The Seventh Wonder
Repost from November 2nd, 1997
To begin a count of wonders, the first one is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He wrote a lot of music. To copy his 41 symphonies, 27 piano concertos, numerous masses, requiems, quartets, quintets, operas, and other works, one has to work without sleeping, eating, and doing anything for 35 years—that is how long Mozart lived. However, sheer quantity becomes negligible compared to the quality of his every piece, every phrase, and every note.
The next wonder is William Shakespeare. With 17 comedy plays, 10 history plays, 10 tragedy plays, and numerous poems, he is the most famous English writer. His parents are farmers who could not read, write, or sign their names. He did not go to college, but his works make countless scholars busy for centuries and motivate innumerable works in other art forms. The astonishing gap between his plain life and his works brings the doubt whether he really wrote them.
Another wonder is Albert Einstein, a scientist who once failed the examination for an electrical engineering diploma. He “contributed more than any other scientist to the modern vision of physical reality. His theory of relativity is held as human thought of the highest quality.” His little equation linking energy, matter, and the speed of light—E=mc2 —reveals the secret of sun’s energy, the energy that unexpectedly vaporized two cities instantly, scared the residents of White House and Kremlin as well as everyone in between, and promises a bright future when the dead trees, dead animals, and other dead living things, buried in the largest mass grave, are burnt.
The fourth wonder is Mao Ze Dong, the former Chairman of the People’s Republic of China. From 1949 to his death in 1976, he gradually became the object of worship for one billion people. He had the power to erase anyone and any history from 9.6 million square kilometers. His every sentence became the truth of his worshipers. They would enthusiastically, or seemingly enthusiastically, throw their parents, siblings, teachers, or friends into jail, if they considered the action necessary for proving their loyalty to Mao.
The fifth wonder maybe is Jesus Christ. The reason for hesitation is that he may not be a human being. If he is, how can incalculable human beings believe he is sent by God to bleed for them for thousands of years? If he bled for every human being, maybe no one should justify actions against other human beings by the excuse of perpetuating his spirit.
The sixth wonder is she. She wasn’t given a name or title, but she is everywhere—in Mozart’s music, in Shakespeare’s plays, in Einstein’s equation, in Mao’s politics, and, in a manger. She is always in the background, or put in the background. I think she should have a name. I wonder how I can find her from the background and find her real wonder?
If one day I can, maybe that is all wonder is about. Maybe there is no seventh wonder, and I should submit just six wonders. Maybe I can list an 8th wonder, like Michael Jordan, 9th wonder, like Lao Tze, 10th wonder, 11th wonder—ten is more entertaining, consistent with the format of top ten lists—what is the number that includes every wonder? Maybe I do not know all the wonders, so I cannot claim there is no more wonders besides these six. Maybe I should have listed Bach or U2, instead of Mozart; James Joyce or Stephan King, instead of Shakespeare; Newton or Bill Gates, instead of Einstein. If something is really wonderful, more wonderful than any other things, maybe I should keep talking and writing about it until it is no longer wonderful.
Still, I have the last wonder. If I put it at the beginning, no one would want to read all the other wonders. If I put it at the end, I am afraid everyone will skip all the others, like reading a top ten list. Still, I have to list the last wonder.
The last wonder has not been born yet; it will be another Mozart, another Shakespeare, another Einstein. . . another she, and another sheep Dolly. We have not seen the last wonder, so we wonder about it; when we see it, no other wonder will be left. I am eagerly looking forward to that wonder—it will copy and upgrade my genetic code. Hopefully and eventually, everyone will have several improved versions of himself, ready to grow, ready to substitute him, ready to supply blood, and ready to donate organs. I wish the genius scientists will invent the method to copy human beings not only genetically, but mentally, so we can make a thousand genuine copies of every wonder, including those genius scientists, then upgrade, beta test, and upgrade.
