Sunday
Oct042009
Zorig and Other Dead Heroes
Bernie Anderson
Yesterday marked the 11th anniversary of the death of S. Zorig. I know that most of the regular readers of our website have no idea who S. Zorig might be, nor why he is significant. However, our Mongolian friends (and readers) know very well the significance of Zorig. In the early 90’s, Zorig played a huge part in the Democratic revolution that took place in Mongolia. He was something of a national hero, and boldly stood up to injustice and those who were abusing power. Zorig was a scholar, a politician, a writer and an idealist who called for a democratic government that worked for the people and not for itself. He made passionate pleas with other politicians to not pursue their own profit, but to seek the benefit of the people. He was not afraid to step on toes, which led to his untimely death at 36 years of age. Within days of becoming the Prime Minister of Mongolia, and likely to eventually be president, he was murdered. On October 2, 1998, political adversaries lay in wait for him in his own home and brutally stabbed him to death.
He’s a national hero in Mongolia today, at least among the young people and those who are pro-democracy (not so a much a hero among the MPRP). It seems that most heros are dead ones. This morning I was wondering why this is so. Would Zorig have been the “larger than life” hero he is today if he had lived? Or would he have been lumped into the same pile that most politicians get lumped into - along the lines of Nikita Kruschev’s analysis: “Politicians are the same all over: they promise to build bridges, even if there are no rivers.” It seems that the grain of wheat must indeed fall into the earth and die, before we know what kind of fruit will actually be born … or if there will be any fruit at all.
For Mongolians, it’s Zorig, among others. For Americans it could be countless numbers of political, cultural, or spiritual heroes who have passed on. I wonder who will be our heroes of tomorrow? Who will my grand-children or great-grandchildren remember or look up to? Which books that are being written today will still be being read 10, 20, 50 or 100 years from now? Whose sermon will be still be relevant in 2100? So many of us (myself included) are writing things that are published on the Internet that a handful of folks read, but who will the heroes be? Whose writing, drawing, painting, or thinking will last beyond this week, let alone this decade? Will people be reading “The Purpose Driven Life” and “Your Best Life Now” or any current New York Times Best selling novel in 100 years with the same awe that one might read Edwards or Dickens or Tolkien or Spurgeon?
I don’t know the answer to those questions. I somehow don’t see the current authors in the same timeless camp as the dead ones. But only history will tell. I do know that the only thing that will be relevant in Eternity is that which is the fruit of a dead person. So I come back to two Scriptures by which I aim to guide my life:
John 12:24 “Truly, Truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life”
I Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
That’s what really lasts. It doesn’t matter if one is laboring in politics, literature and the arts, a cross-cultural context or a local Kroger store. The work that really lasts is the work that’s built on the foundation of Jesus by those who have died to their life in this world. In the end it really doesn’t matter who is reading your stuff one hundred years from now, if in a million years fruit from your life is completely non-existent. Human history remembers very little. Jesus history remembers what is truly significant (eternal fruit) for all ages to come.
(If you want to learn more about Zorig and his impact on modern day Mongolia, you can find more information at the Zorig Foundation website. The foundation is located in Ulaanbaatar, less than a mile away from our home.)
He’s a national hero in Mongolia today, at least among the young people and those who are pro-democracy (not so a much a hero among the MPRP). It seems that most heros are dead ones. This morning I was wondering why this is so. Would Zorig have been the “larger than life” hero he is today if he had lived? Or would he have been lumped into the same pile that most politicians get lumped into - along the lines of Nikita Kruschev’s analysis: “Politicians are the same all over: they promise to build bridges, even if there are no rivers.” It seems that the grain of wheat must indeed fall into the earth and die, before we know what kind of fruit will actually be born … or if there will be any fruit at all.
For Mongolians, it’s Zorig, among others. For Americans it could be countless numbers of political, cultural, or spiritual heroes who have passed on. I wonder who will be our heroes of tomorrow? Who will my grand-children or great-grandchildren remember or look up to? Which books that are being written today will still be being read 10, 20, 50 or 100 years from now? Whose sermon will be still be relevant in 2100? So many of us (myself included) are writing things that are published on the Internet that a handful of folks read, but who will the heroes be? Whose writing, drawing, painting, or thinking will last beyond this week, let alone this decade? Will people be reading “The Purpose Driven Life” and “Your Best Life Now” or any current New York Times Best selling novel in 100 years with the same awe that one might read Edwards or Dickens or Tolkien or Spurgeon?
I don’t know the answer to those questions. I somehow don’t see the current authors in the same timeless camp as the dead ones. But only history will tell. I do know that the only thing that will be relevant in Eternity is that which is the fruit of a dead person. So I come back to two Scriptures by which I aim to guide my life:
John 12:24 “Truly, Truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life”
I Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
That’s what really lasts. It doesn’t matter if one is laboring in politics, literature and the arts, a cross-cultural context or a local Kroger store. The work that really lasts is the work that’s built on the foundation of Jesus by those who have died to their life in this world. In the end it really doesn’t matter who is reading your stuff one hundred years from now, if in a million years fruit from your life is completely non-existent. Human history remembers very little. Jesus history remembers what is truly significant (eternal fruit) for all ages to come.
(If you want to learn more about Zorig and his impact on modern day Mongolia, you can find more information at the Zorig Foundation website. The foundation is located in Ulaanbaatar, less than a mile away from our home.)
Reader Comments (3)
Hey Bernie!
My husband and I recently returned to America after living in Mongolia for two years. I recently read the blog you posted on the Desiring God website and images came rushing back to me of what I witnessed during my time there. I lived in Erdenet and the church there was incredible. God does incredible things amongst chaos and frustration. I think I learned more than I ever will about trust while I was there. I hope you are doing great and that you are preparing well for the winter. : )
Erdenet is a nice town. I like visiting there ... they also have a great youth center there!
hey bernie
I live in mongolia and i am mongolian.Zorig is almost mongolian national hero.
You know anyting about Zorig.
My english is not good enough