Living Museum of Learning

Where real moments become exhibits

Freedom to Think

On September 6, 2026, Donald sent an Einstein quotation to the family WhatsApp group NingJing Learning Journey 👣, where Tianjing and Enning had been learning almost every day since the beginning of August.

The quotation about Einstein's own difficulties in mathematics suddenly connected with something much larger: the girls' family's journey out of China, Donald's own departure 27 years earlier, and Einstein's departure from Germany.

Three very different journeys began to look related—not because the circumstances were the same, but because freedom of thought can be one of the things people cross borders to protect.

Then came the memory Donald had not expected.

At his Canadian citizenship ceremony, an elderly woman walked onto the stage in front of all the new Canadians and said something like:

“Canada welcomes you with warm arms.”

Donald cried.

Cindy, who had already become Canadian and was watching from the audience, later delivered the historical verdict:

“You cried like a baby.” 😂

Freedom is not an abstract political word when you have personally crossed a border to find more of it.

And education has another connection to freedom: learning how to think for yourself is itself a journey.

A life can change completely when someone is willing to take the first step.

Through courage, sacrifice, education, persistence, and thousands of ordinary steps.

Because a person's freedom to think can become another person's freedom to learn.

September 2026 historical footnote: At the time of writing, Chinese-language online reports were circulating about public figures including Yuan Tengfei and Liang Hongda moving their lives toward North America. Details of their permanent immigration status remained uncertain. Their stories belong to their own histories; here, they simply form part of the strange historical atmosphere surrounding this particular September.

👣

The journey continues.

Because Donald is going to listen to this one at the gym tomorrow, isn't he? 😂

And probably hear something different the second time.