http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/268278/prof-edward-peng-one-many-jay-nordlingerOn Wednesday, I had an item on the Cultural Revolution, which included this snippet from a reader:
I had a Chinese professor who was the only one in his family of four to survive the Cultural Revolution. When his sister was executed under some political pretense, his parents were presented with the bullet that killed her along with a bill for the bullet. Both parents ended up killing themselves after years of persecution for being part of the educated class. The son, who was intellectually gifted, spent the next eight or so years digging ditches.
Since then, the reader has sent another letter, saying more about his professor. Here is part of the beginning:
If anyone had a right to be bitter and disillusioned with life and providence, it was he. But he was one of the most relentlessly upbeat, positive, and grateful persons I have ever known. He was a constant source of uplift, and it was a delight to be in his presence.
It is worth your while to read the whole thing.
