June 4th is a kind of a special day.
As you’ve probably heard or read, some 23 years ago today, there was a student protest on the Tiananmen Square in China that was confronted by the military. Tanks rolled out, so did soldiers and machine guns.
My father was in Beijing. He was there, at Tiananmen Square, June 4, 1989.
My father didn’t believe in the cause of the protest as much as he went to support his friends. They were seeking democracy. And they held onto their principle of peaceful resolution...at least the students did.
Yet more than two decades have passed, our society is in the midst of a similar situation; a face-off between the students and the government, a clash between principle and pragmatics. As much as I am pro-tuition hike, and acted on my beliefs, I’ve recently moved on from the conflict at hand. Given state of the world we are in, perhaps it’s time to dissociate ourselves from all the negativity and rediscover what makes us “us”.
I speak from, if I may put a spin on Paul Krugman, the conscience of a conservative. Let’s put things in a greater perspective, the European Union has been battling a monetary crisis for years. The world economy has been adjusting to the forces of globalization. As we, the advanced economies, shift towards a knowledge economy, many parties suffer as a result of the widening knowledge gap. Union uprise, unemployment, companies losing competitivity, and we see our wages drop and standard of living decreases. Meanwhile, crony capitalism swarms the financial sector like a colony of vengeful bees.
On the mesoscopic level, We have a government that operates a different set of rules for women and minorities. We have a media that brings us full of unpleasant news, of endless gruesome murders and tragic accidents. These are the things we relate to on a daily basis, as they dictate our dialogue and conversation. Outside of our conscious minds, we are building up uncertainties and confusion upon layers of stress and bitterness. This is the environment that turns students into terrorists, police into criminals, and friends into enemies. The tuition increase is merely the spark that ignited the passion.
People everywhere are losing their principles, with patience on a short leash; they no longer act on principle, but on compulsive passion. The fine line between passion and anger makes passion a dangerous thing for the moment being. Do we simply limit ourselves to trash-talk behind others' back? Or have we forgotten about the beautiful things in life?
There are no winners in this. So perhaps the best way to live the times like this is to look inward for happiness and the rare hidden beauty among ugliness.
I will no longer let the environment affect my days. I will do what I please; to pursue my interests, to care for my body, to amend friendships....and live free.
As you’ve probably heard or read, some 23 years ago today, there was a student protest on the Tiananmen Square in China that was confronted by the military. Tanks rolled out, so did soldiers and machine guns.
My father was in Beijing. He was there, at Tiananmen Square, June 4, 1989.
My father didn’t believe in the cause of the protest as much as he went to support his friends. They were seeking democracy. And they held onto their principle of peaceful resolution...at least the students did.
Yet more than two decades have passed, our society is in the midst of a similar situation; a face-off between the students and the government, a clash between principle and pragmatics. As much as I am pro-tuition hike, and acted on my beliefs, I’ve recently moved on from the conflict at hand. Given state of the world we are in, perhaps it’s time to dissociate ourselves from all the negativity and rediscover what makes us “us”.
I speak from, if I may put a spin on Paul Krugman, the conscience of a conservative. Let’s put things in a greater perspective, the European Union has been battling a monetary crisis for years. The world economy has been adjusting to the forces of globalization. As we, the advanced economies, shift towards a knowledge economy, many parties suffer as a result of the widening knowledge gap. Union uprise, unemployment, companies losing competitivity, and we see our wages drop and standard of living decreases. Meanwhile, crony capitalism swarms the financial sector like a colony of vengeful bees.
On the mesoscopic level, We have a government that operates a different set of rules for women and minorities. We have a media that brings us full of unpleasant news, of endless gruesome murders and tragic accidents. These are the things we relate to on a daily basis, as they dictate our dialogue and conversation. Outside of our conscious minds, we are building up uncertainties and confusion upon layers of stress and bitterness. This is the environment that turns students into terrorists, police into criminals, and friends into enemies. The tuition increase is merely the spark that ignited the passion.
People everywhere are losing their principles, with patience on a short leash; they no longer act on principle, but on compulsive passion. The fine line between passion and anger makes passion a dangerous thing for the moment being. Do we simply limit ourselves to trash-talk behind others' back? Or have we forgotten about the beautiful things in life?
There are no winners in this. So perhaps the best way to live the times like this is to look inward for happiness and the rare hidden beauty among ugliness.
I will no longer let the environment affect my days. I will do what I please; to pursue my interests, to care for my body, to amend friendships....and live free.
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ReplyDeleteTHIS IS THE WORST.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awful article!
ReplyDeleteDude, you should read this. It's pretty awful. Maybe you should have thought for a little bit longer before writing it.
ReplyDeleteGreat sentiments... good job. Now go do something about it instead of navel-gazing.
ReplyDelete