Tag: A Farewell to Arms

Strong in broken places

I see strength in broken places every day. In people peddling lottery tickets, in pedicab drivers, in xe-om and  conical-hat ladies.

They move about under the shadow of high rises here in Saigon.

Broken limb and broken dream.

Yet I see strength in their struggle.

I see resilience where there should have none.

Death is in no special hurry, writes Hemingway.

A farewell to arms. An invitation to plowshares.

Cultivate and enculturate, learn and love.

I see students pairing up and partnering up.

I see students strive for and take ownership of their future, here and abroad.

Even an eagle needs a push.

Raise the standard (academic) and quality.

Raise the bar and the price. No pain no gain.

Like their African-American counterparts in the US, young Vietnamese are discovering their USP (Unique Selling point): Vietnam Got Talent, soccer,

and fashion (design).

In between 2000 and 2012, I have seen gradual changes: from bicycles to motorbikes, from motorbikes to Vespas, from Vespas to V6 .

Upward mobile.

Skyscrapers that reach out to the heaven.

Soar.

Touch the face of God.

Show and prove to the world that you exist and make a difference.

Wipe those tears from the children’s eyes. Lift your face to the rising sun and pray that God would have mercy .

Reincarnate or resurrected, active voice or passive voice, just find your voice.

Colonial days and imperial days are over. After darkness comes day light.

The storm that swept through Saigon last week was more than symbolic.

It cleansed the city of impurity and inertia. Now, with a cleaner slate to start over, I expect to see the next phase of growth, of optimism and confidence.

After all, I live here now. My city. When it does well, it rubs off on me as well.

Strong in broken places. Even death is in no special hurry. So why should I.

Eventually

“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry” p.249 A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway was lucid about war and the tolls it exacts at a personal level. We are in a hurry, but death isn’t. We could have been dead at birth.  Why be in a hurry?

I closed the book feeling so empty. Especially when it ends with THE END in caps.

Is this how my world and yours will end? IN CAPS? in the rain?

Why are we still hurting each other? To what end?

Greed has no end. I know that.

Jealousy as well.

But goodness and kindness ? Are they in short supply?

If we weren’t around at all – what opportunities have we lost? gained? missed?

Life saga doesn’t just happen in movies. It happens in real life. Another day at work, another child is born into this pain-filled world. A funeral (a good sight, since it marks THE END of a hopefully good life).

What about hope?

Have we lost the ability to dream?

Fire, Ready, Aim.,

I love the Romantics yet I ended up being a Realist.

Many of my age already turned cynical.

I haven’t heard joy and laughter from people of my age for a while.

What happened to those baby-faces? Lost innocence?

Don’t cave in.

It will get you eventually. Hence buying for time. Enjoy the ride.

Be not in any special hurry!