The man I look up to
Second Elder
Lightning struck
And him I chased
Walked the path he took;
Stood in the place he stood.
Speed too fast,
I was left last.
A second too late,
I became thunder -
An echo of the Great
A poem I made for my brother, Lonn Albert Chong. I look up to him as if he was my father. He taught me many things. However, I'm not saying I don't look up to my real father, I do. I just look up to him on other things, like his great love for his family.
My brother taught me how to be a man, what it is to be a man, and what is a man. He didn't teach me in a way that I can put them in words. He taught me through actions and through actions can I only explain. The lesson is implanted in my heart that in my brain.
He taught me about strength - to not only hope that I can but to believe I can; to not give up because giving up is not a character of a Chong; about weakness - to know that I am not a god and I am in need of God's strength and that He provides such strength in friends; about goodness - trusting God, the loving father He is and how He is always there for me enabling me to trust that to do good is logical even if the world says it is not so.
He taught me to spend each moment enjoying what life gives at the same time taking it seriously - an ability to be both mature and fun at the same time. He taught me to always do good even if doing evil makes life easier; to not cheat; to always be honorable helping not only the poor in their pocket but also the poor in spirit.
He taught me to be myself that I should not try to be who I am not, that I should not encase myself an identity of lies. However, he also taught me to not be satisfied with myself, that I should become better than the best I am in now, to continually improve closing in to perfection - to be like Christ, as Paul says.
However, like a parent bird teaching his young how to fly, he must not stop in teaching him the theories of flying. He must do the hardest and most rewarding part: application. A parent bird pushes his young from a height so that the young might learn how to fly and like this, my brother has sent me to the world. He pushed me to not just keep on staying beside him but to apply the lessons and make an identity of myself. He pushed me so that I won't just learn but also experience and in experiencing I again will learn only to experience again, a never ending cycle of growing, the glory of a teacher, growth of his student that is. A master's greatest achievement is to see his student achieve greater heights, a legacy the master can boast to the world.
Like this, I am: a little brother chasing his lightning fast brother, being a second too late, became thunder - an echo of the great lightning, echoing all over the earth his greatness until I reach the heavens and fall down again, only this time as a thunder myself, a living legacy of his greatness. When this time comes, I know I made him proud.