The Night Before Spring Equinox

[Photo by Cherry Laithang on Unsplash]

Daddy, why are you crying?

One of my friends in China just died.

Why did he die?

Well it's complicated, I don't know how to explain it to you.

It's okay. You try to explain and I will try to understand.

Okay, let's put it this way. China has been ruled by bad guys for a long time. My friend was a good guy. He tried to fight the bad guys, but he lost.

How many bad guys are there in China?

I don't know exactly, but a lot.

A hundred? A thousand?

Well it's hard to tell the exact number... Think about some of the cartoons you've watched. Sometimes there is a big bad guy who commands an army of little bad guys. It doesn't really matter how many little bad guys there are in the army. What matters is that the big bad guy and his army are taking over.

Oh yes! Like in My Little Pony, the ... [she went on blablabla for a while and I couln't remember the details]

You are right.

So, is it why you don't like the Chinese national flag? Because that's actually the flag of the bad guys who are ruling China?

You are right. Look at the five yellow stars on the Chinese national flag. The bad guys use the largest star to symbolize themselves, and the other four smaller stars to symbolize those ruled by them. The flag is a self-congratulation on their power.

But the flag looks beautiful. I kinda like them. Besides, grandma brought it to me. She isn't one of the bad guys, is she?

Of course she isn't. And it is nothing wrong for you to like the flag and think it beautiful. It is indeed beautiful. That's part of the bad guys' trick. They use all kinds of tricks to enchant and deceive good guys, so that it's easier for them to gain and maintain power. That's also why some good people support the bad guys. I am sure in your cartoons there are examples of this kind of tricks and deceptions.

Definitely! Like in My Little Pony, there is a Changeling who pretends to be a Unicorn. Every pony is deceived except... [she gave two names, which I've forgotten]

Exactly. So what should the good guys who see through the tricks do? Should they regard other good guys who are deceived as enemies too?

No, they should wake them up, and defeat the bad guys together.

You're right, and that is what many good guys in China are doing.

How about the U.S.? Is it ruled by good guys or bad guys?

Well right now it's ruled by bad guys. But unlike in China, here the power of the good guys are strong, so the bad guys who are ruling can't do as much harm to good guys as in China, although they really want to. Besides, in the U.S. people choose their rulers every once in a while. So the good guys have a lot of chances to expose the bad guys' lies and tricks, wake up the other good guys who are previously deceived, and win back the ruling power.

And China doesn't have that?

No, it doesn't. In China the bad guys are too strong. They have control over armies, secret police, schools, and everything. They forbid the people to choose their own leader. And they jail anyone who dare question their rule.

Has China always been like that? Always ruled by bad guys?

Well, every country has had its good days and bad days. China is no different, although it's a bit unluckier than many other countries. It has been ruled by the current gang of bad guys for quite a long time.

Will good guys eventually win? Can they save China from the bad guys?

Eventually, yes. Or so I hope. But we need to fight for that, and it may take a long time. Maybe daddy and daddy's friends will still loose, and you and your friends will be the ones who eventually defeat the bad guys and save the world. Or it may even be your daughter and her friends. But eventually good guys will win, I believe. Do you believe so?

Yes I do.

[2018.3.19]