So much time has passed, and so little to write about, apparently. My mind has been focused on many petty things. Browsing through online stores, making guesses about dishes in the menu, trying to figure out if there are public toilets on the campus, repeating words from the textbook during class. They sounded petty because I could not weave them into a story. Except one I had already started telling here, the one about the bike. To tell it short, due to shipping delays and mounting defects, it took me waayy longer than I expected. The bike stood nearly one month under a parking roof, like a curious object with a missing pedal. But now 🤞 that story is  over…

There is another story that I like to tell myself. That of me becoming familiar with Chinese culture. Becoming that scholar or poet secretly smiling in his white beard while he pours a cup of tea, somewhere in the mountains. Sometimes it creates a cognitive dissonance with reality, like when I open the fridge in the shop at the entrance of canteen number 3, and auto-translate on my mobile the product composition of a plum tea bottle, in search of potentially harmful substances like artificial sweeteners. Why should every step towards knowledge be so steep?, do I think on that moment. Industrial Chinese tea bottles are not like fortune cookies, you shouldn’t rely too much on them for guidance.

I kept looking around. One afternoon, I noticed a familiar face near the Faculty of construction engineering. I instantly felt more grounded at the sight of his noble composure. It became clear that, despite the fact that he was dead, Confucius could teach me where to bring my focus. Please talk, master, and I will listen carefully.

Is it not pleasant to learn with constant perseverance and application?

Analects

Yes, that’s what I’m here for. Thanks for remembering me. Repeating words in subtle iterations will lead to some result. But sometimes, master, I feel as if I wasn’t able to utter anything intelligible. Let’s take that time when I went to the express delivery office and saw the teller look back at her phone only 30 seconds after I started talking to her. Can I really aim for 45 seconds next time? Do I stand any chance against a smartphone? Or should I go to a slow delivery office?

Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?

Analects

Oh certainly, master. That was not the proper way to look at the situation. I should take a broader approach and try to focus on my attitude and not on that of others. But studying hard and remaining quiet during modern interactions, that seems like an austere approach to life. How can I develop the inner joy to sustain all of this?

Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?

Analects

Very truly so, master. I felt so stuck in the daily routine that I forgot I am surrounded by interesting people from all over the world here: Pakistan, Indonesia, Nepal, Togo, Russia, … And China. I will try to consider everyone as a friend 🌸🪷🏵️ thank you master🫸🫷

Those are the first words from Confucius. I looked for more. Confucius is certainly ranking high in the hit parade of misattributed quotes. Just take any sentence that sounds sufficiently vague and profound, there is a great chance that you find his name next to it on the Internet. But does it really matter? As long as it helps us, even for a second, reaching for truth and humaneness.