Thursday, October 06, 2005
B.C. - A.D. / B.R. - A.R. -- The Road
High up in the mountains of North Vietnam people live as they have for a thousand years, or more. Many kinds of Hmong, Dao, Kai, King, and other tribes all wear their ethnic dress and sell their crafts and wares on the streets of Sapa. Ten years ago, I remember only two hotels--the Victoria and the Auberge-– everything else was not there. Now, maybe 2 dozen hotels dot the road in Sapa with 5 more being built. I can check my email in the internet café and rent a Russian jeep to go down in the valleys--or my favorite--ride a motorcycle! I’m not so skinny of a guy, but I jump on the back and the driver takes me wherever I want. My wife loves it, as well. She loves to ride those motors and trek in the mountains where the villagers live. The Lord has laid on my heart that I need one to minister to motorcycle people in the DFW area, but my wife is quenching the Spirit. Pray, friends, pray!
We go to one particular village--one I went to years ago. I love the place. We trek up the side of one of the mountains and see an old man outside. He’s sitting on a stool with straps freshly cut from a bamboo pole. He evens them out and then begins to weave them back and forth for a basket. He smiles and keeps working. He wears the ethnic black outfit and small black skullcap. His face is wrinkled and worn. His eyes squint even more as he grins. I ask someone how old he is. They say, "80." Wow! What has this guy seen? That means he was born in 1915. Two world wars, Ho Chi Minh, the French defeated, the American War (as they refer to it). We are not nearly as much in their mind as they are in our American psyche. They fought the Chinese for 1000 years and booted them out. They fought the French for 200 years and booted them out. We were there around 15 years-–not much. But the fact that they were not over-run by the American Military Machine, the greatest the world has ever known, is an issue of pride for them.
I approach this man with awe and wonder wanting to get nuggets of wisdom from him. So I ask him, "What is the greatest thing that you ever experienced in your life?" He thinks, and then says, "I remember when the road came. Before that no one came. But the government came and brought a road. Then they made me sell my land. I have a big family now--if I had all the land I had I would be able to feed them." I can see how that road would be important to him. He doesn’t know about parties, or politics--just the government and the road. Ok, another question, "Sir, what is the most important lesson in life you have ever learned?" He thinks, and then says, "When the road came, I can’t remember that much of seeing people, but then after the road came I saw some." Ok, another question, all of this is being done through a translator, "What bit of wisdom would you give me to keep in mind as I travel through life?" He thinks, and then says, "The government brought the road and that changed everything." Wow! This guy is fixated on that road. I finally give up--every question I ask leads back to that road. Before the Road and After the Road--that was the benchmark.
Walking down the mountain, I think--I was looking for a noble answer--the poor man just wanted to survive--that’s all. Sometimes, we think age makes us noble or wise--I keep relearning the lesson, no it doesn’t--it can make you more stupid and narrow if you don’t acknowledge truth. Oh well, he was a nice old man even if all he could talk about was that road.
Wait a minute! What if it was a noble and wise answer? What if he answered me like a child, but inside that childish answer was breath and depth of life? Let’s go back…
Most memorable experience--the road
Most important lesson--the road
Bits of wisdom for life as I travel--the road
He was talking about journey and how life changes. The more I think about it, I think it was a very wise East Asian answer wrapped up in a single metaphor--the road!
We go to one particular village--one I went to years ago. I love the place. We trek up the side of one of the mountains and see an old man outside. He’s sitting on a stool with straps freshly cut from a bamboo pole. He evens them out and then begins to weave them back and forth for a basket. He smiles and keeps working. He wears the ethnic black outfit and small black skullcap. His face is wrinkled and worn. His eyes squint even more as he grins. I ask someone how old he is. They say, "80." Wow! What has this guy seen? That means he was born in 1915. Two world wars, Ho Chi Minh, the French defeated, the American War (as they refer to it). We are not nearly as much in their mind as they are in our American psyche. They fought the Chinese for 1000 years and booted them out. They fought the French for 200 years and booted them out. We were there around 15 years-–not much. But the fact that they were not over-run by the American Military Machine, the greatest the world has ever known, is an issue of pride for them.
I approach this man with awe and wonder wanting to get nuggets of wisdom from him. So I ask him, "What is the greatest thing that you ever experienced in your life?" He thinks, and then says, "I remember when the road came. Before that no one came. But the government came and brought a road. Then they made me sell my land. I have a big family now--if I had all the land I had I would be able to feed them." I can see how that road would be important to him. He doesn’t know about parties, or politics--just the government and the road. Ok, another question, "Sir, what is the most important lesson in life you have ever learned?" He thinks, and then says, "When the road came, I can’t remember that much of seeing people, but then after the road came I saw some." Ok, another question, all of this is being done through a translator, "What bit of wisdom would you give me to keep in mind as I travel through life?" He thinks, and then says, "The government brought the road and that changed everything." Wow! This guy is fixated on that road. I finally give up--every question I ask leads back to that road. Before the Road and After the Road--that was the benchmark.
Walking down the mountain, I think--I was looking for a noble answer--the poor man just wanted to survive--that’s all. Sometimes, we think age makes us noble or wise--I keep relearning the lesson, no it doesn’t--it can make you more stupid and narrow if you don’t acknowledge truth. Oh well, he was a nice old man even if all he could talk about was that road.
Wait a minute! What if it was a noble and wise answer? What if he answered me like a child, but inside that childish answer was breath and depth of life? Let’s go back…
Most memorable experience--the road
Most important lesson--the road
Bits of wisdom for life as I travel--the road
He was talking about journey and how life changes. The more I think about it, I think it was a very wise East Asian answer wrapped up in a single metaphor--the road!
Rss Feed