Lee Kuan Yew (PM of Singapore) writes this about the Chinese Identity:

Out of political necessity he began to teach himself Mandarin in 1954 (he was 31 years old)… Besides not knowing Chinese would make it hard to identify with the great tradition of a major civilization. “To be able to speak Mandarin and to read the Chinese script, is reassuring. To look at Chinese characters, see them as mysterious hieroglyphics, is to be psychologically disadvantaged… With the language, comes the fables and proverbs, a whole value system, a whole philosophy of life.... Only a Chinese [Singaporean] who cannot speak or read it, and who has been exposed to the discomfiture or ridicule when abroad, will know how inadequate and deprived he can feel. By then, they would not be young enough to learn the language easily, I have personally experienced this. There I can state that its psychological value cannot be over emphasized.”

[Taken from the Encyclopedia of Overseas Chinese]

I suppose it starts to explain where this yearning in my life comes from, where this great unfulfilled longing and why I feel a need to continue to wander.

The Old Cherokee

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One is evil -- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good -- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."