TX + HL,
> Koj hais koj cov lus los kuj yog lawm. Peb yuav luag txhua tus Hmoob
> yeej hais li koj hais. Tus neeg tsim dab tsi los yog ntshaw xav
> nrhov. cov neeg hlub Hmoob es nrhiav tswv yim kho Hmoob es Hmoob xav
> tias nws xav nrhov no ces Hmoob thiaj pheej muab tua pov tseg. Hmoob
> thiaj ua ib haiv neeg poob qab.
who is SLY? who is NDX? who is NVH? these people are but footnotes, if
even that, in our history. if it is "fame" they are after, why travel
such a difficult and dangerous road as creating a writing system?
surely, BOTH of you, must agree with me, that there are EASIER routes
to achieve "fame" if "fame" indeed is the first, foremost, and primary
objective, than creating a writing system out love for the hmong
people, no? did smalley, barney and bertrais wanted "fame" when they
created RPA? how much reward did their "fame" afford them?
one without love for his people cannot create writing systems as
different and complete as these individuals have, no?
are we to say, tsab mim xyooj, vwj paj cai, soob lwj yaj were after
"fame" so they did what they did? the historical, parenthetical
remarks will say about tsab mim xyooj (crazy man attempted to
establish hmong sovereignty), vwj paj cai (man led crazy war against
french oppression), and soob lwj yaj (crazy man invented a hmong
writing system). that is probably better than, man attempted to
establish hmong sovereignty for fame, man rebelled for fame, man
created writing system for fame? see, like i said, i don't really
think outsiders and westerners could ever minimize and trivialize our
people, individuals, culture, and history as much as any one of us
ever can.
"fame", if there was such a thing for SLY et al, was a inadvertent by-
product of their true intentions. "fame" never last. "fame" is what we
value the person, via the utility of their product, to be after they
have placed their will in the fire of self-sacrifice to create a
writing system. without passion, without genius, without the
categorical imperative to do what's right independent of the outcome,
i am highly confident, hmong people and history would have erased the
name and works of SLY and those like him. no?
you both know, there is no "fame" and there is no "fortune" to travel
this road. there is only suffering, endurance, tenacity, hardship, and
in the end, as validated by SLY, death awaiting.
