We went to a dinner gathering in Manhattan Chinatown, an early celebration of Spring Festival organized by alumni from six foreign languages institutes in China. The organizers threw in a lot of effort and time for this gathering. I know there are at least 3 of my college classmates living in New York City. However I was the only one showing up there. I also dragged all of my family.
The day was cold and very unpleasant. Honestly, the food wasn't that great. The performances were rather amateur. Other than the organizer, I'm a total stranger to all of them. Still I'm glad we went, five of us.
When my children were small, I took them to such celebrations. Growing up in America, they might not know much about Chinese culture and might not be interested in events like this. Still, it would be a real bummer if nobody or very few people showed up for it. In a way we support their effort by simply going there. Now I must back up my words with my own actions.
A Chinese saying best captures the spirit of yesterday's gathering: 众人拾柴火焰高 (Zhònɡ-rén shí-chái huo-yàn ɡāo) The literal meaning is firewood picked by many people will make a high flame. In other words, when people work together, they can get more done more effectively.