Week 14: Seeing Is Believing

Our sight is our most overused sense. So much so that seeing a man perform miracles is enough to make the world believe in him for thousands of years; that people who become blind as adults suddenly discover that their other senses are overwhelming; that we have the phrase, "pics or it didnt happen".

But what we see with our eyes isnt always what we see with our minds. In fact, reality has this funny way of conforming to what we want to see. So its good to take the time to stare into our own eyes for once.

This weeks topic was Seeing, and Id like to share some of the responses.

How do you see yourself?

As a suburban boy from an ordinary family — not rich nor educated. I once hoped to become famous and successful like heroes in the movies and biographies. It took me some time to admit that, however hard I try, I won』t be as successful as those who actually change the world. I was feeling excited when watching videos like 「Think Different」, which made me crazy. I finally understand this is life. Hard work alone cant assure a successful ending — at least not that kind of success. Your background, your family, your talent and your chance, etc: all these things make a difference on the outcomes, and sometimes have even more impact than your actions.

But still, I don』t think hard work is meaningless. I havent reached the top of my field, but I cant imagine where Id be if I hadnt even tried. Hard work doesn』t success, but it does assure that you lead a better life than before. This gives me the courage to accept a

mundane life and keep working hard as an ordinary man.

By Jerry

Brian: A simple and clean piece of writing. Sometimes it refreshing to see how the syntax can really reflex the message. But Jerry, if you keep trying your hardest every day, its only a matter of time before you show the world how extraordinary you are. And it might even surprise you.

What do you look at every day but do not see?

One day I made a startling discovery: my Ph.D. mentor, Dr. J, was human.

Of course, thats not to say that I thought Dr. J was an extraterrestrial. He is as human as the rest of us. Rather, he is the personification of success. He never lacks status, wealth or fame. In his mid-fifties, he already has more titles than I can count with two hands. He has three residences in Beijing — two apartments and one house. He』s also well recognized in the legal field, having participated in the drafting of several laws and regulations. To us students, he is the most serious professor we』ve come across. All throughout the year, he is dressed in a suit-and-tie — although, on the hottest summer days, he would relent and wear a long-sleeved shirt with all the buttons done up. Consequently, although he is willing to help, we never dare to bother him with trivial matters.

The startling revelation came in the form of an invitation. The invitation was to dine with him in his spacious apartment. We had dined with him before — monthly, actually — but that was also when he quizzed us one-by-one about what we』d learned, researched, written and so on. Most students at that time were too nervous to even pick up their chopsticks. Therefore, when we arrived at his doorstep, we were not only armed with little gifts, such as flowers and apples, but also our scholastic updates. When the door opened, however, all three of us ogled at what we saw: Dr. J, in a singlet, beach shorts and apron, holding a pan in his hand, greeting us with a smile.

It seemed that we didnt fully understand the what he meant by 「dine with him」. We didnt imagine that, not only would we be eating with him, but also eating his cooking. Setting down the gifts we brought, we followed him to the kitchen and looked at the pan, the steaming pot, the kitchen knife with potato slices on the side, only to be shooed out. 「Out, you lot, the kitchen is crowded enough without you!」 he exclaimed as he stirred a pot with fervor.

That day, we had what he made in that pot, along with several other dishes. 「This soup has a base of chicken broth. I added beancurd and beans, but what brings out the flavor is the bits of mushroom...」 Yes, that was definitely our professor, lecturing us on the proper way of making a soup. And perhaps that was the real professor that we never saw before.

In a sense, none of us should have been surprised at what we saw. Dr. J was a scholar and lawyer, but that certainly was not what won his wife over, who was the legal affairs manager of a large state-owned enterprise herself. Dr. J was rich, but showering his son with money was definitely not his way of cultivating his son. To us, Dr. J was the serious director. To his colleagues, he was the shrewd lawyer. But outside of work, he was also a caring husband and loving father. On campus, we saw him almost every day, but it wouldve been impossible for us to see the many facets of him until we dined with him.

By Vick

Brian: Vick has admitted that sometimes she makes up the stories in her responses. I sincerely hope that this wasnt one of them. So often, we define ourselves by our job, our awards or our bank account balance: we depersonify ourselves. But when we talk about ourselves like that, how can someone look at us and not see a resume, a trophy, or a number. This piece does such an excellent job of showing us how to see the person again. For more writing along these lines, I recommend reading (or listening to) the essay "This Is Water" by David Foster Wallace.

Next weeks prompts:

1. What』s the hardest thing you』ve ever done?
2. Tell me about a lesson you learned the hard way.
3. What makes hard things so hard to do?

Whats the Weekly Writing Club?

The Weekly Writing Club is an online group that practices writing English. Learn More.