Coincidence ?

Some encounters change our lives. Exactly a year ago I had one that definitely influenced the whole year of 2010 for me.  I was not only happy during this time, but does that mean I wish it had never happened?

Sometimes we wish something had not happened, sometimes we wish we had made a different decision. But really, it is no use to cry over spilled milk. Our life went the way it did, we cannot change it.

And finally we may realize that everything that happened had  also positive sides. We learned something, we gained experience, we grew and developed a bit.

A year later I stand at a new point  - it was an encounter that in the end even changed my life. Although not in the way I had expected.

Is our life a series of coincidences and  do we just create an artificial sort of meaning when looking back - or is there really a sense in all this ?

The church of the village of  San Juan Parangaricutiro (Mexico)  was destroyed by the eruptions of the Paricutín volcano - the church towers and the altar were spared.  Coincidence ?

Changes

Life is movement and change . A lot of changes have happened in my life during the past two years - not only a new hairstyle ! So I decided to change the design of my blog as well  and try out some of the new things that are offered.

Changes are usually met with a mix of apprehension and excitement. We are looking forward to new challenges and experiences, but a change also means "good bye" to something old and familiar. Some changes are inevitable - growing old for example - and all we can do is make the best of the situation. Others can be avoided, but then everything stays as it is .  If we are happy, there is no need to change anything. If we are not, we probably have to collect enough courage to jump. And even then we might have moments of regret ...

"No risk - no fun" is  a motto you can hear from young people in Germany.  So I risked a new design here and hope you have fun ... ;)

No change wanted ....

Esperanto - some questions

A few months ago I commented on a series of articles on Esperanto that was published in a Mexican paper. The author explained the history of Esperanto and its importance for the past, present and future. My first comment concerned the idea of a world language. Today I have some thoughts and questions that concern communication in general .

Communication is not only about words. A person can understand the single words and the rules according to which they are put together, but sometimes this can still mean, the person does not understand the message. We all know about things like humour or irony, where we say one thing and mean another. This becomes even more complicated when you consider cultural differences.  In one country it may be custom  to use  words like "dear/dearest"  frequently and they mean just normal appreciation. In Germany, however, "liebste/liebster" is used only in very close relationships . So, how do Esperantists bridge differences like these ... do two people really mean the same when they say "Kara..." ? 

Another example is literature. Literary texts express to a great extend the personality of the writer, which is formed by his/her cultural background. It is very difficult to translate idioms , proverbs and even metaphors into another language, as they are based on the historal, social and religious background of the country in question. I find it hard to imagine that Esperanto literature really works without being influenced by the cultural background of the writer. On the other hand, maybe the Esperanto community  will develop a cultural background of its own ... or does it already exist ?

As the language of a country is part of its culture, I like studying languages, even if I won't be as fluent in most languages as I am in English. But I get a glimpse of the culture this way.

All this does not mean that I want to belittle the idea of a language that provides an easy- to- learn means of communication. I have read some criticism of Esperanto which I don't want to go into here, as my own observation is that Esperantists are peaceful people interested in the world, its human beings and their culture.The Internet provides new opportunities for this - and who knows, Zamenhof's vision might become true one day.

The author finishes his articles with some personal remarks describing his own benefits from being an Esperantist. Of course, they are the same that I have from being a Jackie Chan fan (finding friends and learning about the world) - common goals and visions connect people across all borders !

I refer to :
Guillermo Macías y Díaz Infante: Pasado, presente y futuro del Esperanto (Primera de cuatro partes), in: La Jornada Aguascalientes, 2nd September, 2010, p. 6  (written in Spanish and Esperanto, part two to four on following Wednesdays)

Looking back and ahead

 Ein gutes neues Jahr ! Happy New Year ! Feliz Año Nuevo ! xin nian  kuai le ! gung hay fat choy ! Bonne Année ! Buon Capadonno ! Feliz Ano Novo !

The days after Christmas are full of TV programmes that try to show us the "highlights" and "most touching moments" of the past year. It is the attempt to catch and hold the time that is passing. Well, apart from the fact that we know we cannot really do that, we should also be aware that December 31st is an arbitrary date to do so. For me the end of a school year (in Germany it is in summer) has always been more important as a point of transition from one cycle of my life to the other. My Chinese friends celebrate their new year on February 3rd. So one could just ignore the date, celebrate a party and then battle the hangover the next day.

However, I have also looked back and found that the past year had the usual mix of ups and downs:

Some of the happiness I found turned out to be an illusion - but most of it was more substantial.
I made an exciting journey and met friends on another continent.
I had success in my job, but also a lot more work and less free time.
I was sick and healthy, like every year. 
I was worried and scared, sad and in tears, happy and full of laughter.
I made mistakes and learned from them.

I guess, the next year will not be much different. I have things I can look forward to (si Dios quiere), I alreaday know at least one moment that  makes me apprehensive, there will be moments of fear, there will be challenges and joys... There will be LIFE !

At the end of this year I say a deeply felt "thank you" to all the people who  crossed my way last year- to the ones I will never see again as well as to the ones who stay with me.  I am thankful for the laughter you gave me, the support, the lessons you taught me, the sorrows you let me share ... I am  thankful for you being in my life.

I wish us all a peaceful new year !

                                                      

Merry Christmas !

Frohe Weihnachten! Feliz Navidad ! sheng dan jie kuai le ! 

Yesterday afternoon I visited a friend and his wife. Although they really have serious problems and worries, it was an afternoon of warmth and laughter. They keep their house open on Christmas Eve for everybody who feels lonely - and I thought that as long as I have friends like these I am truly rich.

I wish you true friendship and love  - and if you celebrate it: may you find the true spirit of Christmas.

 And may you have fun as well !!!

Little Big Soldier

Today on the Facebook status of one of my American friends I read about an American soldier who died shortly before his baby was born  and my friend asked to think (and pray) for him and his family. I am not going to write about the sense or non-sense of American military interventions in the world. This remark made me think of war, of violence and of a movie that I watched recently and that impressed me deeply.

It may not surprise the regular reader that it is a movie with Jackie Chan . Da bing xiao jiang/Little Big Soldier was released in February 2010 in China and is available on DVD also in my country. In fact, it was shown at the Berlinale film festival this year and Jackie was in Berlin as well.

Jackie plays an old and experienced soldier who kidnaps the only other surviver of a battle, a young general from the enemy's army (Wang Leehom). He wants to take him home, collect a reward and then buy a piece of land and retire. The kind of down-to-earth and cunning old man is ideal for Jackie. But what touched me most was the message of the movie. Deep down we don't want to be heroes, deep down human beings just want to survive, to live and grow old in peace. Several times I had tears in my eyes seeing the simple dream Jackie's character pursues - simple and profoundly human.

I had to think of this movie when I read my friend's message. I thought of all the soldiers all over the world, no matter which nationality. I thought of their dreams, their families, their friends. I thought that I cannot prevent wars - and this weekend my heart and my prayers go out to all of them.

Dreams - is the impossible really impossible ?

The impossible is impossible.(Sam C. Chan)

Recently, I have come across several of the "don't give up your dreams and they will come true" sentiments that give so much hope, but also  seem to me like an order to stop thinking rationally. Dream your dream and stop looking at the real world, is that a way to live?  I thought about it.

We all have dreams - big and little ones. We dream of a Sunday without work or a journey to Mexico or meeting our favourite star. Good news: dreams can be realized ! Some of them, at least. If you set yourself a realistic goal and if you think about what you must do to make it come true,  you can work for the realization of your dream. You can also set yourself a more realistic goal, or one on the way to the final destination. This way, dreams can come true - and you may have noticed I spoke of "goals" rather than dreams. Because most of our "dreams" are goals that we can achieve if we work for them - or change if we see they are wrong or impossible.


The word "impossible" reminded me of the simple  statement on a friend's website that I quoted above:The impossible is impossible. I find this important to bear in mind, because it is so true. I am dreaming of being 20, slim, young and ravishingly beautiful. As I am a normal middle-aged woman, this is impossible, and as the impossible is impossible, I can stop wasting my time dreaming of this and go for something more realistic. Of course, my friend's statement is a useful thought in a lot of situations - if politicians promise the impossible, we should not believe them.

This leaves the question who determines what is impossible. Of course, we can use logic, our  knowledge of the laws of nature, our general knowledge and experience. And yet ... there are dreams that seem impossible, but can be the driving force behind our activities. The dream of peace and justice for all the world, for example, has made a lot of people make a lot of little steps. The dream that all these little steps will one day add up to a great change for the better, is also at the back of my mind and it will be with me until the end of my life. And maybe it is not so much  a dream, but mankind's long-term goal...

And what is your big dream ?

Visiting Hong Kong in 2007 - a dream came true !