Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Bruce Lee (李小龍)

Bruce Lee is immortalized in bronze on the Avenue of Stars (星光大道) in TsimShaTsui. He is one of the most famous Chinese persons all over the world. Even though he died suddenly in 1973, at the age of only 43, he has done enough to ensure that his name will remain in people’s minds for a long time.

But what does it mean to be remembered? What good is it that people come to stare at your statue? That people admire you? That people say good things about you? That people remember you warmly? -- If you are no longer around to enjoy it? That you don’t even exist?

So we implicitly assume that we will be around in some form, be conscious in some way, -- when we seek to build a kingdom that lasts a thousand generations, or to make a name to be remembered, or even just to provide for our families when we pass away.

We do believe in life after death after all.




2 comments:

tabbycat said...

Kind of a coincidence to read this on your blog today, because I also read this NYTimes.com article which speaks about legacy for the generations -- the search for a billionaire who will fund the research for a trip to Mars.

Interesting stuff.

StephenC said...

Yeah, money can be useful. And rich people may incur the wrath of God if they do not use the money wisely. They may think the money is their. But it really isn't. They are merely entrusted with it.

But a great legacy does not necessarily have to involve a lot of money either. Witness Mother Teresa and others like her.