Learning

I met a man by the surname of Chen yesterday and what he said profoundly effected me:

"Busy work is not healthy."

While at the same time simple, it is also abstract enough to model much. This man Chen that I met, I'm inclined to believe, is rather cultured in a old blood sort of way because, from what I learned about him while having a conversation, is that he is a doctor, an orthopedician to be more precise, fully six generations deep with lineage going back to the Ching Dynasty. His ancestor was originally endowed by nature with the mind, physique, and will to rise to the position of General, and during this time, General's in the Ching Dynasty had to perform field medicine as well, so that, when he retired, he went into orthopedics, as did every son since. This latest progeny continues these traits it seems as he is going for his PhD in Surgery at a university in Australia next month.

Getting back to my main point, the reason I mention Dr. Chen's credentials is because I believe (as I know he practices both Eastern and Western medical techniques) he has a very holistic view in the traditional sense. He gets no vacations being the head of a surgical unit at Shaoxing Hospital, but he loves doing it, he is most passionate about his work. And yet, he told me this proverb even with all that under consideration? I wasn't sure if I understood how these to diammetrically opposed views of his could work, but I figured there might be something in this notion of his because it just felt so right. Was it a slip up? Well, I wasn't sure, so I thought I would test the contrapositive, it is healthy not to be busy, and see if I would be successful. When in Rome.

I have to mention here that I also had a wonderfully deep conversation two nights ago over "Stand By Me" on HBO (John just got cable...shh, not necessarily legal here) about trying to form rules or fit anyone, anything, or any experience into a model that we have preconceived, else you avoid opportunities to meet "new" people, do new and potentially exciting activities, explore, or basically kill that part of you that learns, as a child learns. Seriously, a child does not form models or rules before they learn, they improvise in the moment trying everything - with no mistakes I might add because there is no example they have to say this or that is correct or incorrect, everything is new, they have no models! I wasn't sure how I could apply this idea in my life here; it is so difficult to leave your friend network behind, to know that your family is no longer here, your old stompen grounds have disappeared, your home is not your home, and even your significant other has changed, so how could you give up the last thing you have for support... your understanding of the world? Only once in my life have I experience this kind of intentional dramatic change... the time I consciously decided to stop believing in God. I spent the last 5 years of my life studying Math and Computer Science and architecting software where models and patterns are everything, how could I let that go? When in Rome...

On October 19th, 2006 I tested these new philosophies. First, I let go of my self by doing some yoga and stretches, going for a jog, and listening to mp3's. I was now no longer distracted physically, my body was relaxed. Next, I let go of my self by going to the park and meditating to remove the distraction from my thoughts, my mind was relaxed. As I began to open my eyes, I felt a sense of peace that I have not felt for many years. As I sat there, with my legs crossed and my forearms on my thighs, I began to think of the poetry lessons I was planning to teach, all the while being calm and observant. And without a thought, poetry came to me in that moment, as beautiful as what I saw:

Dragonflies played a game of tag while the willows weeped,
Friends sat silently watching as the river meandered along,
A boatman stood quietly in his raft as the water flowed past,
A grandmother with her grandson in a carriage rested casually as the river moved by,
Liang taitai pungyo turned the corner as I turned to look,
And the sapling oaks dressed their branches in maroon shirts matching the pants of yi taitai.
And I, I listened to music that conducted it all.

In the Park

This is what I learned from that day:

Busy work is not healthy, we must be given the time to relax, breath, contemplate, and create, at the same time, we must open ourselves up and not remained close-minded, lest we forget the awe the world inspired in us when we were children. We can do this by letting go of the rituals and routines of sheltered living, the patterns of thoughts and rules we created to deal with the outside world, and just improvise...When in Rome, the proverb tells us, don't set your own rules as the guest, and well, Life is our host, and when your living it, don't think you know it.