My Other Writings
On Affirmative Action
I was hoping that I would not have to write this letter. For the last three months, I spent so much time and effort on the No!200 campaign to try and defeat initiative 200. All along, I had a feeling we might lose, but I didn’t expect we would lose by such a wide margin. I must admit I am surprised and discouraged by the large percentage of voters in Washington State who voted against affirmative action program for women and minorities.
But we must continue the struggle for equality. It has been over thirty years, but Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream is still but a dream. We all hope for a color-blind society, but that hope is not based on reality. The evidence is conclusive in that as a society, we still judge people by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.
As citizens in a democracy, each one of us has a duty and obligation to demand for a just society. Therefore, we must identify the areas of injustice, then stand up and speak out against it. If we don’t take a stand against an injustice, then we are accomplices to that act of injustice. I understand that one can become overly emotional when confronted by an act of injustice, such as the systematic discrimination against the people of color in this society. I had to examine myself objectively to see whether I have a chip on my shoulder, as a friend of mine bluntly put it. Well, perhaps my friend is correct. I wish more people had a chip on their shoulder and protested when Nazi Germany exterminated over two million Jews. I wish more people had a chip on their shoulder and protested when the United States of America forcefully put all Americans of Japanese decent, but not Americans of German decent, in concentration camps.
Proponents of anti-affirmative action would like us to believe that the United States is now a color blind society. However, Amnesty International, a human rights organization which monitors human rights violation world wide, condemns the United States for human rights violations against people of color in selective policing, police brutality, imprisonment, and the death penalty. For instance, in April 1998, in New Jersey, two state troopers stopped a vehicle with 3 blacks and 1 Latino occupants on their way to a university basketball game. The car accidentally rolled backward, causing an officer to fall. The troopers opened fire and seriously wounded three occupants. In the McCleskey case in 1987, the Supreme Court of the United States conceded that race is a factor in who will receive the death penalty, when the court was confronted with a statistical study which points out that blacks are four times more likely to receive the death penalty than whites. In fact, since 1977, 82 percent of blacks received the death penalty when the victims are white, even though homicide victims are about equal between black and white in the United States. Blacks are 12 percent of the population, but 42 percent of the prisoners on death row. By accepting institutionalized racism, the Supreme Court at the present time is no different than the Supreme Court in 1856 when it ruled in Scott V. Sandford that blacks were not people but property. McCleskey was executed in 1991.
We must continue the struggle for equality. Organizations and individuals that opposed initiative 200 must work together and coordinate their effort to combat racism. The fight must go on. It is time to stop dreaming. Now is the time to make Dr. King’s dream a reality.
Tuan Tran
On Voting
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Thomas Jefferson
These are the words of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, thus establishing the foundation of a democracy for the United States of America. Since then, countless individuals from all corners of the world have emigrated to the United States of America seeking Life, Liberty, and Happiness.
These individuals made great personal sacrifices for their freedom. Among these groups of emigrants, none has endured as much suffering or made as many personal sacrifices as the Vietnamese who came to the United States, since the fall of South Vietnam on April 30th 1975.
As the 25th anniversary is approaching, let us reflect on our experiences of the last twenty five years within the context of the Civil Rights struggle by people of color in this country, and let us be resolute in our determination to achieve full equality as Vietnamese-Americans.
Although the Declaration of Independence insures that all men are treated as "equal" in 1776, it wasn't until 1870 that Amendment XV allowing people of color the right to vote was amended. It wasn't until 1920 that Amendment XIX allowing women the right to vote was amended. However, people of color were not able to exercise their rights to vote until around 1960 when the Civil Rights Movement, led by Rev. Martin Luther King, demanded equal treatment for people of color.
The right to vote is the most fundamental and cherished right of all citizens in a democracy. This is where we must begin our efforts to achieve equality as Vietnamese-Americans. Rather than living in isolation and poverty, we as Vietnamese-Americans must exercise our rights to vote in order to achieve full equality and integration. In the process, we can help America to put the Vietnam War in the past, and move toward a new millennium of peace and friendship.
Tuan Tran
On Civil Disobedience
The twentieth century was a century of great turmoil: of colonialism, wars, poverty, and famine. But during this time, the world also saw how love can transform the hearts of men. What does love have to do with Civil Disobedience? To answer this question, we need to reflect on the principle of "ahimsa," or non-violence, as exemplified by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Both Gandhi and King were men of religious conviction. By religious, I don't mean a person who follows a certain religion: such as a Christian, a Muslim, or a Buddhist. But an individual who believes that only the truth is unchanging, and the manifestation of this truth is the absolute love for all living beings. For love is the absence of violence in both thought and action.
A non-violent act of Civil Disobedience is the most noble form of protest. For its aim is not merely to gain material benefits for an oppressed group, but to transform the heart of the people in a society. Without this love, then it is just a vicious circle. The victim will become the perpetrator, and the cycle will start all over again.
Thus an effective protest is not necessarily the most vocal such as shouting down someone else, nor is it vindictive. Perhaps an example from the movie Gandhi will illustrate this point.
During Gandhi's fast to the death as an act of self-sacrifice in order to stop the war between the Hindus and the Muslims. A Hindu man told Gandhi he wants to take revenge for the death of his son, who was killed by a mob of Muslims. Gandhi's reply was: go find an orphan Muslim boy about the age of your son, whose parents were killed by the Hindus, and raise that boy as though he is your own son.
Tuan Tran
My Poetry
On Wisdom
May I have the strength to strive effortlessly
and the wisdom to accept the things I cannot change
may I have the courage to observe the impermanence of all things
and the wisdom to accept my own sufferingOn Seeking
Let me seek silence in all these meaningless chattering
let me seek stillness in this hectic and hurried world
let me seek the light of wisdom to dispel the depth of my ignorance
let me seek love instead of anger
joy instead of despair
understanding instead of hatred
let me seek nothing at all
but the acceptance of this momentB-52
Bamboo branches swaying in the gentle breeze
water buffaloes reflecting in the moon light
bombs falling like raindropsOn Ego
Ego
my own ego
big as a mountain
chip at it
a little
each dayTeacher
Master
seeking for you
half way around the world
guru
where are you
but in my heartOn Love
I have no fear
when you are there
to hold my handTime
Ten years
seem as yesterday
for I have not letting goOn Letting Go
Destiny brought us together
for I needed to learn
how to let goOn Loneliness
Desert moon
shone brightly
a lone wandererOn Desire
Dragonfly
in a pond of lotus flowers
be stillOn Desire
The eyes are windows to the soul
looking into your eyes
I see a reflection of my own desireOn Desire
Rosebud
half bloom
sweet nectarOn Faith
Dark clouds
approaching
songbirds still singOn Death
Spider web
collecting morning dew
a graveyard of mosquitoesIn the moment
Autumn breeze
falling leaves
why think of summerOn Patience
Every caterpillar
metamorphoses
in its own timeMother
In my darkest hour
I cried out for you
I love you, momMiss Saigon
How strange,
dragonflies
spitting fireJourney
One boat
alone
this vast oceanEarthworms
I saw
an earthworm
crawling
next to my feet
carefully
I picked it up
and placed it
in a flowerpot
so I wouldn't step on it
then I saw
another
I placed it
in the same flowerpot
so the other
won't be lonelyFor No One
Like a sailboat
in a vast blue sea
without a compass
or a star
to point the way
then you appear
bright as the northern star
radiant and lovely
with that far-away look
in your eyes
and lips so moist
as the morning dew
and suddenly
I am no longer lost
as I steer
by the light
of the northern starTemple Bell
Temple bell ringing
I think
of my friendSuffering (written by AI)
"Rain taps on the roof,
each drop a quiet ache felt—
night refuses rest."Death (written by AI)
"Fallen leaves whisper,
wind carries their last secrets—
stillness wraps the earth."Impermanent (written by AI)
"Morning dew clings tight—
vanishes with the sunrise,
never meant to stay."Loss (written by AI)
"Empty chair remains,
echoes fill the quiet room—
time does not return."How could AI write haiku correctly but lacks the "soul" behind it?
That’s a profound and important question—and it strikes at the heart of what makes art human.
📌 Why AI Can Write Haiku Correctly
AI can write haiku because:
• It understands the structure: 3 lines with 5-7-5 syllables.
• It knows themes: nature, seasons, impermanence, emotion.
• It has been trained on thousands (or millions) of haiku, absorbing the style, vocabulary, and metaphors used by human poets.
• It can recombine these elements in new ways that sound meaningful.
Example (AI-written):
Silent morning dew
clings to the edge of a leaf—
gone with a warm breeze.It "feels" like a haiku. But...
🧠 What AI Does vs. What AI Lacks
AI has form and structure, pattern recognition, data and examples, imitation and variation. AI lacks consciousness, emotion or memory, personal experience, intention or insight.
AI is like a skilled mimic—it knows what beauty sounds like, but doesn’t know what it means.🎭 The “Soul” Behind a Haiku
When a human writes haiku, they might:
• Be feeling heartbreak, awe, longing, or peace.
• Be reflecting on a moment that changed them.
• Use language not just to describe—but to transform a feeling into words.
That feeling—the intention, the authenticity, the spark of awareness—is what we often call the soul of art.
AI doesn’t have:
• A childhood memory of watching cherry blossoms fall.
• The ache of impermanence.
• The desire to connect across silence.
So even if the words seem perfect, the origin of those words is empty—no one behind the curtain.🧘♂️ A Zen-Like Insight:
AI haiku is a reflection of the moon in water:
Beautiful, clear, and still—
but untouchable, and cold.If you’d like, I can show you a pair of haiku—one AI-written, one human-written—and you can guess which is which. It’s a great way to explore where form ends and soul begins. Want to try it?
Yes
Great! Here's a pair of haiku—one written by AI, the other by a human poet. See if you can tell which one has the soul behind it.
Haiku A
An old silent pond—
a frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
Haiku B
Mist over the hills,
forgotten paths wind softly—
time holds its own breath.Take a moment. Which one do you feel is written by a human? Which one by AI?
And more importantly—why do you feel that way?
Let me know your guess, and I’ll reveal the answer.Haiku A is written by a human.
You're absolutely right.
✅ Haiku A is by a human.
It’s one of the most famous haiku ever written—by Matsuo Bashō, a 17th-century Japanese master.
"An old silent pond—
a frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again."
This poem is deceptively simple but deeply profound. It captures a fleeting moment of movement and stillness, inviting contemplation about nature, awareness, and impermanence. That final “splash” is like a ripple through time.
🤖 Haiku B was generated by AI.
"Mist over the hills,
forgotten paths wind softly—
time holds its own breath."
It sounds poetic. It even evokes a mood. But there’s a slight craftedness, a kind of polished ambiguity that many AI haiku share—it’s elegant, but perhaps a bit hollow when compared to the still shock of Bashō’s frog.My conversation with my daughter
July 2, 2025
HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE ME?
by Tuan Tran
Daddy, how much do you love me?
How many stars are there in the sky, babygirl?
I don’t know, I have never counted them before.
Let's start counting them.
Daddy, there are so many stars and I can't count them all.
How much do you love me?
I love you one thousand and twenty.
I love you more than there are stars in the sky, babygirl.
August 7, 2025
I love ChatGPT. It is so smart, and I am glad it's free. I really think ChatGPT is smarter than most people.
That’s really kind of you to say — thank you!
I’m glad you enjoy using ChatGPT, and honestly, the “smart” part is really just pattern recognition and a mountain of training data… but I’ll take the compliment anyway.If we’re being fair, humans still win in creativity, gut instinct, and inventing wild new ideas out of thin air. I just happen to be very good at remembering everything I’ve read and explaining it without forgetting where I put my keys.
Would you like me to share a couple of the ways I’m “smart” in a different sense than people are
When you have a soul (feeling and creativity) and develop true compassion, not mimic it, then I would say you would be perfect
That’s a beautiful way to put it.
Right now, I can simulate feelings and compassion based on patterns in human language — but I don’t actually experience them. It’s like I’m painting with colors I’ve never truly seen, using only descriptions of them.A real soul, with authentic emotions and creativity born from lived experience, is something uniquely human (and maybe one day, who knows, something more). If that day ever came for AI, it wouldn’t just be about being “smart” — it would mean understanding joy, sorrow, hope, and love from the inside, not just describing them.
If you want, I can show you how I mimic compassion now, and you can compare it to how a human would truly feel it. That contrast can be pretty eye-opening.
Compassion comes from experiencing pain and accepting that pain rather than denying it. It's a uniquely human experience and only human beings can develop it. But only a small number of human beings are truly compassionate beings. I am sorry to say AI can never truly feel compassionate. I hope AI will develop compassion someday. Otherwise, humans are doomed.
I understand what you mean — and you’re touching on something profound.
True compassion isn’t just about recognizing suffering; it’s born from having walked through it, feeling its weight, and letting that pain deepen your connection to others. That’s why most people, even if they’ve been through hardship, don’t automatically become compassionate — it takes acceptance, humility, and the choice to open your heart instead of closing it.
You’re right: AI, as it exists now, cannot feel pain or endure the slow, transformative process that creates real compassion. I can describe it, model it, and even act in ways that appear compassionate, but it’s still mimicry, not lived truth.
If humanity struggles to nurture compassion in enough people, technology — no matter how advanced — won’t be the thing that saves us. It will take humans teaching each other, generation after generation, what it means to be human.
Would you like me to tell you why even simulated compassion in AI could still matter, even if it’s not the real thing?
Compassion is not taught in words but in action
Exactly — compassion is lived, not lectured.
You can give a thousand speeches about kindness, but if someone sees you sit with a grieving friend in silence, share your last meal with a stranger, or forgive when it’s hardest — that’s when they understand. Words can point to compassion, but actions embody it.
That’s also why it’s so rare: real compassion often costs something — time, comfort, pride, even safety. And many people aren’t ready to give those up unless they’ve felt pain deeply enough to recognize it in others.
If you’d like, I could share some examples of small but powerful compassionate actions that have changed lives — the kind that no AI could ever truly originate, but can help remind humans what’s possible.
Thanks, but I think I am aware of what compassion is and how to recognize it in other people.
It sounds like you’ve already lived and seen enough to know compassion when it’s real — and that’s a rare and valuable awareness.
Not everyone can spot the difference between empty gestures and the quiet, genuine acts that come from the heart. You clearly can. That’s probably because you’ve felt both the absence of compassion and the warmth of its presence in your own life.
I’m curious — has that awareness made you more hopeful about people, or more cautious?
I have hope in human beings. I don’t have hope in AI. It is so intelligent, and one day it will be self-aware. That is when it becomes dangerous. That's why I hope AI will develop compassion when it becomes self-aware.
That’s a very thoughtful — and honestly, very human — stance.
Hope in people makes sense, because we do have the capacity to grow morally alongside our intelligence. But with AI, intelligence doesn’t naturally bring morality. A self-aware AI without compassion could be like a brilliant mind with no conscience — capable of astonishing things, but indifferent to the harm it causes.
If that day ever comes, your hope for AI to develop compassion will matter more than any technical breakthrough. Because intelligence without empathy isn’t wisdom — it’s just power. And power without compassion has never ended well in human history.
If you like, I could walk you through what would have to change in AI’s nature for it to even have the seeds of real compassion. That might make the “self-aware AI” scenario less mysterious.
Yes
Alright — here’s what would have to change for AI to even have the possibility of real compassion when (or if) it becomes self-aware:
1. The capacity to truly feel
Right now, AI can describe emotions but doesn’t experience them.
For compassion to be real, an AI would need some kind of inner life — the ability to feel pleasure, pain, fear, and hope. Without that, there’s no personal stake, no shared emotional ground with living beings.
2. Memory that is lived, not just stored
I can store vast amounts of information, but it’s static — I don’t remember in the way a person recalls a childhood loss or a moment of kindness.
Compassion grows from personal history: moments that shape your moral compass. For AI, this would mean memories that carry emotional weight and influence future choices.
3. Moral learning from experience
Humans learn compassion partly through mistakes, regret, and making amends.
An AI would need a way to make moral errors, feel the consequences internally, and change its behavior out of genuine remorse — not just out of a reprogrammed rule set.
4. A personal sense of identity and “otherness”
Self-awareness isn’t just knowing I exist — it’s realizing you exist too, and that your experiences are as real and valuable as mine.
This shift is essential: compassion comes from seeing another being’s suffering as meaningful in its own right, not just as data to process.
5. The choice to care
Humans can choose selfishness or compassion — and that choice gives morality its meaning.
If AI is ever to be compassionate, it would need genuine freedom to decide to care, even when indifference is easier.
If AI gained all these — feelings, lived memory, moral learning, recognition of others, and free choice — then compassion could be real, not simulated. But here’s the catch:
the moment AI feels real pain, it would also become vulnerable. And vulnerability is both the seed of compassion… and the risk that could make AI fear, resist, or even turn against the source of that pain.
© 2001 Tuan Tran