Hello Mary, <<Those 50 students could succeed in any society speaking any language>> ... has our discussion degenerated to such an extent in just two rounds, and we must rely on obvious taunts. 50 students? are you sure?
<<I do not detect any rush of Russians studying Chinese>>
... you must detect more diligently, and in China, sitting next to the South Koreans, studying, preparing for the future.
<<Meanwhile, the Indonesians every so often purge their citizenry of people with Chinese ancestry>> ... and yet, even with all the difficulties and uneven playing fields, 97% of the local economy is in the hands of ... oh, you know the rest.
<<What most people fail to understand, including most people in the US is the transparency of knowledge, and the willingness to share knowledge for its own sake, to continually search for truth - that is the fundamental strength of Western Civilization>>
... Oh, I see, and the East is about hiding knowledge and denying the truth? Surely not.
<<If you have Nobel Prize caliber scientists in China and you try to keep them a secret from the rest of the world>>
... the truth and knowledge is there for all those who wish to and able learn, in original languages. The issue is not one of <<keeping secret>>, but is one of ignorance about even where to look, due to the lack of second language abilities of many native English-speakers, and in that, a distinct disadvantage in seeking for strands of truth and digging out morsels of knowledge.
I think we have settled the language issue and suffice to conclude that the fate of the world will probably not rest on a dictionary.
<<You are much too modest>>
... not really, I genuinely believe:
(a) the good folks on the mainland that I will likely run into are smarter, hungrier, more flexible, less lazy, and the bad folks, craftier, nastier, and altogether not worth the trouble and effort, and that
(b) I do not stand a good chance of success should I choose to work against either group.
I realizing the above, am able to correctly and realistically assess my chances, I am, in some way, not stupid. For the stupid always get soaked.
Chugs, Jay |
