Tuesday, May 30, 2006
My life sucks.
But does it really suck? Perhaps this oft quoted cliche is not a good reflection of reality, but rather the mere ranting of youths who believe that the world is stacked against them, forcing them back into the a small corner where they cannot find the freedom of expression that they crave. Over and over, this blog asks why is it that it is so difficult to break out of the mould, to fight the odds and go our own ways, leaving behind the burden of the past.
But then, this blog believes that the past is not so easily relieved. The trip to Hong Kong is so eye opening in so many ways, but this blog believes the trip to Kennedy Town to meet with a grand-uncle is the most interesting of all the other events put together. Here is a quaint old man, well into his nineties who lived a life of hardship that most will say truly sucked.
Swimming over to Hong Kong from communist China to escape the famine ridden Guangzhou province, he landed in Hong Kong with nothing more than the clothes on his bag and his hands to offer labor. Using all his contacts, he started a provision shop chain and amassed sufficient savings for retirement. This blog was quite shocked when this story was slowly retold, and the heavily accented Cantonese did not help in understanding the story.
But there is one thing that stood out from the tale. He was neither unhappy nor upset that he had to flee the city that he had grown up in. Neither did he blame fate for his tumultuous life. Indeed he was grateful that he was able to reach Hong Kong, grateful for all the help that was given in kind over the years. While he may have been considered somewhat successful this blog gathers that he has not forgotten everyone who helped him. He has left the pass behind once, and he realizes how difficult it is to up and leave.
This brings us back to the beginning. Is over lives really that sucky? Most of us will never understand famine and hardship that will compile us to swim hundred of miles in deep seas, where the penalty of capture is torture and certain death. Perhaps we should keep in mind that most of us are really enjoying a much better standard of living as compared to our parents and in this case our grand-uncles.
12:51 AM
