Thinking of him, I usually think of his friendly smile, his seductive singing voice, his smart responsiveness, and his nice behavior even in response to bad scenarios. Behind his clever entrepreneurship is his heart that is always thinking and living for other people, skimming the cream in the troubled water to bring about good work, nice games, pleased feelings, and warm times for his colleagues and people.
Recall the first time when Le Ba Thong assumed to be the director of Breath and Smile, a course to lead a religious life given to entrepreneurs by Thich Nhat Hanh, an eminent Buddhist priest, in Van Thanh. It was extraordinary for an owner of a well-known interior and architecture firm to be a director of such a Zen work. I wondered how he would manage to do it. When I entered into the space where everything was almost in the pasture green flavored with lotus integrated with the footsteps in quiet, I realized how much Thong and TTT staff had toiled and been creative to create that leisurely space. He was the MC and directly raised contemplative questions about the meaning of the life or the happiness of giving. Looking at the entrepreneurs’ tears and smiles, and their steps in chants, one could sense the organizers’ happiness.
Breath and Smile occurred the second time in Hoi An Beach. This time entrepreneurs took more from the priest’s speech on happiness, magnanimity, and how to transform negative into positive energy by understanding and love. Once again, Thong lost weight for handling thoroughly all things under uncertainty. I know the power that has pulled him in seemingly impossible efforts: the power of love.
Talking about Thong and TTT staff, I do not want to remind you about the beautiful work that has constituted the goodwill of a young and pioneering architect team, because what is more hidden is the source of their beautiful work: their nice life style. Nicely living is for nicely acting. It is TTT’s power.
The ending days of the year were under pressures of work in process, the global economic downturn, and business difficulties. Thong and other TTT leaders did their best with The Green Painting Traits, the painting contest for children and blind children. Designing invitation, finding sponsors, and making plans to nurture young talents in painting, he did his work as passionately as he sang with friends. He excitedly told me about the children’s paintings. “Starting with 160 children taking part in the first contest, there are now 16,000. The contest has been so far-reaching. Together with 16,000 candidates in the contest are 16,000 families with so many hopes, waits, and cares. Children are in need of the world of colors. Looking at their paintings, I could see insufficiencies in their spiritual lives, esp. for children in urban. Most of beautiful paintings are made by children living in suburb where they can be exposed to the nature, and hence, their imaginations are richer. What the contest organizers want most is they can paint their own thoughts, not the adults’. Thereby, their own aesthetic sense and creativeness can come about. That needs to be nurtured.”
Thong was asked, why TTT had been so excited to carry out a program knowing that it was unlikely to bring profit to the firm. He smiled brightly as if it strokes his favorite, “The biggest happiness is not being known. To give is to take. When the designer Si Hoang took me into his confidence that he had forgiven someone he had hatred for many years, or when Thuy Huong cried listening to the priest, I felt happy. Doing Breath and Smile is tobring everyone such a moment of happiness in life. TTT is collecting gifts from everywhere and then sending to children suffering cancer and having no toys under the program The Priest’s Dream. Tran Minh Tam, the chairman of TTT board of management, is also the head of the Club of Singing Entrepreneurs under Saigon Economic Times. For many years, though difficult or successful, the TTT leaders are always sitting together to carry out such programs. That is TTT culture: always for the beauty and devoting oneself. Friends usually sing to tease me ‘I wish to be a millionaire to help lonely girls…’ I find it right. I make money to help other people.”
The big family of TTT held a New Year’s Eve party called “Ai bao chan trau la kho” (Who says it is unhappy to herd buffalos) to “wind up” their spirit to be prepared for a hard year. Thong confided to me, “2009 would be a very hard year. It is so unhappy to herd buffalos but it is happy to do so with TTT family. It is a thrifty party with manioc and rice cake, but has a lot of games for people getting together. Sharing fire, protecting one another, talking turkey, and helping each other to overcome difficulties are the ways in which we survive, strike balance, and go ahead.”
The decade is witnessing rapid disruptions of values, narrow successes and quick failures. In that setting, Thong can keep his soul serene by understanding that “sac tuc thi khong, khong tuc thi sac,” that is, nothing actually exists and nothing has actually gone. He said, “I read Prajna to face with daily wins and losses. There are many fields we can easy rush into like property or securities, but we choose only one way – bringing the beauty to the life with art structures and real values to avoid that trap, in spite of being criticized to expand so slowly or to do business in such an artistic way. It is not that we do not do business. We understand our advantages. Few people do not want much money, but we do not make money at any cost. Sustainable development is only achieved with one’s advantages. We have only one strategy that is to change continuously. Many contend that the real values of life are going away. I don’t think so. It is a chance for us to be hand in hand, strengthen our team, and share the economic difficulties. With TTT, the chart of development seems to be declined but the business situation is still good; the 13th month salaries are still given to employees. We share in weal or woe to build a team that can go a long way; those who are not suitable will leave the boat. In 2009, I wish a word of serenity in the broad sense that is, wishing the country peace and the people security.
KIM YEN
Doanh Nhan Saigon Cuoi Thang (No. 21-22, Spring 2009)