What have I learnt today?

Today has been one of those days that start out very bland and then end on a sweet note! >_< Corny? Absolutely!

Not feeling that great, got up thinking and debating about whether I should go to class.  Two options lay before me: go to class but possibly fall asleep in front of everyone or walk away at the end not having learnt anything due to my inability to stay awake OR stay home, rest, do something about my throat and try and catch up on readings etc.  The second option was what I chose in the end, only to discover that classes had been cancelled! Relief but short-lived as I had missed my seminar.  So what did I learn from that? Even when it seems like you got everything you wanted your way, if you wait for a moment and let the dust settle from your ‘woohoo’ dance, you’ll see you didn’t get it ALL.

But the entire day didn’t turn out a loss as a cleaning frenzy gripped me and I went to work (after a long nap in the afternoon), determination seizing every fibre of my being.  So I cleaned, cleaned and cleaned some more.  What did I learn from that? It doesn’t actually take much time or effort to clean your house and I actually enjoy cleaning! o_O

We had guests over and that turned out to be quite fun.  One guest in particular was gracious enough to actually bring chicken and cooked for us!!! Thank you very much sensei!  It was a night of catching up, exchanging info and woes (housing to be exact) and being ‘enlightened’ further about the undiscovered history of the Dimasa people of the Cachar Hills.  What did I learn from this event?  There is a fine line between getting together with friends, having people over and drop-in’s.  The first can be fun and enjoyable but it runs the danger of becoming very shallow and superficial and sometimes unfulfilling.  The second can give you palpitations of the heart! with concerns over the logistics of the whole thing and can feel very orchestrated.  The third, I guess is what I like the best.  It’s not pre-planned and often nothing grand.  It starts with a spontaneous idea entering your head and you call up a friend and say ‘hey, i’m coming over’ and if the ‘forces that be’ are on your side that day, the hopeful response is ‘sure’!  A little bit of food, sometimes just snacks and a few dashes to the store nearby to get stuff and suddenly you’re having ‘conversations’, enjoying each others company etc.  So, sometimes it’s the unplanned meetings, the ‘communions’ unsought for that are the fondest, most enriching and most fulfilling moments between friends and people.

Reading a bit from Valerie Hansen’s ‘The Open Empire: A History of China to 1600′.  What did I learn from reading that? Legalists of China hated dwelling on the past and ‘ritual for ritual’ sake.  Hmmmm, food for thought.  Also, sadly, great men are hard to find.  I type this in relation to what I read about Minister Shang Yang from the Qin period and how his reforms brought about incredible wealth and strength to the Qin kingdom.  The whole point of ‘great’ people, I guess, is that they are rare and very few and far between.  It’s a sad misconception that ‘greatness’ is only meant for some.  Everyone is meant for it, the problem lies in the fact that: some don’t believe it at all, some believe it but are too afraid to do anything about it and still some believe it and rely only on that knowledge and nothing else to get by.  If only everybody could embody the greatness that was meant for them and I mean, good kind of greatness not the kind that turns you into monsters, dictators, orchestrator of mass violence etc. etc. but the kind of greatness which benefits all and serves all, then what a world this place could be!  But then maybe none of us would have our names written on any monuments or history books but that’s ok by me, it’s a very small price to pay. ^_^

August 8, 2011 | Categories: Family & Life | Tags: Food, Friends, Greatness, Home, Qin kingdom | Leave A Comment »