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David Holzman's avatar

Damned interesting. And concise enough for me, as this is a subject where I would not want to go into the weeds.

But I really wanted to hear about your most dangerous voyage.

And, can't remember if I told you that after he'd been a radar mechanic, my father was an air traffic controller on one of the US bases in USSR during WWII. I didn't learn that until after he was gone; I think I learned it from Serhii Plokhi's Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front.

PS: I think you looked great with your hair that was not optimized for wind. I'm sorry about the loss of your friend.

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Diana B.'s avatar

That is an interesting biographical article, thank you for sharing! Also the picture of the hair in the wind is classic, would make an awesome t-shirt! :)

China is its history: imagine America in 10,000 years, the depth of culture and history. I studied 3 years ancient Chinese history and literature, Tufts U 1974 time period - it was grand and I recommend studying that curriculum to everyone. The ancient stories such as The Story of the Stone are cultural legends that inform China today.

The archaeology tells of ancient, fairly sophisticated cultures 70,000 years ago and older in that region.

Ordinary Chinese citizens refer to their hero origins like we refer to Paul Bunyan, a northeast US logger of legendary strength and courage.

The earliest Chinese literature such as The Story of the Stone, and the great literature until the present - highly recommended for many entertaining hours, to understand our world neighbor's soul.

“Perhaps my fellow humans whom the dream of life has ensnared may find in this tale an echo, may be summoned back by it to their true home; while free spirits of the high hills may find in the record of Brother Stone’s transformations, as in that older tale of the Migration of the Magic Mountain, a reflected light to quicken their own aspirations.”

― Cao Xueqin, The Story of the Stone: The Dreamer Wakes

Britannica: Dream of the Red Chamber, Chinese (Pinyin) Hongloumeng or (Wade-Giles romanization) Hung-lou-meng, novel written by Cao Zhan in the 18th century that is generally considered to be the greatest of all Chinese novels and among the greatest in world literature.

The Tao Te Ching (UK: /ˌtaʊ tiː ˈtʃɪŋ/,US: /ˌdaʊ dɛ ˈdʒɪŋ/; simplified Chinese: 道德经; traditional Chinese: 道德經; pinyin: Dàodé Jīng [tâʊ tɤ̌ tɕíŋ]

is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi

Lao Tzu quotes, goodreads:

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.”

"Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.”

“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”

“Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.”

“The best fighter is never angry.”

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”

“A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.”

“Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.”

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