My views on the argument

New Roman">As is my habit to browse some of the updated articles here, I occasionally find a hot argument, or a dispute, in Monica’s blog between Ray, a guy from Guangdong Province, China, and Monica, a lady from New Zealand and I want to show my views here.

Firstly, I would like to remind you of the purpose of the founder of the website. Thanks to him, we can meet here and put forward any views on any issues. No matter what other purpose he may have, it is he that made it possible. I don’t think he has founded this website for us to touch upon sensitive political issues and make hot disputes on any of them. The administrator here, as may be the supervisor of all things here, will have trouble if we do so.

Secondly, I would like to remind you of our purpose of building my blog here. I have never had any intention to show off my English here, though it is a foreign language to me. I have to confess that I have built my blog here to make friends all over the world, though till now I have made foreign friends with only Monica, who is a kind and open-minded and pretty lady; to keep a record of my life, which is the very reason why I have tried to find time out of my tight schedule to drop several sentences down here each day, to tell others that if one day when I cease to be, there will be some friends who can have a good memory of me; to use English to think, which is very important to put to use what I have learned, as obviously there is no such an environment where I can speak English so freely. What above said are my purposes of building a blog here. There are absolutely no political intention for me to write anything down here, not for fear of certain political persecution, but because I am not in the least interested in it. Political issues, in my mind, should be the center of discussion only for these politicians, or those who are ardently interested in them.

Thirdly, we should have patience and tolerance to other, especially to those foreign friends. We have several foreign friends here and Monica is one of them. She is from New Zealand, and also quite young. She is only 26 years old. Frankly I don’t agree with some of her points of view on something. However I would like to make friends with her, and that is the very reason for me to grade her as the No.1 friend on my friend list. I am not kissing her ass. She is so kind to have read nearly every article of mine and given me comments and advice. Her help is tremendous I think, not only to me, but also to others. Westerners are quite liberal in giving their views, though sometimes the views are given in a very sarcastic and bitter way. Patience and tolerance from both sides of the argument are very importance for us to maintain a lasting friendship. There is a famous Chinese saying: It takes one hundred years for us to be brought together on a boat trip by God. I don’t know the translation is expressive, but I treasure friendship so much.

Fourthly, if we think others are hostile, we should always bear in mind that what we think to be the hostility may derive from a different cultural background. Different customs and traditions have made us think differently. Our jokes may sound ironical and bitter to others, while in our own country they may arouse great laughter among the audience. Even if our expression in the language is poor, our offer of friendship will bring something for us in return. I have written an article on the misunderstanding between people of different cultural background.

Fifthly, I want to reiterate that we are not politicians. We should feel free to express what we want to say here. But it is no use making hot disputes on political issues. Furthermore, if what we talk doesn’t do any harm to our country, then we should say what we like to say. I think both Ray and Monica love their respective country very much. But we should not take it into everything we may touch upon, for otherwise we will find our talk here too tedious, naïve and meaningless. Country concept, is irrelevant to us here. We are not preachers for our country.

Sixthly, I would like to say something on what Kathy put forward in her article, which is responsible for the hot argument. Education system in China, is backward and with very bad results. Kathy, not only her herself, but also several of her family members, are teachers, so she has the right to say something about the education system. What is more, I agree with her, since I am the victim of the present education system. I love China, because it is my motherland. I love teaching, because I love my students and love to be with them as a job. All my students proclaim that they are heartfelt happy in my class because I am in their eyes, humorous, responsible, fair and square, and teach them in an effective way. Nevertheless, I am rendered a patient of heart attack. Heavy pressure and workload, combine to bring me down. In hospital the doctor said that my heart was as inefficient as a sixty-year-old man. I am only 36. I have strained myself too much in the past in my work. They advised me to change my job. Any Chinese will know that it is impossible to change my job at my age. At school only those who have social background can do less work. I have to do as a common teacher does. What is the worst, once I was given a hint by one of the leaders that I am not a capable teacher. I don’t know what to say.

The students, in many schools, especially in senior high schools, are at school, as Kathy said, from five in the morning and ten at night, with only a day off in a month. What can you expect from them? Personally I think they are only meek, obedient, passive, inert, foolish and unhealthy animals at the yoke of heavy homework and exercises. They are not as happy as when I was young. Though we were so poor, we could enjoy life more. I don’t think it is a complaint to say so. And I have no intention to mind who I may talk to. In actuality I have no courage to say anything I want to say, so here I am telling the truth. I have never kissed any other’s ass. However, I am eager to meet responses.

Though the students and teachers are under so much pressure, I don’t think for them to have a way out. The most advantageous part of the present education system is that it metes out an opportunity to everyone in the society, in the most impartial way, especially to the poor. The equitable chances for everyone who are eligible to enter a university (whether they are eligible or not are largely determined by the marks they get at the college entrance examination.) is the only advantage of the present education system in China.

What above said is my views on the argument between Ray and Monica. What I would like to say most is that the two sides of the argument should calm down and try to get reconciled to each other. I believe that if we smile at others, we will get smiles back. If we smile at life, life will smile back to us.