Chong Jin

About Chong Jin

"What god do you serve?" asks the scribe who sits at the gate of the City of Ten Thousand Temples. It is a question asked of every worthy who steps past that threshold. The city is a place of ecstasy and solemnity, secrets and revelations, revolutions and traditions. Any can find a place here, but all must answer that one question. Whether one worships or resents it, everyone is driven by some puzzle or principle or unfathomable passion that looms large over them, and the city is dedicated to finding the face of that perplexing itch. Here people come, to search, to reflect, to contemplate. that ineffable thing. The scribe cares not what you answer, only that you do. The city knows what sort of longing brings you here. What is not yet known is where you are pointing yourself. She waits patiently for an answer - if there are many pilgrims, her sisters will set out mats of their own, and balance lacquered desks on their laps in orderly rows beside her - no one will rush you. Speak, then, and be recorded. Who knows what wisdom or prophecy might occur at even this unlikely moment? She puts your words to paper with a deft hand, and folds it seven times in a well practiced ritual, before inserting it into the token that will be your pass and your emblem in this community. "Be welcome, then, pilgrim, may you find not what you seek but what you need," you are told, and you step into the next chapter of your journey. What story will you add to this eclectic collection? Take it from a psych major. People think in narrative. Stories are the stuff of which we, the mind, the I that flows over time rather than the instant, are made of. We create stories to understand ourselves and the world around us. True or not, these stories are how we make our way in this world. Find your road and rejoice with those who share the journey. I can be a guide, a conductor, a companion traveler. But the story we shape together will speak it's truth. I love to write, so I wanted this to be poesy. But I also am a spreadsheet nerd and an old hand at the CharOp boards back to the 339 days. I'm flexible about what goes on the page as long as we create together in joy, not strife.