That which divides

 I would not consider myself a realist but an idealist so i become disillusioned when one becomes aware that which divide us works more often than that which unite us.

As in my own family,the factors of money and religion has caused the family harmony to break up.The differences are difficult to bridge but inevitable as different  species of trees grow in the same forest so even in a family,different personalities,value system and religious beliefs exist.Once the unifying force of a matriarch dies,the family splits up and goes in different direction so its inevitable to each their own pursuit of happiness.thats why Ba Jins novel Jia Bian on the family changes resonates with me as it is documenting the social forces that cause a breakdown of family harmony.

Its a wonder to see how in some Malaysians family,they can have multi cultural celebrations together of different races and religions and social status.what happens in families caught up in bitter divorce acrimony or family disputes? 

Im so intrigued by the correspondence between the 17 year old schoolgirl and the elderly author.what advice did he give her when she said she was willing to sacrifice her life fighting for her country? When she sent him money to buy books,she asked him to donate it to buy food for the poor if he didnt need it,what sort of attitude did this young schoolgirl have? And when she expressed her refusal to be married off to be a young second wife,how did Ba Jin counsel her?

My imagination is running wild to think how the wisdom of Ba Jin could bridge the generation gap.Ba Jin and Lu Xun were not only the intellectuals of the new China but the bridge between East and Wesr.Lu Xun had made friends with Betrtand Russell,George Bernard Shaw and Rabindranath Tagore while Ba jin lived in France for a time and could speak Russian,French,English and Esperanto,an experimental language.these intellectuals were really progressive and open minded and way ahead of their times