Condolences

My condolences to all who lost loved ones in the vessel collision off Lamma Island on the eve of October 1, and my best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured in the accident.

It was a deeply tragic loss of lives. The unfortunate accident has sent a harsh blow to the lives of many families and calls for sympathy from all - not petty squabbles, nor unfounded accusations at this time of great sorrow. In the past, Hong Kong showed itself totally capable of dealing with grave accidents, and emerging therefrom a little wiser. This time, it should be no exception.

Here is a song, called “I Am A Thousand Winds”, to sooth the grieving families:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR05T2m4yGM

Lyrics of “I Am A Thousand Winds”:-

Please do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

Please do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die
I am the swift rush of birds in flight
I am the stars that shine at night

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

Please do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

An Anti-Greed French Song

Since the days of Gordon Gekko’s motto “greed is, for lack of a better word, good”, we have seen the world swept up by uninhibited avarice in the last two-and-a-half decades. This vice finally led to gargantuan financial debacles in many countries and cities. Zazie’s song “Etre et Avoir” (“To Be and To Have”) is a light and sweet ridicule of this particular human foible.

This song reminds me of an essay that says it is important, as an inward-looking morality check, to discern what “need” and “want” is. It also reminds me of what Bud Fox’s father said in the film “Wall Street”, that a person’s character is not measured by the money in his pocket. One verse in the song says it all « Il en faut peu pour etre heureux. »  (“We need little in order to be happy.”)

Link to the song:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHH5si2Y4sw&feature=my_favorites&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg

French Lyrics of « Etre et Avoir » (‘To Be and To Have’) by Zazie :-

Des chaises, une table, un lit, un toit,

C'était tout ce qu'on avait.
Vingt ans, pourtant, des rêves en grand,

C'était tout ce qu'il nous fallait.

Voiture, maison, c'est sûr, c'est bon.

Maintenant qu'est ce que ça cache?
Ca nous remplit, ca nous rend pas meilleur,

Pour autant que je sache.

Car tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a,

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a.

Plus beau, plus cher, plus riche, plus fort,

Voilà tout ce qu'on adore
Autant d'efforts, tous ces trésors,

On en fait quoi quand on sera mort?

De tout cet or en banque, ces armes, ces tanks

Alors que c’est d’amour que l'on manque.
Et l’être humain l’est un peu moins

Depuis qu'il s'est fait avoir.

Car tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a,

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a.

Des chaises, une table, un lit, un toit,

C'était tout ce qu'on avait.

Il en faut peu pour être heureux,

Moi c'est tout ce que je sais.

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a,

Oui, tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a.

Tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a
Oui, tout ce qu'on est, pas tout ce qu'on a

My English Rendition of the Lyrics of « Etre et Avoir » by Zazie :-

Chairs, a table, a bed, a roof,

It was all that we had.

Twenty years, yet, of great dreams

It was all that we needed.

A car, a house, sure, it is good,

Now what is it that it hides?

It fills us up, it does not make us better

For as much as I know.

Because all that we are, is not all that we have,

All that we are, is not all that we have.

More beautiful, more expensive, richer, stronger,

This is what we adore.

So much efforts, all these treasures,

What do we do with these when we’re dead?

Of all this gold in the bank, all these arms, these tanks

While it is love that is lacking.

And the human being is a little less human,

When we are bent on having.

Because all that we are, is not all that we have,

All that we are, is not all that we have.

Chairs, a table, a bed, a roof,

It was all that we had.

We need little in order to be happy

For as much as I know.

All that we are, is not all that we have,

Yes, all that we are, is not all that we have.

All that we are, is not all that we have.

Yes, all that we are, is not all that we have.