The Art of Sharing, Hypocritically
In late fall and early winter of 20**, I took my wife on a whirlwind tour of Europe, we visited Istanbul, Sofia, Warsaw, Berlin, Rome, and Paris. We had a great, mysterious, and wonderful time. In Paris, I felt obligated to take her to the Louvre to see the famous Mona Lisa. She was not impressed by it. We had a reservation at Jules Verne, supposedly a legendary spot for exceptional cuisine on the Eiffel Tower, at 7 PM in the evening of November 11. However, that late afternoon, she asked me to call the romantic dinner off and take her to Amiens, a little city about 75 miles north of Paris. Not particularly happy, I nevertheless was obliged to do her wish.
In Amiens, we walked along the river Somme. It was overcast. Scattered wintry winds circulated intermittently, seemingly playing and dancing with the dark clouds overhead. I felt warm and comfortable, particularly with my Louis Vuitton Supreme X Leather Bomber Varsity Jacket Monogram Ltd Ed, cost over $25000, tax included. I noticed several scantily clad ladies along the river trail.
“Perhaps, I should offer them my jacket, keeping them warm on this frosty winter afternoon.”
“Sure, you would,” my wife replied. “Don’t mistake yourself for St. Martin of Tours,” she added.
“Is he the one who cut his cloak in two, to give half to a beggar clad only in rags in the depth of winter?” I asked.
“Yes, it is him.”
“So, I would be better than St. Martin. I give away a whole jacket and, perhaps, a little more.”
My wife looked at me, pondering for a while. Then, she intoned, “I am a Catholic. I know St. Martin. I admire St. Martin. I love St. Martin. But, honey, you are no St. Martin.” She added, “Do you even know why we are here, darling? Have you ever wondered why he gave only half of the cloak to the beggar?”1
Over the past couple of weeks, the two Koreas have been on the news. Supposedly, North Korea was sending troops to assist the Russians since the latter had suffered so many casualties in Ukraine. South Korea condemned this act and threatened the North with unspecified responses. I won’t discuss this issue here since so much ink has been spilled on the topic. But I would like to discuss two related subjects: the Statue of Peace and the Monkey House.
The Statue of Peace, sometimes called the Comfort Woman Statue, represents the victims of sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. It was first erected in Seoul, South Korea, on 14 December 2011, to urge the Japanese government to apologize to and honor the victims. Since that date, the statue has inspired numerous copies and variants around the world.2 These are a few examples:
Comfort Women Memorial in San Francisco, California.3
Comfort Women Memorial Plaque in Palisades Park, New Jersey.4
Statue of Peace in Berlin, Germany.5
Comfort Women Statue in Sydney, Australia.6
and so forth.
The Statue of Peace is a Korean gift to communities around the world, proliferating in unexpected corners of the world. Ironically, it seemed to divide people in those communities.
On the other hand, the Monkey House, a clinic-prison for sex workers who were forced to serve American soldiers protecting Seoul from North Korea, is scheduled to be demolished to protect the sensibility of history.7 Apparently, Americans could do what Japanese could not.
Perhaps, we should build a Monkey House next to each Statue of Peace, in the name of sharing with dignity, honesty, and justice.
So it goes.
I had a meeting with Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, in the Kremlin, during my whirlwind tour to organize BRICS Summit 2024. I asked him a question on behalf of my daughter Sophia.
“Mr. President. Are you afraid of being a war criminal?”
He looked me in the eye and inquired gently, “Quan, do you even know how one becomes a war criminal?”
“I believe one becomes a war criminal by doing bad things, such as genocide, sexual violence, and unlawful deportation of protected persons.” I answered after a long period of musing and pondering.
“No. It is by losing a war.”
So it goes.
On the topic of my whirlwind tour of Europe with my wife, Xuan Bui, I later learned that November 11 is the feast day of St. Martin of Tours. He gave the beggar half his cloak in Amiens while serving in the Roman army. And my lovely wife simply wanted to follow in his footsteps when she asked me to take her there.
Incidentally, that is partly why World War I Armistice was signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, 1918.
On St. Martin day 11/11/2007, Pope Benedict XVI prayed.
“May St. Marin help us to understand that only by means of a common commitment to sharing is it possible to respond to the great challenge of our times: to build a world of peace and justice where each person can live with dignity.”
The Pope linked sharing to dignity. St. Martin and the beggar both needed clothing. They had one cloak between them, so Martin decided they would share it. He treated the beggar as an equal, so each had half a cloak. How would the beggar have felt if he had been given the whole cloak, and seen Martin reduce himself to the beggar’s former position? He would be embarrassed and undignified, a mere object of Martin's largesse. In sharing, there is dignity and equality. Martin did not say he didn't care about himself, he showed that he cared about the beggar just as much as himself.8
My wife wanted me to learn this lesson.
The Blue House and its offshoots should learn it too.
Thanks be to St. Martin.
St. Martin and the Beggar by El Greco. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
Thank you for reading. Please subscribe and share my post, if you find this article informative. I have decided to dedicate a portion of my time and energy to writing on this substack, hoping to spread the message of caution, prudence, and watchfulness in this chaotic period. We do the part that we can.
The publication date for Strategic Patience: Part 2 of 2 has been pushed back to November due to my scattered brain and busy BRICS Summit schedule.
Emphasis is mine.
https://www.projectsonyeo.com/statueofpeace
https://remembercomfortwomen.org/sf-memorial/
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/33814
https://www.thenation.com/article/world/comfort-women-japan-korea-germany/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-06/comfort-women-statue-unveiled-in-sydney-despite-dispute/7697036
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2024/10/14/monkey-house-to-be-demolished
https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/59967/why-did-st-martin-give-half-of-his-cloak-and-didnt-give-the-whole
Quote:
"On the other hand, the Monkey House, a clinic-prison for sex workers who were forced to serve American soldiers protecting Seoul from North Korea, is scheduled to be demolished to protect the sensibility of history.7 Apparently, Americans could do what Japanese could not.
Perhaps, we should build a Monkey House next to each Statue of Peace, in the name of sharing with dignity, honesty, and justice."
Lovely!!!!
Quote: "do you even know how one becomes a war criminal?....... It is by losing a war."
Superb!