Saturday, August 23rd. The Weekend Edition of William Shakespeare's Thought For The Day.

[pinboy3niner]

9. The punji stakes and wooden shoes expression are not really good examples

Booby traps are universal, and you use what you've got--even if all you've got is bamboo. And the wooden shoes thing isn't hostile--it's just a way of expressing getting inside you.

If you want a contradiction, I've got one for you. On visits to Vietnam I was impressed by how everyone addresses strangers as Mother, Uncle, Little Brother, Little Sister, depending on how they assess the position of that person. It seems a very inclusive and loving approach.

At the same time there is a strong exclusiveness--city people looking down on rural, provincial people and especially discriminating against people like the Montagnards and the progeny of American soldiers--the 'children of the dust.'

It's a wonderful land with a wonderful people who are just as full of contradictions as people anywhere else.