Today is my big brother's 51st birthday. But my brother is not one who fusses about his birthday. Nonetheless, I wished him in advance last night and had a short chat with him on whatsapp. It was mainly about his new found love of cheap fountain pens from taobao ($2 and under) and the love of writing Chinese characters in particular. He has been finding that therapeutic. He showed me three Chinese poems he wrote of which I recognised one by Du Pu.
June has been a difficult month in the US. The death of this black guy George Floyd had started protests, riots and lootings, all over the US. George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer who put his knee on his neck, thus suffocating him for up to nearly nine minutes while he was in custody, for allegedly using a fake $20 bill. The #blacklivesmatter movement started to spread all over the US and across the world to London, Berlin, Paris, Sydney and wherever people felt for racial injustice. Some protests were peaceful, some turned violent.
I was particularly touched by the Obamas' speeches about how anger should be turned towards something constructive and bridges should be built to bring about unity and a better, more equal society. It is undoubtedly a reality that the world we all inhabit is often a cruel, unkind, unjust and scary place to be in. But we should not succumb to the forces of evil, darkness and hate, but overcome that with good, light and love. God is all that is good. God is my light - this is my primary school's motto, from Marymount Convent Primary. God is love - just look at Jesus who died on that cross, for God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son. Everyone who believes in Jesus will inherit eternal life and live in the love, light and life of the Father.
