Update

The two men were stranded, along with the rest. The rain was heavy and it was impossible to continue their journey, where they were supposed to go to a place far away for a military expedition. The group totaled a few hundred men, and with little supplies left, everyone was desperate.

It is the most desperate of circumstances that the resilience of one man, together with his determination to decide his own fate, that force him to become a beacon of hope and change to his fellow countrymen.

One of the two men, Chan, decided enough was enough. He stepped outside his tent accompanied by the other, Wu. The rest of the men, taking shelter from the downpour, stirred and looked on.

Chan spoke.

He made everyone in the vicinity think over their current predicament. He dragged their families and their villages into the picture, and used the men's affections. He asked why must they suffer and toil, be it rain or shine, with death at every corner, while the nobles and the prominent and the blue-blooded enjoy the wealth of the nation and sate their lust.

The charismatic Chan ended his speech with a punchline:

   "The fruits that the nobles, the prominent and even the king enjoy, did not come with birth, but rather as spoils from the strength of their backs and the sweat of their brows."

Little did he or anybody that night knew that history was created, on that desolated campsite where rain poured and the wind blew mercilessly.

Chan went on to become the first armed peasant-rebel leader in Chinese history. His punchline could be heard ringing throughout China's many peasant-led armed uprisings whenever a monarch became too much to bear. That night was the last night he lay down to sleep as an unknown individual.

The next morning he woke up to find awe and worship in the eyes of his new followers, and he knew, he knew, that he now has the clout to summon peasants from the four corners of the country.

The only thing's that left is the right time to do so.

*

So that was it. It struck me in the face, with the force of a meteor.

To some people this may come across as meaningless. That's a good thing. That's because they have known all their lives that they could only depend on themselves. On the strength of their backs and the sweat of their brows.

I think this is going to be my 2013 motto. This single sentence of eight Mandarin characters, and the meteoric force it struck me.

p/s: a good book barges its way into routine. just like someone special.