Rumors of Another World

I was touched by my friends who inquired about my well being when they found out I was in China during the earthquake. As I had explained yesterday, I was not in any serious danger since I was as far away from the earthquake as those who were in Hong Kong. But my friends’ concerns were genuinely treasured. And this time, they were relieved.

The friends and relatives of those who died or were hurt in the earthquake were not so fortunate. I am sure they would have given up a lot to have their loved ones kept safe and sound. But this choice is no longer available to them.

Ultimately, people find relationships much more valuable than wealth and other possessions. It is a bit strange and ironic, though. As China is supposed to be a socialist society, where people do not believe in the spiritual world.

I happen to be reading Philip Yancey’s Rumours of Another World, recommended by a good friend of mine. It is an excellent book which argues that there is indeed another (spiritual) world other than the physical one in which we all live. In this spiritual world the rules and values are markedly different from this physical world. And relationships is precisely one of the few things that transcend the two worlds. I thank God for my family and friends.

This is a view of the China coast near Fujian on my way from Hong Kong to Suzhou last Friday. It gives me a feeling that I am half in this world and half in the other one.