Traditions

    I had a really interesting and thought provoking conversation last night. Deb and I were at her branch Christmas party just chatting away when one of her co-workers sat with us, Jack. He is from China. No big deal, everyone is from somewhere, right? But I took a chance and asked him about China, not knowing if he would think I was "stereotyping" or being an annoying jerk or whatever, but I honestly wanted to get first hand knowledge of what life was like there. At first he was a little standoffish, but after he realized I was honestly interested in what life was like there, he opened up. We talked about food, the media, the village his grandparents live in, Chinese New Year celebrations, the Martial Arts, and so on. It was great. I could have listened to his stories all night long. It was like a little light in my world started to shine on the truth about something, not what the media tells me the truth is, but first hand honest truth. 

   What really struck me as amazing was when Jack was talking about the meals in his Grandparents village, it was basically a communal gathering. Everyone sitting around, sharing the days catch, the days food stuffs, the days stories, interacting with each other, family to family, all as one, no hierarchy, no rich or poor, all equals. Jack said everyone is so friendly, so open, caring about each other.

    This is so foreign to me being from the west. We all sit in our homes, segregated from others, maybe if we are lucky enough, sharing a meal with our family. Can you imagine sitting with everyone in lets say your block or subdivision (I dislike this word subDIVISION), gathering around a large eating area, seeing all your neighbors, talking, interacting, being communal, and eating your meal, EVERY DAY!? Wow, I can only imagine. Even events like our Chinese New Year banquet, we all sit at our tables, mostly keeping to ourselves. And yet within our grasp right across from us might be our next best friend, or someone with an amazing story to tell. And yet we squander those chances, substituting social media for actual human interaction. 

   Well enough of that for now. Tonight we are off to our third Christmas gathering, this time with my side of the family and there should be about 12ish people there and I will talk to each one of them tonight, they are one of my little communities. So are you.

   I know I didn't talk about my Kung Fu much in this blog, and yet I feel I did.