PureInsight | May 28, 2007
[PureInsight.org] (1)
When I drove back home, I saw my son sitting on the steps beside the
garage and typing on his laptop. I stopped the car and walked towards
him. He looked at me, complaining: "Why are you standing between me and
the spring scenery?" My car was just in front of him, limiting what he
could see.
I asked what he was up to. He said: "Composing music."
"What is the title of your musical work?" He replied:" Spring Is Blooming."
The title sounded poetic and it reminded me of his previous work. Then
I inquired:" what was the title of your last musical piece?"
"Soaring Sky."
I said: "Mom will get you a chair, so you can sit in front of the garage and write your music about spring."
My son continued his work and then he played his music. I said:" It
sounds great. I feel it belongs to the Chinese style." He answered:
"Sure. I only write Chinese style music."
Then I questioned him on the differences between Chinese and Western
music. He said that in Chinese music one section is composed of five
notes, while in Western music one section is eight notes. At the same
time, he demonstrated the difference to me with his music.
(2) He continued to write his
music while I was trying to get rid of the weeds in the garden. He was
still writing despite the fact it was supper time. A friend of us
invited us to dine out. I said to him:" You can bring your computer
with you. You can write while we wait for our order in the restaurant."
He did what I suggested. However, when we were in the restaurant, he
said he could not write because he could only smell the food but could
not see or feel the spring. I asked:" Spring is there. You see, people
have started to wear short sleeves. There is sunshine outside." He
insisted that in the restaurant there was none of the fragrance of the
grass or the flowers, and this was not the spring that he would like to
feel and express.
(3) I posted my article
"Conversations at the Dinner Table" to a web site. A reader of the
article replied to me, expressing appreciation for my way of nurturing
my son. His or her point was that parents are too busy to spend time
with their children and they tend to ask the children to learn all
kinds of arts and crafts. This has created the perception that doing
well in school and possessing talents are the ultimate goals of life.
But in reality, what kids need most from their parents is something
that their mind can rely on and part of it is the undivided attention
to their mental health.
I answered the post by drawing an analogy. I said: "I agree with you. A
child's virtue and temperament are just like the real power of martial
arts masters. Talents are merely the tactics to apply the sword or
fist. Without real power, the tactics have limited strength. A person
with virtue and morality is up to endeavors that will benefit himself
or herself, other people and even the whole nation. "
Translated from: http://zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2007/4/23/43440.html