陈凯博客： www.kaichenblog.blogspot.com

陈凯一语： Kai Chen's Words:

生命的意义在于灵魂指引下的激情。 专制奴役下的人们往往会有灵魂与激情的冲突并由此而产生寻找生命意义的障碍。 他们一定要在追求生命意义中做出选择。

Meaning of life exists only in the passion guided by soul. In despotism and slavery people often have conflict between their passions and souls. This conflict impedes their search and pursuit of meaning of their existence. They have to choose in order to see the meaning of their lives.

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姚明与Schmeling - 激情 vs. 灵魂
Yao Ming & Schemling - Passion vs. Soul

By Kai Chen 陈凯 （Reprint 9/30/2011)

Have you seen Clint Eastwood's movie "Million Dollar Baby"? Every time I watch it, I am moved by it. If some of you are still confused and uncertain about what "meaning of life" really is, go and see the movie and maybe you will be enlightened.

Meggy, （the main character), can choose to live an ordinary, colorless life without much risk and hassle, but she chooses her passion - something in which she can feel the existence of her being, with great risk. She died young but she refused to live a life of meaninglessness. She is the one who has truly lived, not just merely passed time. I alway feel great affinity to people who have truly existed. I understand Meggy and her greatness.

Maybe many Chinese will say: "What a stupid girl！ Get herself bashed in the face and killed in the boxing ring, what a waste!" I will never expect these nihilistic empty little beings to understand the greatness of human spirit - that great spirit embedded the individual endeavors to search for the meaning of one's life, not mere counding the days of breathing.

What makes you tick? What makes you get up in the morning and eager to engage in the things you can't wait to do? Find your passion, you will find why lord has created you, and your purpose on earth. But passion is not enough, it must come under the guidance of your soul, your moral compass. I know this is true for I have been through some excruciating search with my life.

There is also a HBO movie called "Joe & Max" which depicts the lives of the great "Brown Bomber" Joe Louis and Germany's Max Schmeling, their boxing matches and the friendship existed between the two great athletes. Max Schmeling was Nazi Germany's Yao Ming, prompted and used by Hitler to propagate the superiority of Aryan race. He once knocked out Joe Louis but in their rematch he was knocked out in the first round by Joe. That night the Nazi Germany's radio broadcast of the rematch was suddenly cut off because of the knock out.

Yet the great spirit and friendship still existed after all the political propagadas and hypes, between the two great athletes, between the two great human beings. Max Schmeling even saved some Jews during the Hollocoust and went on to survive WWII to have become a Pepsi representative in Miami. Joe Louis, financially broke, but continued to be idolized as the American hero and his legend continues to inspire free people around the world.

In a free country, passion and soul will not have conflict. Therefore, free individuals have no obstacles from outside to impede their search for meaning of their lives. It is a different story in a despotic tyranny. I know it for I have been through it.

I loved basketball and had found the meaning of my existence in playing the sport. But eventually the conflict between my soul and my passion will force me to make a choice, in order to maintain my own integrity. I had chosen to give up what I love, for I refused to continue to serve an entity and system with my passion in basketball, with my talent and skills. I had found the evil of the Chinese culture and system. Using my existence to validate it will be the betrayal against my own soul. Hopefully my book "One In A Billion" will come out soon to tell you the true story.

"The Year of Yao" is another documentary movie I just saw. Yao Ming now is in the same spot I had been in almost 30 years ago. He is China's Max Schmeling. He has passion in basketball and had made himself a good player. But eventually he will come to a point where he will have to make a choice between his passion and his soul. Can he still continue to use his existence to serve an evil entity that suppress and persecute all existence, all the individuals with dignity and integrity?? It is a difficult journey for Yao Ming to travel to reach enlightenment and freedom. He may never be able to do that, or he may. He is in a crossroad but he must make a choice between his soul and passion. If he chooses to live in the US, he will solve that conflict without problem. But if he chooses to live in China and serve the Chinese Party-State, I can guarantee you that only pain and misery will await him. A soulless person will never experience true freedom and happiness.

Every time I see people waving the Chinese red flag and hear them singing the Chinese national anthem, a nauciating feeling will overwhelm me and sorrow and pity are the only feelings I have toward them. And I know the only way they can save themselves is through their own souls and choices under the souls. Or they can be the demons that oppress themselves by their own choice of choicelessness.