I still remember the day Ming and I interviewed Mr. Lin Chuan Chu (林銓居). A hot day. Clear blue sky with slow dancing clouds.
The interview took place in Mr Lin’s studio in Jinshan, about 10 minutes drive from his farm. As we talked, I realised that Mr. Lin is a typical renaissance man. He has traveled extensively and extremely well read, from Chinese classics to western philosophy. His essays are a joy to read, documenting his travel experience through keen observation and eloquent verses.
I always admire people who accept the trade off so they could follow their heart. Mr. Lin still thinks of himself as a full time artist. Farming is an opportunity for him to stay humble and learn the beauty of nature. Now, he has the earth as his canvas.
Let’s wait for his next master piece.
You can find out more about Lin Chuan Chu 林銓居 from this link. http://www.earth-holder.com.tw/about_1.htm
Dear Freda:
You are the most loyal and understanding friend that anyone could have hoped for.
Ming and I really love Taiwan. I have learned long time ago that the best way to love a place is to find a way to serve that place.
To serve is to give highest love,
Ping
p.s. your amazing energy and unending ability to transcend ideas always kindle my excitement for you and people around you. it’s a great thing you and Ming are doing for Taiwan, the land and the people. you are the change, in deed.
getting older is good news. older can be only better. and it’s the way supposed to be.
but young in heart is the key to life. attitude and style compose the melody. and you sing quite well, my friend.
i enjoy seeing your third life in Dulan. what are you trying to experience on your rice field? organic and rare species? do you rely on your own produces now while you are in Dulan? the open sky and beautiful sea front surely are the huge attractions to nature lovers. great choice for home.
i am doing quite well here in the City. pick up my oil painting practice now while my grandson is in school Monday to Friday. from time to time, i will take a break in a side road cafe, sipping my decaf and sightseeing people rush on the street while hearing the French leisure music on the background. more often, i enjoy smelling the daisies and marvel the fig tree on my way home. saturdays, once a month, with my kids, i will go to soup kitchen to serve a warm meal for the homeless and low income people in the area. life is by choice. and nyc provides abundantly.
hope to see more of your endeavor.
press on, dear friend.
Dear Freda:
I never know I am a good singer. I always thought you are.
Thank you for the vote of confidence, especially, from an old friend who knows where I come from.
Soup Kitchen, Mmmm.., I talked to Ming about this not long ago that we are busy to nurture young minds and forget about those people who are not lucky as we are. You made me thinking…..
You are a wonderful lady who always live a life fulfilled with your different choices in different stage of your life.
Taiwan is suffering the pain that has sowed long time ago. Actually, it is not bad to have this feeling of reaching the bottom of the bottom.
This is where we can re-invent ourselves. I hope our young people will realize that too many choices will paralyze them and the college degree is only prepared them to become a masonry, electrician, carpenter or hairstylist. The future belongs to someone who can make things with their hands. Knowledge is limited, especially, with on line learning that will change the entire college education.
I am more convinced that Taiwan’s education system can never be changed unless the parents of the children in Taiwan changed.
I am pessmistic about this. This is why I think we can only change people who are 26 years old and are away from parent’s control on defining what a happy life is.
We just repeated the cycle wth new crop of parents doing the exact the same thing that they hated their parents did to them. They encouraged their kids to go to good University with all kinds of cramed class.
The cycle starts again….
I have seen so many unhappy young people because their limited definition of happiness planted by their parents and society.
This is why I lauched this blog so we can create a dialogue and be true to yourself.
Happiness is in Different Shades of Gray. ( :-))
Ping
Dear Freda:
🙂 How are you doing? We are getting old every day. However, our passion to life will never be jaded. This is why I decided to engage life with more new and young friends.
I know my time is finite. I also know I will only regret for things that I did not do. I started taking some projects before it is too late now.
I divided my Third Life in 3 parts:
1/3 devoted to do creative thing or new business model ( Writing, PFP Business, Ripplemaker Foundation, Red Room…)
1/3 devoted to public services ( I spent lots of time to give talks and accepted the invitation to be a few important committee’s members, mentor programs or judge panelists ).
1/3 devoted to body, mind and spirit discipline. ( my goal is to complete a Triathlon and one Silent Retreat a year. )
I travel, less and less, to abroad unless it is required for business. I have done enough traveling in my second life.
As you can see from this interview with Mr. Lin, it is one of my pet projects to make Taiwan’s small agriculture business more sustainable.
I realize that Taiwan’s farm land has been destroyed by poverty stricken farmer’s exhausted attempt to increase their income by using as much as insecticides, chemicals and weed killer. People who are more affluent like us should get into the farming business because we can afford not to live on the land only. This is my epiphany lately. The reason that Taiwan’s farmer used weed killer was that they cannot afford to hire someone to cut the grass or don’t have the energy to cut grass. I really cannot blame on their using chemicals in the past. They simply did not have the means except to use chemicals.
We, people with means, should be willing to pay more for food produced environmental friendly or, better yet, actively involved with the protection of our farm land by investing money and practice” We vote with what we buy.”
The ultimate way for any environmental activist is to buy as much farm land or Eco fragile land as possible so the land will not be polluted by yield oriented ( clueless and careless ) farmers, greedy rich people who treat earth brutally or short term minded developers. Government has failed us so we should be the change on our own terms.
This is why I encourage more people like Mr. Lin to go back to their family’s farm land and treat the earth gently.
Mr. Lin is a role model for a lot of people now.
Ping
I also decided to use up my network of friends and my intangible assets before I left my body. I am busy connecting people now.
After all, I only have NT$ 6,100 to spend.
Love you, my old and most loyal pal.
Ping
a total awesome, pleasant surprise.
thank you for sharing this interview. even though we know not everyone may be able to have a life like this, it’s comforting to see someone can go so far to make this dream life happening in our community. in a way, it’s encouraging to remind us to do whatever we can in our humble reach to change our world into a better future.
bravo!