A Forum for Ideas
Education • News • Books
Interact, share ideas, and take action!

A Forum for Ideas is a place to discuss ideas and then act to put those ideas into motion. Each month a new topic will be introduced. There will be daily discussion questions to spark conversations, a quote of the day, and much more. Come join the discussion and start sharing your Ideas!
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?

Learn more first
Book Review - The Little Red Guard: A Family Memoir by Wenguang Huang

Huang writes this book about his family and it is centered around a coffin that his father had made for his grandmother. I enjoyed this book because it provided a glimpse of what it was like to grow up in the 70s and 80s in Communist China.

Huang notes that in communist China burial was illegal and every one was cremated. His grandmother made his father promise that he would bury her. This caused considerable strain in his marriage as he agreed to do so. Huang notes “I was often vexed by her adherence to the old ways” when speaking of his grandmother.

His father tried for years to gain admission into the communist party and he was finally admitted. Huang notes “Party membership rekindled his hope in life.” It was about the same time that grandmother asked for a coffin. Huang’s father often feared what owning a coffin would do to his standing in the party.

At school Huang was being taught “Only Chairman Mao and the communist party are your closest relatives, said our teacher. If your parents or relatives engage in any counterrevolutionary activities you should not hesitate in reporting them or publicly denouncing them it is a true test of your revolutionary will.” Huang wondered about the coffin but his father taught him to never betray your family.

As Huang read outside of the classroom he noted “I had learned a different set of values. Friendship could transcend ideologies. Friends protected and made sacrifices for each other.”

When his father died Huang reflected “For all his loyalty to the party, when China was freed from the radical ideological control of chairman Mao and began slowly to prosper he and millions of workers, the vanguard of the proletariat, who underwrote communist China were left behind confused and disillusioned. He died because his lungs had been scarred by years of exposure to industrial pollutants. His heart broken by the unrealized 6.5 yuan promotion and the depth of corruption that had twisted the ideals of the party he supported.”

Overall this was a quick read that presented many ideas to think about. I give it 4 out of 5 stars

Interested? Want to learn more about the community?

Learn more first
What else you may like…
Posts
Articles
Quote of the Day

“There's many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory but it is all hell.”

William Tecumseh Sherman

Question

What prevents war?

Question

Are we living through Atlas Shrugged right now?

My FOREX Journey
An Idea Begins to Form
Inflation was soaring, talks of recession were incessant and I had some money that hadn’t been spent on bills yet. It was time to invest. But what would I invest in?  The stock market didn’t seem appealing. The price of bitcoin was dropping and as much as I would like to own a game used Bryce
Only for Supporters
To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
Read full Article
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals