A square, a circle, to move, and to stay put

Post 20 There is more to it than meets the eye in a chess game

About 1,300 years ago and during the Tang Dynasty, there was a child prodigy by the name of Li Mi. When he was seven years old, emperor Tang Xuan Zong summoned him to the palace to test his talent. When the child was brought in, the emperor was having a Chinese chess game with a Revered Mr Zhang.

Zhang then said to Li Mi: “A square is like a chess board;A circle is like a chess piece;To move is to activate the chess pieces; andTo stay put means the chess pieces are dead.”

Li Mi , who later in his life became an advisor to the emperor, was then asked to explain the principles of playing a chess game using the words ‘a square, a circle, to move and to stay put’, of which he recited:

“A square is like speaking out from a sense of justice;

A circle is like being comprehensive and encompassing;

To move is like presenting one’s talent; and

To stay put is like having understood matters thoroughly.”

The rhyme of Li Mi carries the message that when one speaks the truth and has empathy, one is brimful of talent well-nurtured. It is incredible that such a young boy could read the ways of the world so thoroughly.

17 November 2009

Have an exceptional insight

Post 19 To be able to see what others cannot

When one is an optimist, one expects to win; and when one is a pessimist, one does not even hope. A winner has an exceptional insight in fulfilling his or her expectancy and works towards that goal with confidence. Winners are able to see what losers cannot.

I am very much impacted in life by the following sayings which I learned during one of my Chinese lessons in school:

“Fishes choose to live where there are waterweeds;
Birds prefer to perch on selected good trees; and
Wise officials want only to serve under virtuous masters.”

Fishes have their own sense of judgment in pursuing what they want for a comfortable dwelling place; birds of good breed have the instinct to know the best place to rest; and officials who have integrity and are wise will choose not to wallow in the mire with corrupt masters who are evil.

Thus, to live a life guided by an exceptional insight is an excellent choice.

10 November 2009

The onlooker sees most of the game

Post 18 The spectators see the game better than the players

This post is associated with the following anecdote to remind me of my happy childhood.

When I was a boy living in a small town during the years when TV was not even introduced, the football matches between different teams from nearby rubber estates were the highlights of my otherwise boring evenings. The sense of anticipation of such matches was intense for me and my childhood friends. Whenever the players who were standing in the lorries carrying them arrived, we would all be excited. It was even more so when the players entered the field.

It was interesting to note that there were bare-footed players. Life must have been tough tapping rubber then and a few players might not have the extra cash to buy a pair of football boots! Nevertheless, it was the love of playing football that mattered for the players whose sheer joy only an appearance on the field could bring. I must say I cherish the memory of them all, my unsung heroes.

It was during the play that the word ‘Centre’ was repeatedly being echoed. Whenever a winger had the ball under his control while advancing towards the opposite goalposts, the hundreds of standing cheering crowd would start shouting “Centre! Centre! ”.

They wanted the winger to pass the ball to the centre near the goalposts so that one of the forward players could head or kick the ball into the net. If the winger did not do so, he would be booed. This applied to players whose control of the ball was spoilt by opposing players coming from the back, as forward players would not be able to see what was happening at their back.

The spectators can see the whole picture of any game better than the players indeed.

3 November 2009

Economy-driven or knowledge-driven?

Post 17 What constitutes a good university education?

On 19 August 2009, Sun Yat-Sen University (Zhong Shan Da Xue) in Guangzhou made an announcement which would be of great interest to many people in general and educationists in particular. Being one of the major universities in China, the bold step taken by the university, after studying the running of Liberal Arts Colleges overseas, is well worth our discoursing.

The university would select 30 new students from the more than 8000 new intakes to go through a four-year elite education not associating with any faculty in the university. They will study Ancient Chinese Language, Ancient Greek Language, Latin, English Language, Chinese Civilisation, and Western Civilisation. The cream of the creams will be awarded a professional degree in Liberal Arts. Outstanding graduates will also go straight for their Master degree class. The new students are to study together and stay in the same hostel.

The main aim of this innovative initiative is to nurture future talents who will have the ability to do further research in the fields of liberal arts and social sciences. They are to “read more, think more, sacrifice more, and to shoulder more responsibilities in future. The College of Liberal Arts in the university holds in esteem not wealth but wisdom and self cultivation. They are not to be models of billionaires but that of great thinkers and great scholars.”

There are as many people who support the move of the university as there are who oppose it.

What say you?

27 October 2009

Human Nature

Post 16 A Harmonious World

Xunzi, a great thinker and a philosopher in ancient China, explains why human beings stand out distinctively at the highest level in nature as follows:

“Water and fire are substances with energy but without life; plants have life but without cognizance; animals have cognizance but without morals; human beings have energy, life, cognizance, and morals thereby making them supreme. (Cognizance means awareness, understanding or knowledge.)

Why is it that human beings whose strength is not equal to that of oxen, and whose walking speed is inferior to that of horses, have command over oxen and horses? The answer is that human beings are gregarious (enjoying the company of others), whereas oxen and horses are not.”

We can therefore divide the living things in the world in ascending order as water and fire, plants, animals and human beings.

Hence, when human beings cannot live peacefully among one another, they are worse than oxen and horses. The world will only be a better place to live in when people are harmonious in nature.

20 October 2009

Live our life 'now'

Post 15 Much water has flowed under the bridge

‘Much water has flowed under the bridge’ is a proverb which means much has happened since an event of long ago. What is past is past and that event is no longer relevant anymore. The water is gone and may ultimately just become a very tiny part of the ocean. No one can touch the same water twice. Thus, any unpleasant experiences in the past should be over and done with. They are water under the bridge. They are insignificant as compared to what life can offer us ahead. Hence, one should let bygones be bygones.

To live our life ‘now’, we may want to take a cue from children. A child’s time is ‘now’ and to the child, all time is fun and full of laughter. He spends his time ‘now’ to play, run, jump, sleep, and explore. He has a hundred ways of playing with a simple thing, ninety-nine ways more than what his parents or grandparents can think of. He knows how to enjoy what he has ‘now’ . He lives simply and happily.

Waris Dirie was a child from Somalian desert, who became famous in the fashion world. In her book, Desert Flower, she lamented,

“The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet everybody feels poor. And more than bankrupt of money, everyone is bankrupt of time. Everybody’s got no time. No time at all. ‘Get out of my way, man. I’m in a hurry!’ The streets are packed with people rushing here and there…….”

Do you have time to cherish the value of simple things and know how to enjoy life the simple way ‘now'?

13 October 2009

Quick-wittedness

Post 14 A sense of humour is the spice of life

A Chinese saying has it that ‘a word once spoken cannot be overtaken even by a team of four horses’. No matter how fast the four horses can run, the spoken word can never be taken back because it has already travelled far and wide. Thus, it is important for us not to be rash with our words. However, sometimes one may be forced to show one’s resourcefulness in an emergency.

British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was delivering a speech in public when a note was handed over to him from the floor. The word ‘idiot’ was written on it. Churchill who was perfectly calm and collected told the congregation, “I just received a letter without contents. It has only the signature of the writer.” These were words of quick-wittedness spiced with humour to strike back at the culprit.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, was among the five invited guests to speak at a gathering. He was to be the last speaker. The first four speakers deliberated lengthy speeches and when it was General Eisenhower’s turn to speak, it was already near 10pm and everyone at the gathering had become restless. He then went up to the stage and said that any speech must have a full stop and so let him be one for the night.

What a sense of humour!


6 October 2009