Melissa Farmer
On Oct. 22, Dr. Ming Wang came to Volunteer State Community College to give a presentation called “From Darkness to Sight.”
Wang has published at least eight textbooks that are used for students to study the eye and the science behind it. Wang does surgeries for people that help them get rid of their glasses permanently. People who could not see without a heavy prescription could see after Wang performed a surgery for them.
Wang has performed on many optometrists so that they can continue on with their practice. He is well known all over the world for his Eye “Ball” that he holds each year where ball room dancing is the main event.
The presentation talked about how he was born and raised in China. Dr. Wang said he wants to help blind, orphaned children. He spoke of how he wants to encourage children young people to work harder. He wrote a book, and all of the proceeds of the book go to a foundation.
Dr. Wang grew up with an atheist family, who put a strong emphasis on education. Disaster occurred in 1966-1976. There was a massive deportation of junior and senior high graduates. The dictator did this so that he could continue dictating in China without any upraises or riots.
The children who were deported were condemned of a lifetime of poverty and hard labor. Any of the children that escaped would be jailed or killed. There was no option for the children to continue on with the education.
By keeping the next generation ignorant, they wouldn’t have the possibility of an uprising. Students in America get lucky enough to study for as long as they want. There is an infinite amount of knowledge available. For the children there was only one kind of exemption, if you could play an instrument or if you can dance, they wouldn’t send you to the fields to work. Wang picked up an instrument.
Eventually, the government saw that children were learning music to avoid being sent away and put an end to the music. Wang began to pick up dancing in an effort to avoid being sentenced to a life of poverty. When he thought all hope was lost something good happened. In 1976 the dictator died and China reopened colleges. Wang skipped three years and started the 12th grade the very next day. Only 12 grade graduates will be allowed to participate in the college examination and they had to be in the top one or two percent to be permitted into college.
“Here in America we sometimes take freedom for granted. We think ‘freedom is here, freedom will be here tomorrow,’” said Dr. Wang.
Dr. Wang said if his father wouldn’t have pushed him into college that year, then they didn’t know what the next year would hold. They could shut down colleges at any moment.
“Freedom is what is most precious about America,” said Wang. We often take things for granted because we truly can’t imagine what it is like to not have freedom.
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