Courage & Imagination

     So much knowledge has been around for so long a period. Each day by the hour and minute, more and more, is being added to our well. New discoveries, new words, new things of all kinds. I read, I often study, and I constantly become increasingly aware of how little I know and how many basics I was not cognizant of, until a moment ago. I constantly question myself about the fact that I have lived this long and still managed to miss something along the way that was so damn absurdly obvious. A word or a thing that has been there for centuries, staring at people like myself in the face.
     How could I have not learned that simple thing? My God, if I missed so much along the way, how will I ever be able to catch or keep up? The fact is... I'm running out of time.
The idea that any of this is my fault is not the point I'm going to attempt to expound on. Besides... I don't often expound (I hope). Of course, writing could be considered an expounding of sorts.

"A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood. The writer wants to be understood much more than he wants to be respected or praised or even loved. And that perhaps, is what makes him different from others."

Leo Rosten

Writer, philosopher, educator, and a good human being.

     Writing things down affords me the opportunity to look inside my head and determine whether I am in the advanced stages of either: self-endorsement, infantile amnesia, or just the normal advanced stages of dementia. Of the three suggested maladies, I can rule out dementia because of certain sexual activities that I still maintain a proclivity to remember.
     As has been my condition for almost my entire adult life, the folks that I place on a pedestal of admiration, without exception, have two superb attributes. Both attributes come in one single package. Seemingly, you cannot have one without the other. They are courage and imagination.

Again, I present another Leo Rosten quote:

"Courage is the capacity to confirm what can be imagined."

Da Harv's salvation is:

Yes, I can. Yes, I will. I see it being done. And an inbred (actual) hatred for the destruction of any kind. Within these revelations, I have found a solution, or call it a salve, for my ignorance. Another author referred to it as: "see it, and then do it".

Certainly, a proven fact would be the degree of peacefulness that can enter your life through your imagination. Acting on what you imagine not only requires courage, but can also bring an inner conflict, anxiety, and sometimes a degree of pain. If it's beginning to sound like the formula for growth, you're latching on to the dictates of all the great philosophers.

"No pain, no gain!" 

     If a person is experiencing pain, that person isn't wasting time thinking about how little they know and understand. When I jump into icy water, it's much colder when I deliberate before the jump. Also, the quicker I get in, the sooner I get out. The same might apply to hot water.

"Lukewarm water sucks."

     Imagination and dreaming are synonymous. An old guy once told me: "It's your head. Use it. If you dream it, bring the dream to life. Sure, it will take a great deal of courage. But you can get past your fear. Consider that you're not smart enough to be scared." ("Kid, you ain't smart enough to be that clever.")

     You are your own partner. Tell your partner each and every day: "Yes, you can. What a great dream. I saw it in living color. The opportunity of a lifetime. Your lifetime. Gather 'round folks, we're (my partner and I) are going to show you how it's done."

NOTE: all of the above self-encouragement will work equally as well when told to another real-life, live, and breathing partner. (That, too, will take courage and often the diminishing of an overly aggressive displayed ego.)

Tonight, I will dream

On the morrow to act

As if in my own life's play

With all stars created for me

On this stage that revolves

Stories not yet told

Women and men sharing

While teaching children to be bold

To dream, to imagine, and to see

Going on with courage

To become all they intend to be.

hk

     

In Case You Missed It: April 5, 2020

How To Find Inner Peace

Heard a doctor on TV saying: In this time of the coronavirus staying at home, we should focus on inner peace.    To achieve this, we should always finish the things we start and we all could use more calm in our lives.

I looked through my house to find things I’d started and hadn't finished–

So I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Chardonnay...

...a bodle of Baileys, a butle of wum, tha mainder of Valiumun srciptuns, an a box a chocletz.    Yu haf no idr how feckin fablus I feel rite now.

Sned this to all who need inner piss.    An telum u luvum.    And two hash yer wands,    stafe day avrybobby!!!

HK

Reflections continued

Portrait of Harvey by Kyu Bong Kim

28 September 1953

Korea, 1953

Sept. 1954

University of Seoul

Seoul Stadium

_______________________

Be well, all!

HK

Reflections

      For many years, my favorite philosopher has been Leo Buscaglia. Though Leo died a few years ago, his teachings remain a discerning factor in the way da harv attempts to live his life. There was a time period when Leo helped me through the most trying period of my life. I have recommended his books to people of all ages, and from all walks of life.

      Leo Buscaglia was known on campus at the University of Southern California as the “Love Professor”. His dynamism and love for people and life is an accepted force for many educators all over the world. What follows is one simple and to-the-point Leo quote that I feel like sharing with some people I, too, care about.

“Love is a mirror.

When you love another,

you become his mirror and he becomes yours…

And reflecting each other’s love, you see infinity.”

And Leo also liked to quote another favorite of his: Leo Rosten.

This Leo said:

“It is the weak who are cruel.

Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”

      This Sunday’s material was stimulated not by me viewing the turmoil of our country’s vast display of uneasiness, but rather the repeat of the human condition we manage to ignore. I, for one, do not choose to forget our history; certainly, some remembrances are not pleasantly etched in my mind’s eye, but the good of who came before me stimulate the strength needed by my family, friends, and any and all who are unable to provide the strength these trying times cry out for.

      Long before my Father showed me his own personal display of courage and forbearance, he managed even in the worst of times to provide a hand to those around him in need. My Dad could have been a history teacher, he sure was mine--then came my high school baseball coach, my teammates, and the men who shared the imposing rigors of my life as a soldier in South Korea.

      It was 1953, perhaps the most trying times of all for the Korean people, especially the children; many of them left without brothers, or sisters, family, or friends; they wandered the small villages in dire need of food, and protection from the severest of nature’s elements.

      On July 27, 1953, at 9:00 PM, the fighting was suspended, we all breathed a protected sigh of relief. There were still sounds of explosions all over the place, and all of us were warned by our leaders, the Chinese communists can’t be trusted, don’t let your guard down, and we didn’t.

      Overnight, our company area turned into a makeshift American town; shiploads of mail, packages containing every kind of food you could think of began arriving from the states. Enter the Korean kids from all over the place. We never had a shortage of food; not in the American army, not amongst any of us. That’s not to say the kids came directly into our compound. It was merely us, a group of mostly nineteen and twenty-year-old guys finding ways of getting a lot of our stuff into the hands of these children. Overnight, our thoughts of the war had begun to dissipate. Yesterday had become history.

      While Leo Buscaglia’s explanation for the acts perpetrated by the despots of this world, it does allow this person his very own mirrored reflection. And in those fleeting moments, as self-worth is determined, perhaps then a single moment of infinity will be captured.

Be well, all!

HK

________________

When Harvey invited me to share my thoughts, I was initially hesitant due to never having visited the Motherland: a stranger to the turf. However, I can proudly say that I'm quite familiar with the culture and language, more than most fellow Korean-American peers. With that said, it has been fascinating to see and hear of Harvey's experiences in Korea. My mom, who was far too young at the time, shares the fascination when I relay what I learn. The once bare lands of Korea in the wake of the conflict are now thriving—making it difficult to fathom what used to be. All in all, I feel blessed to learn the history of my dual roots through firsthand accounts; Harvey illustrates the turbulent times with such clarity and detail.

Thank you for your service, Harvey.

I can't wait to hear more of your stories while we attempt to have more riveting conversations in Korean.

N. Chung

In Case You Missed It: March 29, 2020

TROUBLED TIMES We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival. –Sir Winston Churchill

WHEN           During troubling times, the weakest and the strongest of us search, together, for answers. Why the pain, we ask? Is suffering a necessary evil in order for us to move ahead and prosper? And, how in the name of hell will we manage to cope with what trying days face us tomorrow, and tomorrow, and perhaps tomorrow once again. Who do we blame? Where do we cast the responsibility for what’s taking place? In the past, we learned about fighting wars. We all knew who our enemy was. When a bomb was dropped on us, we searched out the enemy and marched together towards the ultimate victory our country has always been able to command. We defeated the enemy and humanely built their society back up to once again stand tall. We restored human dignity to those who chose to destroy us; it was war and peace with total transparency.

UPON REFLECTION           I’ve always been enamored by the knowledge old people manage to store away during their lifetime. There were nine brothers and sisters on my Father's side, and eight brothers and sisters on my Mom's. (Birth control wasn’t part of the immigrant’s vocabulary.) Of all the dozens of cousins in our family army, I was the young guy who constantly leaned in to hear what gems the elders might share. Their stories were colorful to say the least. Dad’s side, especially, had aunts and uncles worth listening to. All of them were bright and outgoing; most played a variety of musical instruments. It wasn’t unusual for a number of them to break into song to go along with Grandma, my Father's Mom, taking a turn telling a story or two about how she and Grandpa Max escaped from Russia on a boat loaded with immigrants. My Father was a conservative, yet he was capable of throwing caution to the wind. He, like all of his brothers, was a family protector. My Mother was a liberal, though ready to physically fight anyone in her way. Mom and Dad were the height of disparity, yet in essence, the pulse of our family’s survival during the worst of times. An outsider who looked in at us had no doubt that we were dysfunctional at best. What those who were on the outside missed seeing about us was a simple fact of life: When the chips were down, we stood together. Mom and Dad created, and we lived within an environment of 'one for all and all for one'. Neither of them knew what the word 'quiet' meant.  Can you imagine having three children to bring up during the Great Depression (August 1929 – March 1933)? Reports show that there were twenty-four million unemployed Americans at the time.            In our neighborhood, many of the immigrant ladies would hold their own individual storytelling, like it really was confabs. Little kids like me were allowed to listen in. I was a sponge. Each group of women had their own particular design for displaying grief. I was a little boy then, but I remain with the ability of giving my impression of them saying, along with hand gestures, “Just vait, it vill get voise!” This beautiful Italian lady turned to me and asked me in almost perfect Yiddish if I’d like to join them for some spaghetti. For some reason, when it happened to be a very young child, they felt the child wouldn’t be able to speak English; or as they put it, speak American.  The bottom line: Is it any wonder why so many kids love spaghetti, chicken soup, corned beef and cabbage, chopped liver, and a list far too long to give you this day. Or like one of those ladies said, “Just vait, it vill get woise!” You know what…she was wrong. It did get better; it always does! In this country of ours, it always has, and it always will get better. HK

To Be A Rock

"To Be A Rock"

Often times the games children play or even imagine will remain with them for a lifetime. There was always the countless search for playful conquest during the wars, requiring challenging efforts, ruthlessly on display in schoolyards—not only countrywide but by kids all over the world—one of which was "Rock, Paper, Scissors". What brought this to mind is my most recent re-read of "The Art of Acting", a re-edited version having to do with one of the most gifted and astounding, female acting teachers, who had gifted the stage by and with her presence. Stella Adler is considered by many to be one of the top ten acting teachers of all time, in the world.

It's certainly far too long ago for me to recall or recapture the very first instance when I felt the totality of complete aloneness. No one there, except me, I thought. As the story goes, as I choose to tell it, I wasn't alone at all. Many years have gone by while competing to see how fast time, mine, is capable of flying by.

I looked around I was the only rock in sight In my mind's eye, an art form It will remain there This rock Borrowed from nature's hillside It was to be sculptured Like the many rocks before me Seeing within an eye for the future Allowing nature's tribulations to pass Never accepting dominance I knew the world wouldn't recognize my thoughts Then I will applaud myself Waving the flag, I choose to wave While saying for the world to hear If love is what you crave... Crave on, always!

HK

March 22, 2020

…above all, never accept what can, and will be, defeated; when as human beings, we band together in our global fight —actors as well!  Today’s play is, and will remain, cast with players from all walks of life.  Produced by God alone,  None will be exempt from His worldwide casting call. The young and the old. Our mission statement: Not to look back, Futures remain to be savored. I was a young boy of seventeen with my own private list of sports idols; nothing in this world could possibly surpass my favorite Dodger, “Pee Wee Reese”, or so I thought. However, I didn't realize at the time, there existed a driving force—my creativity; music, and words would come to be the mainstay of my life. Three high school teachers shaped my future: baseball, music, and literature. But the stand out of my young era was Winston Churchill. …And if I may appropriately submit on this Sunday: a few of his words delivered to his countrymen, when the entire world repulsed with worldwide distaste over an evil pandemic. “We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston S. Churchill, Speech (1940) HK

Take care of yourself, stay home,  and wash your hands. We will get through this, together.

Our Liberty continues...

What brighter light could burn, than that which has been nurtured by those who have understood and appreciated the gifts that endow any and all, who may venture within the boundaries of this country's great heart.

HK