The First One

A new day...another chance to get it right. Whatever that means. I'm listening to the rain, which makes me think of Mr. Elder, who loves the rain. My hair? Not so much love for rain.

I'm very excited about my new web page. I'm also looking forward to this particular experiment. If you love talking about books, this is the place for you! I also want to address other issues, sometimes those in our reading, sometimes not--please share your thoughts as well. The interchange is what I'm most excited about.

Sirena sent me an email asking for my opinion on the idea that the United Nations is going to simplified Chinese as their official language. Having been raised to write the traditional Chinese characters, she feels a sense of loss. Even though I don't know Chinese, I do understand the way progress sometimes seems like moving backwards instead of forward. Aren't there some things we should take with us as we move full-force into the future? I think so. I do know that traditional Chinese is amazing, beautiful, that last week when we did some Chinese poetry in TOK, I was moved as I watched Eric and others write out the original characters for the words. It seemed to be the most lovely blending of language and art. And it definitely seems worth keeping.

Sometimes, even though "official" types, such as the UN, make poor choices, we as the people have to do otherwise. So Sirena, although a letter of protest seems to be in order (have you ever written to the secretary-general of the UN? that would be cool!), it might be up to you, and others like you, to keep your language alive. You must teach it to your children, and see that they do likewise. I think you will find, throughout life, that what seems like a small effort can actually have lasting impact. So start small.