Lion Dance and Teachings of Love
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of their skin, or their background or their religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." - Nelson Mandela
Happy Chinese New Year! This is the Year of the Snake, which is considered to be a year of renewal. Just like a snake shedding its skin, just like children growing out of their shoes and clothing, what is no longer fitting for you? How do you imagine a new version of yourself? A new version of your family? A new version of this community? Or a new version of this country?
Last Friday at the Chinese New Year gathering, I told the children the story of how lion dance began. Once upon a time, on New Year's Eve, a Chinese village was attacked by Nian, a monster. Nian stole all the crops, vegetables, animals, and even some people. Since the attack, the village lived in fear. But one person took a journey to ask for help from the lion. The lion agreed to help the village. When Nian attacked again, the lion fought and defeated the monster. The villagers were overjoyed and asked the lion to return to protect the village. Here comes my favorite part of the story: The lion said he could not come back because he had his duties; however, he could teach the villagers how to protect themselves. The lion taught them to decorate their houses and wear clothing in red and gold, just like him. He also taught them how to make a large puppet that looked like a lion and dance with it, making loud noises to chase Nian away. Since then, the villagers have followed the lion's instructions, and the village has remained protected, with festivals and celebrations returning to the community.
The lion takes on the role of a teacher. Instead of saying "Yes, I will always protect you, don't worry," the lion offers to teach them self-protection. Before the lion's arrival, the villagers lived in fear. Knowledge and creativity led them to independence. Through the given knowledge and their actions, the villagers earned a fearless life.
This story gives us great courage for how to live when the world brings us terror. Do we just hide and tremble? Or do we reach out to our community and face problems in creative ways?
After sharing this story, we all gathered to eat dumplings (prepared by our 3rd & 8th graders), and enjoyed a Lion Dance and presentation at Cornerstone Academy by Jing Mo Association. It was beautiful, surprising, funny, loud, and powerful. We all shared in the joy.
What an amazing way to learn and be immersed in Chinese culture. As Nelson Mandela said, if people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. I felt that Friday's celebration was exactly that kind of "taught to love" opportunity for all of us.
