Reflections on Legacies (12/17)

[Anonymous]

History being serendipitous? I guess when you look at where you are in life today, it does seem like a bunch of random events that brought you to know people and make choices in life. Does this have anything to do with ally relations? Is the US such a place that it can be an enemy with one country today and then its ally tomorrow? I am not sure if serendipity can explain some of the historical leadership roles and their key decisions since the 1800's.

[Anonymous]

The more time spent discussing and studying the histories of eastern and western societies, the more I can see comparable ideas and ideas. There just seems to be a collective desire to improve one's situation. As the famous quote suggests, the more things change, the more they remain the same. As China is quickly developing in to a leading world power, they face a lot of the same struggles of great civilizations in history. The problems of a central control, regulations, population and eventually an entrench fracture of the governmental system as with the Greeks, Roman, and arguably within the United States political system. It would be interesting to see how China expands, and keeps all of its citizens satisfied in the long term. I don't know how long they can keep their doors crack or their windows closed before it gets too uncomfortable to live in the house the is the country of China.

[Anonymous]

This last class and its reading actually allowed me to opportunity to speak to my father about a subject we rarely discuss..my grandfather. My grandfather fought alongside Chiang Kai-shek and became a four star general in the KMT army. I spent the winter break asking my dad questions about my grandfather and listening to the stories he told my father about the Japanese invasion and the fight against the Communists. My grandfather cheated death twice. A fortune teller at a local village he was stationed at approached my grandfather and told him to go home immediately. My grandfather did not heed his words and went to battle against the Japanese. As my grandfather turned his body to direct the troops to charge forward, a bullet came screaming across his body grazing his chest and knocking him to the ground. If he had not turned back, it would have pierced his heart. My grandfather went back to the village and came across the fortune teller again. The fortune teller was shocked to see my grandfather alive and told my grandfather that he should have been dead. The fortune teller came to the conclusion that my ancestors must have done something good in the past that allowed my grandfather to cheat death. This was just one of the many stories that I heard with excitement. These are the moments that I will cherish and that is the reason why I am thankful for the opportunities this class has provided me.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Dear Colleagues,

Please post your reflections on the last session below.

Best,
Yingjia

[Author]

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