Lucas K. Law
All emotions are universal. Regardless where we come from or where we are going, we live, we dream, we strive, we die.
I see fragments of myself in each of the twenty-three stories you are about to read, from an immigrant to a person caught between two cultures, from the struggle to conform to the meaning of blood, from dealing with a particular culture to accepting the uniqueness in each other, from facing discrimination to finding oneself, from wrestling between ghostly pasts and uncertain future.
Finding oneself is a major theme running through the stories. It often comes when facing adversity. I may not have experienced the exact situations found in this anthology. But, I have to deal with some form of similar struggles—all of us have to if lives are supposed to be lived.
I immigrated to Canada at fifteen, leaving a comfortable world of childhood and high school friends in Borneo, to be a stranger in a strange land of eternal winters (even the summer winds are never fully warm and soothing).
Being different led to discrimination and bullying in school, university, and the workplace. I was called by many names. I was told that my accent was funny and it would hold me back from any future promotions. I was asked to be more extroverted and aggressive at work. I was looked down upon because I lived in the wrong neighbourhood, went to the wrong school, wore the wrong clothes . . . The list went on and on and on—enough to weigh a person down and out. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. Spiritually. Enough to make one ashamed of his heritage or ancestry or background. It took a long time for me to fully accept myself for being me. More than thirty years.
I find that there are people who will put you down, sometimes beyond reasons. But there are others, often strangers, who will pull you up, sometimes without you knowing. Hold on to them, their words, their actions, even if that moment of connection is fleeting. Be grateful for their lessons and words of wisdom. Be kind to pass them forward and give back.
The world is changing so quickly, more information, more news, more of everything—the line continues to blur, facts blend with fiction, truth with lies. There is no one destination but a series of constant challenges and changes, forcing us to make choices, sometimes harsh and bitter, sometimes sudden and alarming, sometimes quick and easy. At times, no choice at all. What we make out of this—choice or no choice—we need to believe in ourselves and find that sliver of hope.
Be proud of who you are and where you come from, and yet, remain humble.
In the end, no one is perfect, but each of us can be unique, honest, real—just like the stories in this anthology. Derwin and I are grateful to Elsie Chapman and the authors for taking us on their journeys, for the glimpses we are given into their fictional lives, for their struggles for acceptance, recognition, and belonging, for reflecting lives in profound and moving ways and finding a voice in history.
Please promote mental health and stand up against discrimination and bullying. Support your local charitable organizations. Support and help each other on this brief journey on Earth. A portion of this anthology’s net revenue will go to support Kids Help Phone.
—Lucas K. Law, Calgary and Qualicum Beach, 2017