What person in history you would like to meet
If I were granted an opportunity to travel back in time, the first person I would like to visit is Buddha. I hope to learn from such a wise and benevolent figure on my own. And I want to ask him for advice on the predicament we human beings are in.
Buddha is a symbol of humanity, a symbol of wisdom, leniency, tolerance and virtue. Millions of people over the world respect him. Sometimes it occurs to me rather difficult to understand that why a person of two thousands years ago can affect human spirit so much. If I had the opportunity, I really want to stand beside him, touch him, and perceive his strength.
When I visit him, I would ask him about the idea of tolerance non-violence. What I want to ask him is that how people, in an era full of violence, can restore the trust among each other and learn to negotiate peacefully. I would ask him if we still have any possibility to stop the war in Iraq, to calm the violence in Palestine, to return peace back to Afghan, to cure the terrible nightmare of Sept. 11 catastrophe in New York.
When I visit him, I would also ask him about diversity and co-existence. What would he think of Jesus Christ, Allah, Confucius, whether we have only one path to final happy or we would have different choices? Will Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Communists, Green Peace Warriors and any other groups of people co-exist in this tiny global village? I would ask him about Hitler, Stalin, and Ben Laden, whether he thinks human beings should tolerate them or not? I would also ask him if he could give any advice for ordinary people like me, how to access happy, and how to access peace.
Buddha is Buddha, and he would not disappoint me. I am sure!
