Choose Strong
For Tim.
I thought of backing out after a seven-mile road run on Friday but got up at
6:00am Saturday morning and headed south on El Camino Real. It was dark and
the streets empty. The Starbucks I frequented was well-lit but unexpectedly
temporarily closed. Well, lack of caffeine would not stop the show, I moved on,
and arrived at the Priest Rock trailhead 10min earlier at 7:20am.
L planned this run and I was excited as it was a part of the Quick Silver 100km
race that I hadn't seen. My energy level was not as good as I would like. Once
we turned left at the T of the Priest Rock and Kennedy Trails, "It'll be all
downhill. Good for your quads." they told me. And indeed, the descending felt
relentless and never-ending. I barely survived, trailing behind the guys.
We met interesting people on the trail including Larry who ran the Sean O'Brien
100 km with S & L and another guy with a British/Australian accent who was also
a mountain climber. The latter told us a good place to train for elevation. The
third one was the most amazing. As we were making our way back and ascending
from the Kennedy side, I was leading and heard someone coming from behind. It
turned out to be a young girl in her 20s or early 30s, short with black hair, and
clad in running gear. She ran uphill faster than any of us and soon shot out of sight.
Among ourselves, the conversation continued from the last weekend, when S asked
the rhetorical question "Shouldn't the Uygur be allowed to practice their
religion?" referring to the CCP's policy over the minority group in XinJiang. My
understanding was that it was not as simple as black and white and had said
maybe they shouldn't. My answer had shocked him.
This week, I felt like to clarify and began with George Washington which
everyone admired. "The first US president gave back power, returned to his farm
after two terms, and set an example." I began. "There had been a tradition and a
culture around that, however." I then told him about Cincinnatus of whom I was
surprised to find that he did not know. Brutus and Cato have certainly been
esteemed no less than Julius Caesar despite of the latter's greatness. "In such
a culture, what Washington did not have to worry about was to face bloody
retaliation from the opposing side once he stepped down. Would Mr. Xi in Beijing
dare, even if he were willing, to do something similar?" I was glad that I was
able to explain something that made some sense to S.
Many things in China are done out of fear. A history of unspeakable cruelty and
culture of fear grip every mind. In that tribal world, there is no general goodwill
among strangers. For survival, trust is doled out in proportion to the closeness
of blood. A man is assumed guilty until proven innocent.
I myself as an example did not (or was not strong enough to) understand the
simple concept of two wrongs do not make a right and believed in an eye for an
eye and two wrongs canceling each other out. After I did come to see the wisdom
of Jesus, Gandhi, etc., I wasn't ready to practice it. Even when I tried, I had
to make a concious effort to avoid hating a person.
"Don't stones get under your feet?" my running partners loved to make fun of my
sandals. "They rarely do." I said as we were descending the last leg. And after
that, every time they saw me stop to get rid of little grits (it happened twice during
the entire run), they wouldn't stop teasing.
The recovery was swift. My right foot hurt as usual with no injuries. I skipped
lower-body strength training the next morning. I will have a better run next week.
