Sucker fish
When I was younger, I remember being fascinated by those sucker fish that diligantly sucked the algae off of the glass of fish tanks. I was enchanted by the simplicity of that creatures existance. It never swam to the top of the tank to eat the multicolored shavings of fish food. He was content with sucking on glass and moving to fresh sources of algae. All of the other fish treated his as just another fixture of the tank.
I am a sucker fish. My Chinese is terrible. I attempt to pronounce their words, and I destroy the pinyin. Every day I am taught simple words and sentences that would be useful for me to remember, but like a fart in the wind, it is gone the next moment. I can do nothing but mutter "Big Mac" when I in McDonald's to order. I am just another fixture of the tank that people stare at. One day, I hope to speak better Chinese and be able to mingle with the other fish.
Today has been an intellectual day for me. As I was telling a friend in an email, my greatest folly was not packing enough books. I have plenty of time to study and explore literature, language books, theology, poetry, novels, etc. However, I do not have enough books. My library includes the Bible, City of God, Beginner's Chinese, Leaves of Grass, Brothers Karamazof, Undaunted Courage, and the Norton Anthology of Literary Cricism. I was reading a selection from Plato's Republic, chapter three. In this chapter, Socrates and his (dimwitted) friend discuss the qualities and traits of a proper citizen. Basically, his ideal citizen is an individual that is well-tempered, not subject to great outbursts of emotion, and is a precise judge of the asthetic qualitites of man and society. His citizen is a marble man that lacks all of the inconsistency inherent in man. He is nothing but a machine that contributes to the efficiency and output of society. Which leads me to my next point...
Is it acceptable for me to litter in China? "Don't mess with Texas." This is what I have been told my entire life. I did not want to litter because I did not want to get a $2000 fine for throwing a candy wrapper on the ground. However, in China, I have seen hundreds of elderly people constantly keeping the streets and sidewalks clear of any debris. These people rely upon the income of their job to survive. If no one threw trash upon the sidewalk, what would these professional street sweepers do? Is my simple act of throwing a noodle bowl on the ground helping society, by providing job security for those who look upon a dirty street as a stable income? Is it possible that what I always thought to be wrong (littering) is not absolute? When I arrived in China I was blinded by the Chinese characters and the sea of black hair. I was in the euphoric stage of culture shock. I had my rough times, and assume I will have more in the future. But, now I am beginning to see again, the way I see when I am fully myself. Thank goodness for weekends, books, cultures, bus rides, bowling, and a mind to process life.
[Please understand that I think that I am talking about petty littering and not dumping millions of barrels of oil or toxic waste in the closest storm drain.]
For an interesting read, check this out. I read this while on the bus today. I know I am a nerd, because at times I actually laughed at it.
I am a sucker fish. My Chinese is terrible. I attempt to pronounce their words, and I destroy the pinyin. Every day I am taught simple words and sentences that would be useful for me to remember, but like a fart in the wind, it is gone the next moment. I can do nothing but mutter "Big Mac" when I in McDonald's to order. I am just another fixture of the tank that people stare at. One day, I hope to speak better Chinese and be able to mingle with the other fish.
Today has been an intellectual day for me. As I was telling a friend in an email, my greatest folly was not packing enough books. I have plenty of time to study and explore literature, language books, theology, poetry, novels, etc. However, I do not have enough books. My library includes the Bible, City of God, Beginner's Chinese, Leaves of Grass, Brothers Karamazof, Undaunted Courage, and the Norton Anthology of Literary Cricism. I was reading a selection from Plato's Republic, chapter three. In this chapter, Socrates and his (dimwitted) friend discuss the qualities and traits of a proper citizen. Basically, his ideal citizen is an individual that is well-tempered, not subject to great outbursts of emotion, and is a precise judge of the asthetic qualitites of man and society. His citizen is a marble man that lacks all of the inconsistency inherent in man. He is nothing but a machine that contributes to the efficiency and output of society. Which leads me to my next point...Is it acceptable for me to litter in China? "Don't mess with Texas." This is what I have been told my entire life. I did not want to litter because I did not want to get a $2000 fine for throwing a candy wrapper on the ground. However, in China, I have seen hundreds of elderly people constantly keeping the streets and sidewalks clear of any debris. These people rely upon the income of their job to survive. If no one threw trash upon the sidewalk, what would these professional street sweepers do? Is my simple act of throwing a noodle bowl on the ground helping society, by providing job security for those who look upon a dirty street as a stable income? Is it possible that what I always thought to be wrong (littering) is not absolute? When I arrived in China I was blinded by the Chinese characters and the sea of black hair. I was in the euphoric stage of culture shock. I had my rough times, and assume I will have more in the future. But, now I am beginning to see again, the way I see when I am fully myself. Thank goodness for weekends, books, cultures, bus rides, bowling, and a mind to process life.
[Please understand that I think that I am talking about petty littering and not dumping millions of barrels of oil or toxic waste in the closest storm drain.]
For an interesting read, check this out. I read this while on the bus today. I know I am a nerd, because at times I actually laughed at it.
i don't think you should iitter. "don't mess with texas" has stuck with me too. i think in nc it's "keep nc beautiful" or something, but whatever. i think the street sweepers will have a job with or without your additional trash. just think about it, when you worked at the gap, it was your "job" to fold shirts when people screwed them up- but would you have appreciated someone randomly messing up your piles? either way, you would have still had a job, but it's always nice to see someone actually folding the shirt back after they picked it up. rare, but nice. i think you should pick up trash in front of the street sweeper and see if they smile. just a thought :)
ReplyDeleteps. every time i'm in a clothing store now, i re-fold the shirt or jean that i pick up because i remeber how much you hated the folding. just thought you should know :) ha