Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Here is the common problem of mankind: You have seen or read about leaders, usually warring or revolutionary leaders, who talked about saving their country, saving their people, loving their nation, protecting their citizens… all the great idealistic goals for their people to follow. But in practice, such leaders and their followers killed, maimed, tortured and imprisoned millions of people that the leaders considered anti-revolutionists, reactionists, betrayers, or enemies of the people… So their mouths talked peace and love while their hands killed and maimed, as if the hands and the mouth belonged to two separate persons.

Calling those people liars, fraudsters, hypocrites is not sufficiently accurate. I think those are insane, deranged people. They are really sick in the head, because they cannot see their mouth and their hands oppose each other constantly.

Unfortunately, leaders of that kind are all over history books of all nations on this planet. And also non-leaders, millions and millions of them.

I am not sure what their problem really is, other than they are sick in the head. But I can see a common point in all of them. That is: they always talk in the abstract terms, and rarely use concrete terms.

They say, “Love our people, defeat the enemies.” But, who are their people? And who are their enemies? Obviously, their people are who they like, and their enemies are who they hate. You can’t tell you are their people or their enemies. Good luck. You are whatever they say you are, at the time they say it.

So, you don’t want to fall into the trap of using abstract language, because your abstract language will deceive you – the one who does the talking – into your own insanity.

Talk in concrete terms: I love the farmers, the workers, the students, the teachers, the police officers, the soldiers, the beggars, the peddlers, the poor, the rich, the old, the young, the men, the women…

Don’t just say, “I love our people.” “Our people” is an abstract word, and such abtract language is a cold, dead formula and a lie.

Talk in concrete language and think in concrete language, so that every time you put a gun on a man’s head, you may remember that he is a teacher and you have said you love teachers, and hopefully you will pull the gun back and put it away.

Politicians love to talk in big and abstract terms, because abstract terms are nobody – there is no obligation for you to be honest to nobody. Sorry, politicians. I don’t mean to aim at you, but that is the truth with the majority of politicians around the world, per my observation.

So, brothers and sisters, if you want to be honest, exact and responsible, use concrete language, so that every time you violate your words or promises, you will know that you are violating your own words and, hopefully, you will change your behavior for the better.

And if you enter politics, work 10 times harder, to speak concrete and honest language, for your sake and your people’s sake.

Wish we all be concrete and honest in our thought, speech and action.

With compassion,

Hoành

© copyright 2023
Trần Đình Hoành
Permitted for non-commercial use
www.dotchuoinon.com