a story about the previous occupant of Mr. Kitson’s house, he said he would not attend.
“I think it’s increasingly important to have an audience that is your audience,” he said. “It’s better to have 50 people who are into the thing than 200 who aren’t.”
That philosophy works in Edinburgh, London and Melbourne, where he has an intense following. But since he’s seeking to move into New York theater, where he remains largely unknown, Mr. Kitson must make allowances like this interview.
“When I come somewhere new, you feel slightly obliged to look at how you’re going to get people in,” he said, explaining that while he has strong feelings, he also doesn’t want to be rude. Asked why he decided to try New York, he responded with understatement. “They got in touch and were very nice,” he said.
Mr. Kitson, who grew up in West Yorkshire obsessed with comedy, knew early on that he wanted to perform, delivering his first stand-up routine at 16 at the National Student Drama Festival. He still has it on video. “It is strong,” he said with a boastful swagger, a joke that might mask something real. “I did a bit of topical, bit of local stuff about the festival, some shaggy dog stories, call-back. Boom.”
In his early comedy he was interested in puns and then went through an improvisational stage, but his work would become marked by meta-humor, fierce intelligence and sensitivity to language. He might pause in the middle of a riff to admire the sound of a word — “saying bullion is one of the most fun things you can do with your voice” — or to reveal that a joke that seemed offhand actually was not.
“In my stand-up, I don’t embellish,” he said. “I am quite strict with telling the truth. I am interested in engaging people emotionally, and I don’t want that to be duplicitous.”
Minutes later, Mr. Kitson, perhaps uncomfortable with sounding pious, added: “It’s not like I am like: ‘I demand truth in all aspects of my life. I am the truth bomb.’ ” Then he laughed, looking exasperated with himself.
Over the last decade his material has gradually shifted away from a series of jokes toward personal reflections and intricately told fictions rooted in a strong sense of narrative. It’s an evolution apparent even in the titles, like “A Made Up Story” and “Stories for the Wobbly Hearted,” his one theater show to play here, at the 2006 Brits Off Broadway festival. (He also did stand-up in September at Union Hall in Brooklyn but insisted on being paid only in “unique sandwiches”).
As with many of his new shows, Mr. Kitson describes “Gregory Church,” a fictional piece (although that is too simple a description), as a reaction to his previous work, “66A Church Road.” That Edinburgh Fringe hit ruminated on his relationship with real estate, describing the look and feel of his home with a literary detail that approached the romantic. The language of that piece was florid, even lyrical, so the new one is far more conversational.
It begins with his telling the story of moving into a new home and finding a cache of letters that tell an extraordinary story about a man who decided to kill himself. He wrote several suicide notes and sent them to people he cared about, but since he took his time in killing himself, he received responses to his first suicide note, which he then needed to respond to. The resulting exchanges postponed his death.
While the style of writing is a departure, there is continuity as well. “The whole story is told conversationally, but the letters are in a pompous, heightened style,” Mr. Kitson said. “It sneaks in there.” He added later, “It’s a sort of joke, but when you extrapolate it, it can become a very human thing.”
Reactions and Comments:
I read this article with keen interest. When I was fifteen, I wanted to kill myself because my elder brother tormented me with an erroneous pievce of info which I thought was true. When I turned 23, I seriously wanted to end my life because It became miserable over the departure of a woman. I know, I was very childish and stupid, wasn't I? But that was who I was. I struggled with non-existent problems. I fought over meaningless battles. I am "happy" to report that since the hasty and unceremonious departure of that woman, I have been blessed with a steady stream of ladies, of varying personalities and all walks of life, who have graced my life with their presence. I no longer actively think of suicide, but I have concluded life is essentially a long farce interspersed with brief scenes of beauty and uplifting heroism, hence my interest in humor. I must brag here that I do possess a quirky, unusual sense of humor of which I have gained recognition and even appreciation by finer specimens of the human race. And I have not stopped meditating on the nature of love. I have found that my conception of love has evolved through the years. Right now I am "happily" bragging that two women have openly told me they loved me and one keeps beating around the bush and even "entertains" me with tales of sexual adventures in order to titillate me to no avail because I find her efforts quite crude and crass. I prefer ladies with class and subtlety, believe it or not. The saddest part of my life is that the woman I want to hear her say that she loves me has kept her mouth shut. Well, you can't win them all. Meanwhile I keep on trying to earn a few dollars and to keep my body in good shape in order to maintain my self-respect.
When Daniel Kitson was about 9, he told his teacher that he was thinking of killing himself. At some point over the next few decades, he forgot this had ever happened, until just over a week ago when his mother reminded him. Asked in an interview if he really was suicidal or if it was just a plea for attention, he said with a merry chuckle, “I have no idea.”
It’s the kind of odd, intriguing story that Mr. Kitson specializes in: disturbing, willfully open-ended and its content incongruously matched with its tone. In his acclaimed shows Mr. Kitson, a 33-year-old British comic with a bushy beard and a stutter, explores questions about loss and love and the pursuit of meaning that are too complicated to answer completely.
His solo theater work — his show is playing at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn as part of the Under the Radar festival — deserves comparison to the best storytelling of Spalding Gray and Mike Daisey, partly because of this elusive quality.
“I was having trouble coming to a conclusion in writing a show in 2006,” he said on Monday, recalling an artistic epiphany. “There was a point when I realized I could articulate those contradictions and misgivings, that lack of certainty. That became more interesting.”
Despite their simplicity and stylistic integrity, his shows can seem a mass of contradictions. They maintain ironic distance without sacrificing emotional engagement and feature strong opinions before subverting them. His darkest stories come with laughs, and his jokes can choke you up. The New York comic Eugene Mirman, who learned about him through glowing praise from peers like David Cross and Demetri Martin, said Mr. Kitson was “the perfect blend of cuttingly sharp and adorable.” That has led to a cult following, rave reviews and many awards, especially at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where his shows annually sell out faster than any others at the Traverse Theater, the premier home of new drama at that summer event. His success, however, has created another seeming tension. Mr. Kitson doesn’t just dislike fame. He works strenuously against it.
In 2005 he stopped using an agent; he also refuses almost all television requests, puts out no albums and almost never does interviews. His avoidance of the media has become legendary, spawning various legends that he laughs at.
“If you have a modicum of principle,” he said, “they’re like: ‘Do you hear what he did? He killed a man to keep his ticket prices down.’ ”
When Susan Feldman, artistic director of St. Ann’s, broached the subject of an opening party for the show, “The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church,” which tells a story about the previous occupant of Mr. Kitson’s house, he said he would not attend.
“I think it’s increasingly important to have an audience that is your audience,” he said. “It’s better to have 50 people who are into the thing than 200 who aren’t.”
That philosophy works in Edinburgh, London and Melbourne, where he has an intense following. But since he’s seeking to move into New York theater, where he remains largely unknown, Mr. Kitson must make allowances like this interview.
“When I come somewhere new, you feel slightly obliged to look at how you’re going to get people in,” he said, explaining that while he has strong feelings, he also doesn’t want to be rude. Asked why he decided to try New York, he responded with understatement. “They got in touch and were very nice,” he said.
Mr. Kitson, who grew up in West Yorkshire obsessed with comedy, knew early on that he wanted to perform, delivering his first stand-up routine at 16 at the National Student Drama Festival. He still has it on video. “It is strong,” he said with a boastful swagger, a joke that might mask something real. “I did a bit of topical, bit of local stuff about the festival, some shaggy dog stories, call-back. Boom.”
In his early comedy he was interested in puns and then went through an improvisational stage, but his work would become marked by meta-humor, fierce intelligence and sensitivity to language. He might pause in the middle of a riff to admire the sound of a word — “saying bullion is one of the most fun things you can do with your voice” — or to reveal that a joke that seemed offhand actually was not.
“In my stand-up, I don’t embellish,” he said. “I am quite strict with telling the truth. I am interested in engaging people emotionally, and I don’t want that to be duplicitous.”
Minutes later, Mr. Kitson, perhaps uncomfortable with sounding pious, added: “It’s not like I am like: ‘I demand truth in all aspects of my life. I am the truth bomb.’ ” Then he laughed, looking exasperated with himself.
Over the last decade his material has gradually shifted away from a series of jokes toward personal reflections and intricately told fictions rooted in a strong sense of narrative. It’s an evolution apparent even in the titles, like “A Made Up Story” and “Stories for the Wobbly Hearted,” his one theater show to play here, at the 2006 Brits Off Broadway festival. (He also did stand-up in September at Union Hall in Brooklyn but insisted on being paid only in “unique sandwiches”).
As with many of his new shows, Mr. Kitson describes “Gregory Church,” a fictional piece (although that is too simple a description), as a reaction to his previous work, “66A Church Road.” That Edinburgh Fringe hit ruminated on his relationship with real estate, describing the look and feel of his home with a literary detail that approached the romantic. The language of that piece was florid, even lyrical, so the new one is far more conversational.
It begins with his telling the story of moving into a new home and finding a cache of letters that tell an extraordinary story about a man who decided to kill himself. He wrote several suicide notes and sent them to people he cared about, but since he took his time in killing himself, he received responses to his first suicide note, which he then needed to respond to. The resulting exchanges postponed his death.
While the style of writing is a departure, there is continuity as well. “The whole story is told conversationally, but the letters are in a pompous, heightened style,” Mr. Kitson said. “It sneaks in there.” He added later, “It’s a sort of joke, but when you extrapolate it, it can become a very human thing.”
Reactions and Comments:
I read this article with keen interest. When I was fifteen, I wanted to kill myself because my elder brother tormented me with an erroneous pievce of info which I thought was true. When I turned 23, I seriously wanted to end my life because It became miserable over the departure of a woman. I know, I was very childish and stupid, wasn't I? But that was who I was. I struggled with non-existent problems. I fought over meaningless battles. I am "happy" to report that since the hasty and unceremonious departure of that woman, I have been blessed with a steady stream of ladies, of varying personalities and all walks of life, who have graced my life with their presence. I no longer actively think of suicide, but I have concluded life is essentially a long farce interspersed with brief scenes of beauty and uplifting heroism, hence my interest in humor. I must brag here that I do possess a quirky, unusual sense of humor of which I have gained recognition and even appreciation by finer specimens of the human race. And I have not stopped meditating on the nature of love. I have found that my conception of love has evolved through the years. Right now I am "happily" bragging that two women have openly told me they loved me and one keeps beating around the bush and even "entertains" me with tales of sexual adventures in order to titillate me to no avail because I find her efforts quite crude and crass. I prefer ladies with class and subtlety, believe it or not. The saddest part of my life is that the woman I want to hear her say that she loves me has kept her mouth shut. Well, you can't win them all. Meanwhile I keep on trying to earn a few dollars and to keep my body in good shape in order to maintain my self-respect.
Farcical Drama
Farcical Drama in Vietnam
A regime that calls itself the representative of a "democratic" (sic!) and "socialist (read: communist and corrupt, unlike true socialistic societies like Sweden and Canada) country, yet it routinely and brutally seizes private and public lands in order to line the pockets of its leaders and does not hesitate to use brute force to suppress its dissidents is farcical in nature. It just employed force to prevent an American diplomat, Christian Marchant, to visit a famed dissident, Father Nguyen Van Ly, who is bearing physical ailments resulting from past imprisonment and mistreatments. This forcible removal of the diplomat Christian Marchant who is in charge of political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi has resulted in strong protests from the U.S. at the time Vietnam needs America to protect it against increasing threat from China.
Additionally, the regime now pointedly told a federal legislator from Australia that it would not guarantee his safety if he wished to pay Father Ly a visit. This blatant threat to a member of federal legislature from Australia is just another farcical drama in Vietnam. Just as one will get fleas if rolling around with dogs, he will get guffaws from bystanders if he gets too close to the regime.
If anybody who gets a kick out of reading about farces, just follow the actions of the Viet communists. These creatures would do anything to hang onto power and to get rich at the expense of the populace, yet they talk about their being liberators. They are liberators, all right. They liberate the people of wealth and dignity and happiness. Brave people like Father Nguyen Van Ly are fighting back and asking us to join him. In this dark hour that our country is facing, Father Ly is the shining beacon. All concerned sons and daughters of Vietnam, please heed his call. A few days ago, a man asked a rhetorical question that if the educated class (gioi si phu), traditional leaders, of Vietnam love Vietnam as much as the poet Bui Gia'ng loved Kim Cuong, would Vietnam not be in a much better shape. Love is always around. It's never too late to open your heart and give love a try.
Wissai
.
A regime that calls itself the representative of a "democratic" (sic!) and "socialist (read: communist and corrupt, unlike true socialistic societies like Sweden and Canada) country, yet it routinely and brutally seizes private and public lands in order to line the pockets of its leaders and does not hesitate to use brute force to suppress its dissidents is farcical in nature. It just employed force to prevent an American diplomat, Christian Marchant, to visit a famed dissident, Father Nguyen Van Ly, who is bearing physical ailments resulting from past imprisonment and mistreatments. This forcible removal of the diplomat Christian Marchant who is in charge of political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi has resulted in strong protests from the U.S. at the time Vietnam needs America to protect it against increasing threat from China.
Additionally, the regime now pointedly told a federal legislator from Australia that it would not guarantee his safety if he wished to pay Father Ly a visit. This blatant threat to a member of federal legislature from Australia is just another farcical drama in Vietnam. Just as one will get fleas if rolling around with dogs, he will get guffaws from bystanders if he gets too close to the regime.
If anybody who gets a kick out of reading about farces, just follow the actions of the Viet communists. These creatures would do anything to hang onto power and to get rich at the expense of the populace, yet they talk about their being liberators. They are liberators, all right. They liberate the people of wealth and dignity and happiness. Brave people like Father Nguyen Van Ly are fighting back and asking us to join him. In this dark hour that our country is facing, Father Ly is the shining beacon. All concerned sons and daughters of Vietnam, please heed his call. A few days ago, a man asked a rhetorical question that if the educated class (gioi si phu), traditional leaders, of Vietnam love Vietnam as much as the poet Bui Gia'ng loved Kim Cuong, would Vietnam not be in a much better shape. Love is always around. It's never too late to open your heart and give love a try.
Wissai
.
Life of giving and sharing
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/world/africa/08somalia.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22
I also read about this remarkable woman a few weeks ago. Being a doctor is a very noble profession, on the same par with being a teacher. One devotes to saving lives; the other dedicates to saving minds. Unfortunately, most doctors I personally know devote to making money, thus sullying the image of the profession.
This life of service of this doctor is inspiring. True happiness comes from
giving and sharing what we have with less fortunate fellow humans. Selfish humans never have that understanding. True education awakens the altruism in us and teaches us not to be overly selfish. A little selfishness is useful for survival, but too much of it makes one stay at the animal level. Many humans, Mitchongs included, cannot be properly called educated. True education must include the improvement of one's heart, and not just one's mind. So the next time you reflexively think you are educated, think of what I just wrote tonight. Now perhaps a friend of mine understands why the word "animal" is part of my favorite vocabulary. I have this eternal fear that I am just an animal and no more. So, I am grateful of running into stories like this one about the wonderful lady doctor in Somalia. By the way, in case you guys don't notice, people from Somalia and Ethiopia (and from North Africa and the Middle East and Mediterranean countries) generally are very attractive. My son and I know the reason why. That's something he and I have in common.
Wissai, preacher from the wilderness
I also read about this remarkable woman a few weeks ago. Being a doctor is a very noble profession, on the same par with being a teacher. One devotes to saving lives; the other dedicates to saving minds. Unfortunately, most doctors I personally know devote to making money, thus sullying the image of the profession.
This life of service of this doctor is inspiring. True happiness comes from
giving and sharing what we have with less fortunate fellow humans. Selfish humans never have that understanding. True education awakens the altruism in us and teaches us not to be overly selfish. A little selfishness is useful for survival, but too much of it makes one stay at the animal level. Many humans, Mitchongs included, cannot be properly called educated. True education must include the improvement of one's heart, and not just one's mind. So the next time you reflexively think you are educated, think of what I just wrote tonight. Now perhaps a friend of mine understands why the word "animal" is part of my favorite vocabulary. I have this eternal fear that I am just an animal and no more. So, I am grateful of running into stories like this one about the wonderful lady doctor in Somalia. By the way, in case you guys don't notice, people from Somalia and Ethiopia (and from North Africa and the Middle East and Mediterranean countries) generally are very attractive. My son and I know the reason why. That's something he and I have in common.
Wissai, preacher from the wilderness
Skating on Thin Ice
I love skating on thin ice. It forces me to be alert and I am usually relieved, even euphoric, to stay alive at the end of an exercise. In addition, I usually learned something deep about myself during the period I put my life in danger. Just as I was trying to get some rest, somewhere deep inside me told me that I need both respect and disrespect from people. The respect woukd provide the self-validation while the disrespect would propel me for self-improvement. With the insight about disrespect, all the past hurts seemed beneficial and thus acceptable. As a consequence, I am now shrugging my shoulders whenever memories associated with Ag and La come back. The same thing with the memories associated with lesser assholes such as the Monkey, the Coward, and the Justifier. They are just scumbags and douchebags, and not much of men. They are like mice and ticks. Contempt for others is easy. What I should avoid is self-contempt. So, I must learn to preserve wealth and health, and avoid petty, private crimes. I must pay close attention to dignity.
Friday, January 7, 2011
You can run, but you can't hide from prying eyes.
Yes, you. That's right. I mean you, potty-mouthed, loud, insecure, inferiority complex-laden little twit. I am surprsised you still hang around. Somebody told me you had dropped dead out of the heavy burden of envy and ignorance. I remember you once pointed out an architectural style of a church and pontificated that it was Gothic. That prompted me to ask you what about Romanesque and Baroque and Islamic architectural styles and how different they were from one another and from Gorhic. Your facial expressions drew a blank, showing pitiful ignorance. When we first met, you were anxious to show me how knowledgeable you were. You expounded one wild, woolly hypothesis after another, based on flimsy facts and ignoble ignorance. I just went along to keep the conversation going in order to see how far your ignorance extended. You were abrasive, impolite, rude, lying, dishonorable, and selfish. In other words, a piece of garbage. Finally, I couldn't stand you anymore. I let you and the world know how I thought of you. But you were by no means rare. There were and are many like you. The more I looked at you and the likes of you, the more I felt good about myself.
Ly Tong Saga
Ly Tong has guts and is my kind of hero. He acts. He does not babble nonsense and platitudes like so many so-called "educated", "law-and-order" common folks do.
You could have guessed that I was easily and deeply affected by words. Today, somebody's words hit me hard for their lonesome tone. I no longer fancy that I understand humans, especially a person of complex personality like him. But I think despite an aura of cynicism and skepticism he projects, he still hankers and hungers for a tender touch, understanding, and acceptance.
As for myself, I let pride, distaste with cowards who ironically love power, and concern with logical reasoning color my perception of my friends. Still, how one reacts to the Ly Tong saga is a good litmus test of the person's character. How one reacts to Ly Tong's actions says a lot of who he is. How many people in this world can behave like Ly Tong, especially now we learned that he pleaded not guilty and has parted company with his lawyers? Freedom and self-preservation are two of the strongest drives in humans. Yet Ly Tong is willing to disregard them because of his political principles. The same thing can be said of Father Nguyen Van Ly and Le Thi Cong Nhan and others. What burned me up was to see cowards who hid behind "law and order" slogan to besmirch Ly Tong's character. As I said before, laws are not absolute and inviolable. Sometimes we must knowingly break them for a higher cause. Laws must serve men, not the other way around. Laws are relative. Only tyrants and cowards and idiots would hang their hats on laws at all times. Bertrand Russell went to prison several times in defiance of the laws of which he regarded as imperfect and unjust.
You could have guessed that I was easily and deeply affected by words. Today, somebody's words hit me hard for their lonesome tone. I no longer fancy that I understand humans, especially a person of complex personality like him. But I think despite an aura of cynicism and skepticism he projects, he still hankers and hungers for a tender touch, understanding, and acceptance.
As for myself, I let pride, distaste with cowards who ironically love power, and concern with logical reasoning color my perception of my friends. Still, how one reacts to the Ly Tong saga is a good litmus test of the person's character. How one reacts to Ly Tong's actions says a lot of who he is. How many people in this world can behave like Ly Tong, especially now we learned that he pleaded not guilty and has parted company with his lawyers? Freedom and self-preservation are two of the strongest drives in humans. Yet Ly Tong is willing to disregard them because of his political principles. The same thing can be said of Father Nguyen Van Ly and Le Thi Cong Nhan and others. What burned me up was to see cowards who hid behind "law and order" slogan to besmirch Ly Tong's character. As I said before, laws are not absolute and inviolable. Sometimes we must knowingly break them for a higher cause. Laws must serve men, not the other way around. Laws are relative. Only tyrants and cowards and idiots would hang their hats on laws at all times. Bertrand Russell went to prison several times in defiance of the laws of which he regarded as imperfect and unjust.
Who will save Vietnam from China?
Who will be the modern Viet hero to save Vietnam from the grasp of the imperialistic China?
Any student of human history would tend to agree that the well-being of nations in their crucial moments depends on the ability of the leaders in existence. Humans are social beings. They function in groups and in accordance with rules and laws. The leaders have authority over individual members. Their leadership affects the well-being and sometimes even the survival of the whole groups (nations). That is a fact. Leaders do matter and they matter a great deal. It does not make any difference if one subscribes to Thomas Carlyle’s Great Man Theory or its opposite, Herbert Spencer’s social determinism. The fact remains that actions taken by leaders have a direct bearing on the nation’s collectivity then and thereafter. It does not matter if the leadership takes place in absolutist monarchy, democracy, or dictatorship. What matters is the ability or inability of the leaders to deliver to the needs of the people.
In early 18th century, Peter the Great carried out a policy of modernization and expansion that transformed the Tsardom of Russia to a 3-billion acre Russian Empire, a major European power (see Wikipedia).
In late 18th century, George Washington, set the nascent U.S. firmly on the foundation of democracy--- after winning the war of independence from Britain, instead of reverting back to absolutist monarchy---and paved the way for the country on the path of expansion and prosperity.
Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara , he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His military campaigns gained Turkey independence. Atatürk then embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform Turkey into a modern and secular nation-state. The principles of Atatürk's reforms, upon which modern Turkey was established, are referred to as Kemalism.
The 20th century saw a sea change of regime in Russia , from absolutist Tsar monarchy to communist dictatorship ruled by a series of strong men Lenin, Stalin, and now Putin (other leaders in between Stalin and Putin could not be described as strong). While Russia has enormous potential in natural resources and a strong educated class, the leaders have failed to harness the potential and currently the country is still foundering economically, life expectancy is on the decline, and rules of Mafia and governmental corruption are the norms.
In China the ineffectual response of the Qing Dynasty to the incursions of the West in the 19th century led to its collapse in 1912 and gave rise to a long period of warlord factionalism which finally concluded with Mao as the eventual winner. His leadership led to the Great Famine of 1959-1961 during which estimated 26 million Chinese died of starvation. Deng Xiaoping was a much better leader. He opened China to Western technology and investments. As a consequence, China has become stronger economically and militarily and its current leaders are increasingly bellicose and are aspiring to see China supplant the U.S. as the world’s dominant power. While China has made tremendous material progress, its lengthy records of violations of human rights, environmental concerns, and lack of ethics (counterfeit goods, including fake medicines and foods; harsh and selfish behavior in social interactions) have been severely deplorable. These deficiencies and the alarming bellicosity with its neighbors and the U.S. have led some observers to question if indeed the 21st century belongs to China or the century will witness the disintegration of the country after a military confrontation with the U.S.
For years South Africa was unable to make much progress despite its vast natural resources and territory because of international sanctions on account of its policy of oppressive apartheid, causing undue sufferings to the majority blacks. Then a historic change took place in February 1990, when President FW de Klerk decided to let the charismatic hero of the struggle against apartheid, Nelson Mandela, free after Mandela had spent 26 years in captivity. The brave and far-sighted decision of De Klerk and the subsequent equally far-sighted decision of Mandela of seeking reconciliation among different ethnic groups instead of “justice” and “revenge” led South Africa firmly on the current path of world integration, not isolation, and slow but prosperous development, instead of the post-colonial governance void suffered by many other countries on the continent. In addition, the government Mandela led after the 1994 election stayed within the free-market principles that had been in force in South Africa for decades. He resisted the call of the left-wing of the ruling ANC (African National Congress) which insisted on nationalization. Thus, we saw clearly the decisive and positive impact the leaders like De Klerk and Mandela have on this nation at the southern tip of Africa . In the words of F.W. De Klerk, "If we had not changed in the manner we did, South Africa would be completely isolated. The majority of people in the world would be intent on overthrowing the government. Our economy would be non-existent – we would not be exporting a single case of wine and South African planes would not be allowed to land anywhere. Internally, we would have the equivalent of civil war." (quoted by Alex Duval Smith in The Observer, January 31, 2010)
After seeing various examples what leaders could do to the well-being of the nations, let us examine what kind of leaders Vietnam has had in contemporary times. Ho Chi Minh capitalized on the fervor of the patriotism of the Vietnamese in 1945 and succeeded in driving out the hated French colonists in 1954. Not content to rule the northern half of Vietnam under communist dictatorship, he harbored an ambition to rule the whole of Vietnam and thus launched a war of conquest of the south under the slogan of war of liberation. He died in 1969. His successors continued his policy of the war of aggression against the south. They succeeded because their patron, the communist China , gave them unstinted support in arms and ammunition and food. Instead of doing like Mandela did in South Africa ---practicing reconciliation and respecting free-market principles then in existence---the ruthless and inept communist leaders promptly sent hundreds of thousands of former South Vietnamese military officers and governmental officials to concentration camps euphemistically called “reeducation centers” where tens of thousands died of sickness and mistreatment. They also stupidly imposed the central “planning” principles on the economy on the south, leading to its economic collapse, bringing suffering and hardship to the people, and driving them to seek freedom by getting on flimsy boats at great risks to their safety. And indeed, tens, if not hundreds, of thousands did perish at sea either by shipwrecking or being killed by Thai pirates. Meanwhile they kowtowed and are continuing kowtowing to their Chinese master by agreeing to a new Viet-Sino border at the expense of Vietnam, “leasing” hundreds of thousands of acres to Chinese firms, letting Chinese firms with their own labor force do the bauxite mining in the militarily strategic Central Highlands, selling Viet brides to Chinese men, importing Chinese goods to Vietnam willy-nilly causing horrendous trade imbalance, voicing feeble and ineffectual protests when China killed and harassed Viet fishermen in the very waters where the Viet people have plied their trade for hundreds of years, and treating Chinese in Vietnam with complete respect while oppressing and mistreating their own fellow Vietnamese if these people voice concerns about the territorial designs China has on Vietnam. In other words, the leaders of Vietnam have been acting in a treasonous manner. They must be replaced immediately otherwise Vietnam will be a province of China soon.
Father Nguyen Van Ly, the former prisoner of conscience, has recently and publicly called for the Vietnamese people to take the matter of the survival and independence of Vietnam into their own hands and peacefully demonstrate against the current inept and treasonous leaders. He also earnestly asked the caring, patriotic elements of the Viet military officers and government officials to heed his call in this dark hour that Vietnam is facing.
The Viet communists are staging a congress in January of 2011 where national leaders are chosen and national policies are adopted. We fervently hope and pray that out of this congress, a new crop of caring, patriotic leaders will emerge and lead Vietnam out of the orbit and grasp of China . The models of leadership behavior for the new leaders of Vietnam should be those of the democratic Japan and South Korea and the U.S. and Australia and India, not of the undemocratic and corrupt and ruthless Chinese leaders who starved their own people, shot down defenseless students in the Tiananmen Square, and turned a blind eye on those unethical Chinese business firms which make fake medicines and fake foods and which don’t give a damn about ethics and environmental concerns.
Lê Quang Long, Nguyễn Hùng, and Ngô Khoa Bá
Any student of human history would tend to agree that the well-being of nations in their crucial moments depends on the ability of the leaders in existence. Humans are social beings. They function in groups and in accordance with rules and laws. The leaders have authority over individual members. Their leadership affects the well-being and sometimes even the survival of the whole groups (nations). That is a fact. Leaders do matter and they matter a great deal. It does not make any difference if one subscribes to Thomas Carlyle’s Great Man Theory or its opposite, Herbert Spencer’s social determinism. The fact remains that actions taken by leaders have a direct bearing on the nation’s collectivity then and thereafter. It does not matter if the leadership takes place in absolutist monarchy, democracy, or dictatorship. What matters is the ability or inability of the leaders to deliver to the needs of the people.
In early 18th century, Peter the Great carried out a policy of modernization and expansion that transformed the Tsardom of Russia to a 3-billion acre Russian Empire, a major European power (see Wikipedia).
In late 18th century, George Washington, set the nascent U.S. firmly on the foundation of democracy--- after winning the war of independence from Britain, instead of reverting back to absolutist monarchy---and paved the way for the country on the path of expansion and prosperity.
Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara , he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His military campaigns gained Turkey independence. Atatürk then embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform Turkey into a modern and secular nation-state. The principles of Atatürk's reforms, upon which modern Turkey was established, are referred to as Kemalism.
The 20th century saw a sea change of regime in Russia , from absolutist Tsar monarchy to communist dictatorship ruled by a series of strong men Lenin, Stalin, and now Putin (other leaders in between Stalin and Putin could not be described as strong). While Russia has enormous potential in natural resources and a strong educated class, the leaders have failed to harness the potential and currently the country is still foundering economically, life expectancy is on the decline, and rules of Mafia and governmental corruption are the norms.
In China the ineffectual response of the Qing Dynasty to the incursions of the West in the 19th century led to its collapse in 1912 and gave rise to a long period of warlord factionalism which finally concluded with Mao as the eventual winner. His leadership led to the Great Famine of 1959-1961 during which estimated 26 million Chinese died of starvation. Deng Xiaoping was a much better leader. He opened China to Western technology and investments. As a consequence, China has become stronger economically and militarily and its current leaders are increasingly bellicose and are aspiring to see China supplant the U.S. as the world’s dominant power. While China has made tremendous material progress, its lengthy records of violations of human rights, environmental concerns, and lack of ethics (counterfeit goods, including fake medicines and foods; harsh and selfish behavior in social interactions) have been severely deplorable. These deficiencies and the alarming bellicosity with its neighbors and the U.S. have led some observers to question if indeed the 21st century belongs to China or the century will witness the disintegration of the country after a military confrontation with the U.S.
For years South Africa was unable to make much progress despite its vast natural resources and territory because of international sanctions on account of its policy of oppressive apartheid, causing undue sufferings to the majority blacks. Then a historic change took place in February 1990, when President FW de Klerk decided to let the charismatic hero of the struggle against apartheid, Nelson Mandela, free after Mandela had spent 26 years in captivity. The brave and far-sighted decision of De Klerk and the subsequent equally far-sighted decision of Mandela of seeking reconciliation among different ethnic groups instead of “justice” and “revenge” led South Africa firmly on the current path of world integration, not isolation, and slow but prosperous development, instead of the post-colonial governance void suffered by many other countries on the continent. In addition, the government Mandela led after the 1994 election stayed within the free-market principles that had been in force in South Africa for decades. He resisted the call of the left-wing of the ruling ANC (African National Congress) which insisted on nationalization. Thus, we saw clearly the decisive and positive impact the leaders like De Klerk and Mandela have on this nation at the southern tip of Africa . In the words of F.W. De Klerk, "If we had not changed in the manner we did, South Africa would be completely isolated. The majority of people in the world would be intent on overthrowing the government. Our economy would be non-existent – we would not be exporting a single case of wine and South African planes would not be allowed to land anywhere. Internally, we would have the equivalent of civil war." (quoted by Alex Duval Smith in The Observer, January 31, 2010)
After seeing various examples what leaders could do to the well-being of the nations, let us examine what kind of leaders Vietnam has had in contemporary times. Ho Chi Minh capitalized on the fervor of the patriotism of the Vietnamese in 1945 and succeeded in driving out the hated French colonists in 1954. Not content to rule the northern half of Vietnam under communist dictatorship, he harbored an ambition to rule the whole of Vietnam and thus launched a war of conquest of the south under the slogan of war of liberation. He died in 1969. His successors continued his policy of the war of aggression against the south. They succeeded because their patron, the communist China , gave them unstinted support in arms and ammunition and food. Instead of doing like Mandela did in South Africa ---practicing reconciliation and respecting free-market principles then in existence---the ruthless and inept communist leaders promptly sent hundreds of thousands of former South Vietnamese military officers and governmental officials to concentration camps euphemistically called “reeducation centers” where tens of thousands died of sickness and mistreatment. They also stupidly imposed the central “planning” principles on the economy on the south, leading to its economic collapse, bringing suffering and hardship to the people, and driving them to seek freedom by getting on flimsy boats at great risks to their safety. And indeed, tens, if not hundreds, of thousands did perish at sea either by shipwrecking or being killed by Thai pirates. Meanwhile they kowtowed and are continuing kowtowing to their Chinese master by agreeing to a new Viet-Sino border at the expense of Vietnam, “leasing” hundreds of thousands of acres to Chinese firms, letting Chinese firms with their own labor force do the bauxite mining in the militarily strategic Central Highlands, selling Viet brides to Chinese men, importing Chinese goods to Vietnam willy-nilly causing horrendous trade imbalance, voicing feeble and ineffectual protests when China killed and harassed Viet fishermen in the very waters where the Viet people have plied their trade for hundreds of years, and treating Chinese in Vietnam with complete respect while oppressing and mistreating their own fellow Vietnamese if these people voice concerns about the territorial designs China has on Vietnam. In other words, the leaders of Vietnam have been acting in a treasonous manner. They must be replaced immediately otherwise Vietnam will be a province of China soon.
Father Nguyen Van Ly, the former prisoner of conscience, has recently and publicly called for the Vietnamese people to take the matter of the survival and independence of Vietnam into their own hands and peacefully demonstrate against the current inept and treasonous leaders. He also earnestly asked the caring, patriotic elements of the Viet military officers and government officials to heed his call in this dark hour that Vietnam is facing.
The Viet communists are staging a congress in January of 2011 where national leaders are chosen and national policies are adopted. We fervently hope and pray that out of this congress, a new crop of caring, patriotic leaders will emerge and lead Vietnam out of the orbit and grasp of China . The models of leadership behavior for the new leaders of Vietnam should be those of the democratic Japan and South Korea and the U.S. and Australia and India, not of the undemocratic and corrupt and ruthless Chinese leaders who starved their own people, shot down defenseless students in the Tiananmen Square, and turned a blind eye on those unethical Chinese business firms which make fake medicines and fake foods and which don’t give a damn about ethics and environmental concerns.
Lê Quang Long, Nguyễn Hùng, and Ngô Khoa Bá
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The Why question and Definitions of Love
Most humans love to ask questions. It's part of being human, the desire to know. Of all questions (What, How, where, When, and Why), the Why is the most important. The others are just on the peripheral, acting like icing on the cake. The Why goes to the core of the matter. Some humans fail to see that or perhaps they are too smart to go there, like they don't want to know why and if there is a God, why humans are here on this planet, why we are born and thus have to struggle to live, and why there is love, including love for one's country, a love called patriotism.
Those who don't love their country hide behind a sophistical argument and shamelessly put up a face-saving line of reasoning along the lines of "Who are you to question my patriotism? I don't have to explain and account to you my feelings about my country." Fair enough statements, but we look at their daily behavior and their obscene love of power and their obsession to stay alive at any costs and we know why. On the other hand, we look at the behavior of brave and true patriots like Father Nguyen Van Ly and Le Thi Cong Nhan (she was just arrested again) and we know why, too, and we take off our hats to salute them in respect and admiration while wishing we had their courage and their wonderful love for Vietnam. True love always involves giving and sacrifices. Selfish people don't know how to love.
I am a coward. I freely admit that without being coerced. I don't have much love inside me for my country of birth. I talk a good game, but I am scared inside. So, you can say I am a hypocrite, too. No surprise there. Cowardice and hypocrisy go hand in hand. The only love I know something about is romantic love. As a man who has achieved incredible highs and indescribable lows because of love, I have been keen on collecting the definitions of love in the course of my reading. I don't go near a book of quotations to look for memorable definitions or bons mots on love. That would be too crass and mercantile and too easy to me. I rely on chance encounters.
Love is an involuntary reflex. And I fell victim to it.
Love is like the lightning, and your maturity is signaled by the extent to which you can accept the dangers and the power and the beauty of love.
I thought I was through with love.
But love kept hunting me down.
Yesterday a feeling was turning true.
The feeling was you.
Yeu em nhu yeu lan dau
Yeu em nhieu de yeu thuong dai lau
You think I am falling in love with you?
Be real. Dream on. I would not love you even if my life depended on it.
Love is like money. It is only important when you need it.
We can pretty much tell about a person by the way he views love. Somebody can talk about love all his life, but would know nothing about love even if it hits him on the head with a 2 by 4. Somebody else can't help falling in love, over and over again.
Those who don't love their country hide behind a sophistical argument and shamelessly put up a face-saving line of reasoning along the lines of "Who are you to question my patriotism? I don't have to explain and account to you my feelings about my country." Fair enough statements, but we look at their daily behavior and their obscene love of power and their obsession to stay alive at any costs and we know why. On the other hand, we look at the behavior of brave and true patriots like Father Nguyen Van Ly and Le Thi Cong Nhan (she was just arrested again) and we know why, too, and we take off our hats to salute them in respect and admiration while wishing we had their courage and their wonderful love for Vietnam. True love always involves giving and sacrifices. Selfish people don't know how to love.
I am a coward. I freely admit that without being coerced. I don't have much love inside me for my country of birth. I talk a good game, but I am scared inside. So, you can say I am a hypocrite, too. No surprise there. Cowardice and hypocrisy go hand in hand. The only love I know something about is romantic love. As a man who has achieved incredible highs and indescribable lows because of love, I have been keen on collecting the definitions of love in the course of my reading. I don't go near a book of quotations to look for memorable definitions or bons mots on love. That would be too crass and mercantile and too easy to me. I rely on chance encounters.
Love is an involuntary reflex. And I fell victim to it.
Love is like the lightning, and your maturity is signaled by the extent to which you can accept the dangers and the power and the beauty of love.
I thought I was through with love.
But love kept hunting me down.
Yesterday a feeling was turning true.
The feeling was you.
Yeu em nhu yeu lan dau
Yeu em nhieu de yeu thuong dai lau
You think I am falling in love with you?
Be real. Dream on. I would not love you even if my life depended on it.
Love is like money. It is only important when you need it.
We can pretty much tell about a person by the way he views love. Somebody can talk about love all his life, but would know nothing about love even if it hits him on the head with a 2 by 4. Somebody else can't help falling in love, over and over again.
Stupidity
You are not that smart. Yet when you see somebody do something stupid, you get annoyed and even upset and angry. That could be that deep down you are a student and you want to be around smart people so you can learn from them. The same thing happens to cowardice. You are not really brave. Yet you hate and look down on those who are even more cowardly than you. Tonight you succeeded in overcoming your propensity to confide and confess. Instead you have gone over here in order to chat with me. You don't like to lie and act because you want people to accept you the way you are, even though you know a little acting here and there is crucial in surviving in the human jungle where most humans are actors.
(to be continued)
(to be continued)
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