Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As I came out to give my bow, people started enthusiastically clapping for me. And it
hit me.
More than anything else, the most important thing we need is to be seen by others. It
wasn't just the fuel for greatness; it was part of the foundation of survival. I thought back
to Seng, alone in her rickety house, with no one watching out for her. Perhaps loneliness
is the most fatal disease. We all need to feel acknowledged by those around us. We need
to be seen. And we also need to be able to see others. Doctor Nguyen was restoring sight,
but more than just fixing their vision, he was acknowledging their right to have a dignified
place in this world.
And in many ways, through my gifts, I was also trying to do just that. If nothing else, I
wanted to acknowledge their existence, their struggle. Because life is hard. And sometimes
it brings us to our knees. We need someone to find us on the opera steps, to remind us that
no matter how desperate or terrifying or mundane our lives might become, we shouldn't
lose sight of the music around us. In fact, it just means we have to play louder, play so
loudly that we drown out the pain or fear, or even the impossible border guards waging war
against yellow motorbikes!
For so many years, I hadn't felt seen, and yet here I was at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera
House, bowing before an applauding audience—because sometimes it's also the big mo-
ments.
