RESPECTS 1996


Excerpt from Cupid Cards by Amy Zerner & Monte Farber

A Chinese Emperor is out for a walk in the park-like gardens that surround one of his many palaces. His opulent attire has taken many people much time to complete. Even his cane is made of rare wood from the far west of the world, a gift from a great explorer. The jewel embedded in the head of his cane is the largest of its kind. And yet he has not paid for any of these outward trapping of fame and success. True, it is all a symbol of great wealth and power, but more impressive still is the fact that all these things and more have been given to him by his grateful people for the peace and prosperity he has brought to them. They are tokens of respect.His word is law to the millions of people throughout his realm, for he rules with fairness and wisdom. Streets and buildings and cities and whole provinces are named in his honor. Few know the meaning of respect like he does. He gets it from his subjects because he gives it to them, from the lowliest beggar to the wealthiest prince of his realm. He even steps around the flowers.The magical cloud above the Emperor shows that he knows respect is a gift from the divine, to be savored, learned from, and passed on, lest it swell his head with false pride. It is his nature to get and give respect because he gives respect to Nature, as symbolized by the thing he values and respects most; a very unusual bird whose song fills his heart with joy. He exalts this bird above all other things and holds it without grasping tightly, for he knows that to try and hold on to it would make it leave for good. He treats it as he himself would be treated by others.The strange cloud sends out tentacles to softly caress this bird--the Emperor would not let anyone call it "his" bird--and an incredibly colored butterfly. It is a reminder that the Supreme shows us only the merest hint of Its power in the great forces of nature upon which we depend and which the animals seem to understand so well. The Emperor knows that his realm, his fame, and his life have limits, but love does not. It illuminates the darkness like the shooting stars.

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