A character created by the author and cultural critic Lu Xun in 1919, Chinese schoolchildren learn that Kong Yiji was a pedantic man of letters who stubbornly clung to tradition and failed to adapt to the times.
Lincoln's decision to call for a national Thanksgiving came at the urging of a far-sighted and persistent magazine editor who believed such a celebration would have a " deep moral influence" on the American character.
And yet we rarely speak with any degree of clarity or sincerity — out of fear of retribution, a dread of vulnerability, a pessimism as to the chances of being understood or perhaps stubbornly ingrained good manners.