How the prodigal son found his way back, on the right roads, from the Newspapers, translated…
Ji was once, a drug addict who used weapons, but three years ago, he’d started writing calligraphy, never having learned the skills, he’d worked hard, perfecting his strokes, not only did he manage to win first place in the contests set up by the department of corrections, recently, he’d gotten the first place trophy in the nationwide competitions, he said, “Writing keeps me calm.”
Ji was sentenced to twenty-two years and five months for using a gun in selling illegal substances, he was the son of a general, but with a long rap sheet; eight years ago he was caught and sent to jail, believed, that it was, practicing calligraphy that’s helped him turn his own life around.
Toward his long jail sentence, Ji had once wanted to give up on himself, in the end, his parents who loved him coped with it like he was, already dead to them, wouldn’t return any of the letters he’d written them. Three years ago, he’d started learning calligraphy, and earned his very FIRST awards certificate, and he was driven, by that sense of achievement.
photo from UDN.com…
He said, copying the Buddhist verses helped calm him down, at first, he couldn’t understand the handscript he was practicing, that he couldn’t even keep his hands steady as he lifted up the writing pen, and couldn’t manage to write well; later on, as his instructor, Huang had given him tips and taught him, finally, he’d learned, to remain calm as he practiced writing calligraphy, and he got more and more into it by the day.
In no more than three years, Ji had written three hundred thousand characters already, and the callouses on his middle finger became more precious to him than diamonds. He said, there’s no other way in practicing calligraphy, just keep on doing it, and now, he could, write all day long, and not get tired of it.
His calligraphy instructor, Huang said, that Ji started from holding guns and knives, to holding a calligraphy brush, and write very well, that it was, very surprising to him, and so, he’d encouraged him to enter into competitions, and, unexpectedly, Ji won first place on this first try, the competitions that followed the first, he’d won over a dozen awards, and had even gotten the gold medals for the national calligraphy competitions recently too.
Ji who’d found his confidence, sent his writings home, hoping that his parents could write him back, and, his parents encouragements made him steady, “I don’t know what I can do to make my parents happy, if writing is what does that, then, I shall, keep on writing.”
Awhile ago, Ji copied the Buddhist verses to send to his own father for his eighty-sixth birthday, the father who’d ignored the son originally wrote back, “I’d always felt awful about Ji’s handicap on the calves, and I’d spoiled him, and that, was what turned him to do bad things, that was why I’d, given up on him, but, he’d not given up on himself, I’m truly grateful toward the personnel in prison, helping me find my son back.”, it’d moved Ji, reading what his father wrote to him.
So, this man had, found something that calmed he down, and, he’d just, stuck to it, and kept working hard, perfecting his writing skills, and, he’d won the awards, and, showed his family, that he COULD turn his own life around, that he is, a changed man.
Life, the Obstacle Course 