Chopsticks from Section Nine: Education
One of the most important lessons we can learn is how to use what we have and what we know in inventive ways. When we find ourselves with little possessions or skill, we should look for different opportunities to use what we have. In doing so, we will feel like we have a lot. This is especially important today as we experience economic hardship.
Years ago, my father and I hosted a Chinese New Year party at one of our restaurants. Several notable dignitaries were invited there including Virginia Governor Mills Godwin.
One of the main courses we served was Lobster Szechwan. I noticed that he was struggling to eat it with his fork and knife, so I suggested that he try to use his chopsticks. He seemed baffled by this suggestion. How could I eat my meal easier with chopsticks than I can with my fork and knife, he asked.
Not your utensil chopsticks, I said. Your natural pair of chopsticksyour fingers!
Governor Godwin smiled and listened. He started taking in charge the food with his own hands. As he put the juicy lobster meat into his mouth, he said: Wow, thats delicious!
We usually dont need new ideas to solve our problems. Instead, we must use what we do have in creative ways. It is this type of innovation that unlocks new dimensions of knowledge and education. . A revered Chinese poet and artist named Leum Man Choy proved this to the world when he integrated art, poetry and math together for the first time.
Leum Man Choy was invited by a high government official to create a poem that described a celebrated piece of artwork, titled, The Hundred Birds. The painting depicted a pair of phoenixes and 98 birds flying above a field.
(A typical poem in China includes four lines and each line contains seven words)
A bird born one after the other,
Three, four, five, six, seven, eight birds
The world is full of different birds
They eat all of our rice crops.
After the nobles and guests read the poem they were very confused. This was not Leum Man Choys best work, they thought; it did not make sense. Sensing this, Leum Man Choy explained,
The first line: One bird after another equals two. That describes the two phoenixes.
The second line: three, four, five, six, seven, eight describes the calculation of (3 times 4) plus (5 times 6) plus (7 times 8.) when you add 12 plus 30 plus 56 it equals 98. That describes the other birds in the painting.
The third line illustrates that there are many different kinds of birds in the world, just as there are many different kinds of people.
The fourth line describes the birds eating habits as they fly over our rice fields.
The people began to understand. The poem matched the painting perfectly, and they praised him for his work. One of the guests said to Leum, You are such a great poet. Your beautiful poem will further your reputation and be admired by many. Leum replied humbly, Its my honor to be part of this fantastic event and be able to serve its purpose. The governor smiled and stated, Your honor is ours, the paintings value has just improved dramatically because of your work. The guest said, Leum pierced two birds with one arrow. Everyone laughed and cheered.
Leum was not only a great poet, but also an intelligent mathematician. He combined his skills and knowledge to establish new forms of understanding. We should strive to do the same. When we incorporate our knowledge and skills in different ways, we create new ideas with which to educate the world.
A good friend of mine named David once told me that the word unfair is not in his familys dictionary. His statement is so loud and clear that it allows me to view life in a new perspective.
A man is driving on the highway. He is speeding, only driving with the flow of traffic, with many cars still zooming past him in the left lane. He is the only one who is pulled over and given a ticket. Why him?
A widow who lost her husband to cancer has just received news that her daughter has also been diagnosed with the disease. Why her?
Events and tragedies happen to each one of us randomly. When things get tough, it is easy to think that your life is full of misfortune. You might even ask yourself, Why me? quickly forgetting that unfortunate events happen to everyone. Some people get traffic tickets, while others speed but never get pulled over. People are born into poverty while others know only wealth and luxury. Some people suffer from disease while others lose their homes, jobs or loved ones.
While tragedy may be unfair, it is a part of life. We must accept this as a fact and move on. To do so, we need to maintain a positive attitude, exercise patience, strive to improve and resist comparing ourselves to others. Life may be unfair, but we must be fair with life. It is not what life makes out of you, but what you make out of life.
When I was young, I believed I knew everything. That was so wrong. The fact is...the more I learn, the more I realize how little I really know. When I was sick with cancer, I started to realize that some of the things I was pursuing (such as money) were things I might not ever be able to enjoy. There is always the unknown. It was at this time I learned the true meaning of love when I needed it the most.
It is important to strike a balance between seeking what you want and appreciating what you have. We must take steps to achieve our goals, but we cannot allow ourselves to be overtaken by jealousy and greed. We must realize our limitations and appreciate what we already have (be it in our stomach or otherwise!)
My life is full of obstacles, challenges, failures and business disasters. Once I said to myself that I felt bulletproof, not because Im invincible but because my body is so full of holes. I could easily ask the same question, Why Me? but my life experiences and common sense taught me that I needed to look at my life from various angles and appreciate it from different perspectives.
Had I never been diagnosed with cancer, I would never have taken more time off from work to spend with my family. If my commercial real-estate business had succeeded, I may not have the honor and the opportunity to write this book in which I have learned, and enjoyed, so much.
I am grateful for all my experiences and setbacks, even though some of those events could be viewed as unfair. I understand that for good, bad or worselife is nothing but a life-long experience.
I have made many mistakes throughout my lifetime, yet I harbor no regret. I understand that each experience has led me to where I am today; which is happy. I realize that having balance in life is as important as anything else.
Why me? We may never have a good answer for Why Me? but we certainly can improve our life with a positive attitude and a better understanding of life. Ancient Wisdom teaches us living hard is much better than not living. That saying is very similar to our Modern Philosophy that says, Any day is better than no day at all.
We own (and share) the sky, the sun, the ocean, the forest, the mountains, the air we breathe and every raindrop that falls on earth. We all have experiences (both good and bad), feelings and love for everything we encounter, but we often dont realize how valuable they are until we have an open mind and see them for the treasures they are.
It is easy for us to ask ourselves, Why Me? We often forget all of the wonderful things in life and in nature that we can enjoy and share with others.
I will never complain again. The question to myself is no longer Why me? nor Why not me? My new perspective is nowPlease include me!
(Picture above: Gov. Godwin pointed out the wisdom of using our natural abilities.)
(Picture above: Gov. Godwin smiled while eating his lobster with his "natural" pair of chopsticks.)
