My dear friend Cynthia has known me since almost the day I was born, and is a member of the Overseas Chinese diaspora that returned to Hong Kong after growing up in Britain, landed a top notch position and even has some clout with the local government here, who consult her on matters relating to the environment. It seems that, due a canyoning effect created by the proliferation of high rise concrete, HK's temperature will increase TWICE the amount that temperatures increase globally due to global warming - so a 3 degree global increase means a 6 degree increase in Hong Kong. Sweaty. And filthy too with the added pollution from China's nearby industries. Southern China has become the industrial belly of the world, it's guts wide open and spilling out toxic leftovers into the sky, rivers and human food chain. It's human nature to, as the Cantonese put it, 'squat only when the shit's hanging' - humans are smart yet short sighted enough to not care until the danger is spitting right in our faces.
Cynthia's always been inspiring, in that she's one of the few that has risen to prominent position - yet has retained her soul. She's totally ethical and always does the right thing. She hasn't yielded to materialism, even after living under the influence of Hong Kong. I've seen less strong people's integrity crumble to chase status and the dollar, bolstering the ego but hollowing out the soul along the way.
Is it so easy to destroy a race - by simply appealing to one's greed, we seem to provide ourselves enough satisfaction to allow the world around us to sink, while we sleep soundly in our beds.
What's left to spend our money on once we're treading water?
There was a lively but overall orderly rally today, everyone who was anyone with any smudge of a grievance whatsoever turned up to have a go at the 10 year old 'installed' government. It was orderly enough that ex-pats came, families brought kids along in prams, and gran tagged along too - some people took it as a good opportunity to exercise the dog on a Sunday. Everyone who had a camera turned up, professionals and hobbyists alike. Police and demonstrators stayed in line. Where there was interaction it was overall quite diplomatic and in some cases quite jovial. The little lad, along with thousands of others, were sounding out about the forced closure of RTHK, Hong Kong's radio station and free voice.
Without inner revolution, how are we to become what we're born to become? We may live a long and prosperous life - but looking back at a life of thrown away ethics, 'what ifs' and inner stagnation, how fulfilled would one really feel, I wonder.
