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10th March, 2010
THE KIDS always have their favourite noodles in a restaurant nearby. The boss is the chief chef. He makes his own noodles. While his wife also looks after the counter, she helps out in the preparation of their home-made noodles.
They have two sons. Both are noodles makers and great cooks.
Their wives also help out in the shop, as kitchen helps, waitresses or keepers of the books, just like what their mother-in-law is doing One of the wives is expecting her first child.
Needless to say, if the third generation is a boy he will learn to make noodles and be a cook. If it’s a girl, she will work in the restaurant, be a kitchen hand, waitress, or will check the books or the like.
For years the shop enjoys brisk business and it’s obvious that it will remain so for many years to come. New customers never cease coming, while old ones keep coming back.
Such shockingly good business contributes to the many zeros on the boss’s saving account, people say.
Compared to these contented people, we are poor and deprived souls who only know how to spend and preoccupy ourselves with the money we earn.
The boss of this restaurant would never consciously send his grandson to Cambridge. He would also never close his shop for 30 days to take a break in Europe.
Neither would he intentionally participate in the jade and jewellery or antique teapots exhibition.
His wife and daughters-in-law are never seen wearing diamonds, although occasionally they may spot a gold chain or two. These people don’t seem to want to crave for things like branded clothing, bags, shoes, high end crystals, furniture, cars or the like.
Their world is in fact crystal clear, clean and simple.
Starting work at dawn, closing at dusk, they don’t have any expensive hobby, no particular dream or song. But they are so very happy.
I know whose fault that is. It isn’t the mistake of society, it’s that of knowledge.
Knowledge brings forth desire and evil, while thinking introduces us to discontent and disappointment.
A woman with neither knowledge nor thinking is more fortunate. She could pull a chair, sit behind her boyfriend and watch him play mah jong all night. When the boyfriend had to ease himself, she carried on the game in his place. No dissatisfaction, no complaint.
And that’s her life. Anything wrong with that? She doesn’t feel ashamed. She hasn’t other better things to do. At 20 something, it doesn’t appear she could still go back to college. Neither has she the will nor ambition to do so.
When it’s time, she gets married and bears children. More so when time is up, she closes her eyes and passes away and still it’s a life time. Like that.
We might have a life with purpose but we are using it to pursue knowledge without a purpose.
As such we understand what back to basic is. It means a society based on the system of agriculture or farming which by far offers the best way to solve our basic problems.
We are supposed to look after our own, to hold our own, to mind our business.
My mind is made up. Even though at the same time I might discover being an intellectual has the advantage to still enjoy himself in midst of great pain and suffering.
At least we know what good books are, what it is about putting our best looks forward and what elegance dressing is or looking good is about. While we believe in our ability to work for our own upkeep, we understand the value of our existence. While holding our own standard in life, we too can tell the difference between black and white.
We know what the world is like now, as we know when to speak and when to shut up. Now I know.
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