7 years from a distance

It's 7 years to the day of my arrest and an old colleague whom I hadn't seen for a long time arrived in Hong Kong to mark the memory. Not by design, he was with a new girl friend born in China but emigrated to Japan for 25 years. We discussed the culture and the trends of China. It was refreshing to review it all with those who saw things a little removed from the action of money and crowds spreading from the Middle Kingdom.

This weekend, I had a discussion with another group of friends about the Chinese political psyche which seems to repeat the habit of so many emperors who killed all opponents as the center piece of their rule. A university department head of English was instated by a political slight of hand and is trying to wield power to rid those loyal to the previous head of department by verbal and logical abuse short of physical violence. History does repeat itself.

The point is to learn from stories past but few take the time. Instead, we rely on short term profit and results, power grab, bad mouth those who are popular, change systems to favor those we like, all without regard of those we serve. For whether you are in government, education, professional services, even charity... any position that makes decisions for other people, you are serving or hurting someone.

Over the 7 years of drama which hurt and inspired me to change, I am looking at the past from a distance and learning. One lesson that came back to me happened 31 years ago in Berlin. The wall was still there. It produced real danger and absurdities for Berliners surrounded by a useless wall that was there because of decisions made in Moscow and Washington DC. Everyday you see the watch towers, inspections as the subway passed unused East Berlin stations, huge radar towers, guns, binoculars, gates, inspection, signs warning of danger, graffiti, memorials and the wall itself which was at its most absurd on both sides of a mile long road that led to a tiny village smaller than a soccer field.

My point is that those responsible for these decision created the abnormality of the walled city of Berlin. People were separated and had to live in such strange circumstances. Life does go on but the cost is huge.

I know it's all very complicated because it had to do with so many incidents and decisions that happened after Hitler was defeated. But what it showed me in such stark clear drama is that bad systems and decisions can kill and damage.

Any power must be used with care and designer of management systems (by this I mean any way of running a group of people, from nations to a family, business to charities, classrooms to clubs...) must use all resources wisely to help people or else there will be senseless suffering.

My 7 years of painful lessons, dramatic encounters and learning has freed me to face the future more self aware, treasuring my friends and in a direction that seems so simple and clear.

It's about music and lights in all of life, all we do and with the people who love one another. It's not centered on money, sex or power although they will be used. The focus must be to lift up the weary, give sight to the hopeless and strengthen the downtrodden.

I needed to be down to feel the pain of others and be grateful to my God for today.