Turning Chinese

Turning Chinese

By John Taylor; 2006 April 11

Our family has been busy lately, too busy, what with both kids
involved in scouts and piano lessons and, soon, soccer; time
consuming, and, we are finding out, expensive. As well, I play table
tennis and chess at the youth center twice a week, and practice on my
folded-up ping pong table in the garage daily. As I hit the ball back
I listen to music on cassette tape; I enjoy myself so much that I
swear I am turning Chinese. Plus, Marie is involved in the Voices of
Unity choir. Their practices are Sunday mornings, and the time she is
gone to Grimsby for that is the only regular time I have alone with
the kids. I try to make it instructive for all concerned, and to
concentrate especially on the Baha'i Faith, which they hardly get
anywhere else.

Once I borrowed from the library the latest Popular Science magazine.
After reading it myself, I went over the pictures with Silvie and 6
year old Thomas in detail. Both of them were enthralled, though
usually at different aspects of the science highlighted. Afterwards I
thought that what we need is a faith magazine that could do the same
thing, that would be of prime interest to adults and still have enough
spectacular pictures with well written captions to appeal to children
too. I ask myself often, is such a magazine even possible? Even if
religions were actively reconciling and offering good news, is the
topic that interesting? The closest thing I have seen to that is the
more recent editions of Star of the South magazine, which as far as I
have been able to determine by many enquiries on the Net, is
unfortunately now defunct. As for Baha'i Canada, do not get me
started.

Since she was tiny, 11 year old Silvie had a heartfelt revulsion for
bad words. She mentioned shamefully that she had heard a whopper on
the schoolyard. She was unable to say the word in front of Thomas, her
little brother, so I asked her to whisper it in my ear. I could barely
hear what she had enunciated. Pretending shock and outrage, I shouted,
"Did you say `Homo Sapiens?'" Thomas's eyes grew wider. I could have
carried it further but the teacher in me had to explain that it is not
a bad word; that it is the scientific word for our species, etc.

But now that I think more about it, it is rather an obscenity to use
the word Sapiens, wise, in describing our sinking ship of fools --
quite literally, since our corruption has ever more obviously
triggered massive global warming. Last year I held a globe in my hand
and described how the process of rising oceans will work over
thousands of little islands around the planet. The humans will sail
away to higher ground but all the little animals and plants will have
to stay. As the water closes over their heads they will cry in
anguish, "What about us? Save us!" I pretended to be a furry little
forest animal waving its paws in the air in a supplicating motion.
Silvie could not bear to hear a word more and I had to change the
subject. Wise indeed, human wisdom is nothing but the ultimate
sacrilege.

--
John Taylor

badijet@gmail.com