The unsecured demanding security

 Today we witness the premature death of the "one country two systems" in Hong Kong. In the guise of National Security, so many basic rights and civil liberties can and will be eschewed. Judge, jury, executioner all in one; from the top, no transparency required, the ends justifying any means.

In fact, no longer will there be any need for justification. Dissidents will simply be crushed in the name of security. After all, what poses more threat to a regime than the freedom of thought and expression? To oppose in any manner, to dissent is to be against party and country. If you don't stand with the party, then you are against the nation, and you are a threat to security. It is that simple.

The Hong Konger identity will be no more in perhaps a generation or so because what comes next will be the brainwashing of the young. Ah, Hong Konger, that unique moniker of a people blessed with the best of both worlds - the perfect melting pot of East and West. Alas, no longer. Traditional Chinese and Cantonese will be phased out. A vibrant voice rich in culture silenced.

The west may watch from a distance and deem what happens to HK an internal affair. But my mark my words, China will come for others next, because the truth is what is happening in Hong Kong is a litmus test and one that Western democracies have failed miserably. The silence of the west, especially when affronted with the blatant oathbreaking of The Sino British Joint Declaration has signalled to the CCP that they will not be held accountable. For indeed, who will go after the de facto loan shark of the world?

So, just a couple days shy of 23 years since the handover, and less than half the promised 50 years, Hong Kong has sunk. Oh, will it remain a fascinating city? Possibly, but it will be tainted, its spirit subdued, and all aspects henceforth contrived. #RIPHKSAR

Be a critical consumer of the news

When consuming the news it is important to isolate words that are written to trigger emotions and sensationalize an incident. You see, at the end of the day delivering the news is a business.  Each news organization has a target audience, be it geographical , political, or ideological. It must therefore find a way to continue to cater to them, to get them to bite. So, it is critical to realize what sort of reader are you so that you don’t just buy into one narrative.  Instead, develop your acumen to become a critical consumer of news. Don’t just read one narrative, learn to extract facts from different perspectives, from a myriad of sources, until you can formulate your own understanding.  Never be satisfied, always be curious. Ask yourself am I being triggered to respond in a certain way? Am I being intellectually engaged? Do I have a firm grasp of the narratives and the motives behind?  Until you do that, you will remain a hostage in a conversation hijacked by one or two views. That would be a shame because that is a road to extremism. When you as a consumer becomes consumed. When we are no longer a pluralistic society.  So make it a habit to read the news from as many sources as possible, in different languages, from different sources, local and global. Broaden your scope, expand your perspective so that you will not be so easily swayed. Be ever so hungry for facts.  That’s the way we can move pass where we are now - a nation constantly reacting.

Innocence lost

As children we are taught the ennobling qualities of certain professions. We were asked what we wanted to be when we grow up, and then we were shown role models. We were taught to trust, to know who will keep us safe.

While many of us outgrew our initial choices of professions, the truth is we have been ingrained at an early age what goodness and righteousness look like.

Now, fast-forward to the present where those to whom we entrusted our safety is suddenly turned against us. Do you get the cognitive dissonance, do you understand the disillusionment that comes from having to confront that reality?

Because that is where we are now.  The people out on the streets chanting against police brutality here, Hong Kong, and other places; they are doing it because it is more than just about equality and justice, it is about innocence lost. It is about what do we tell our children moving forward. Who can they trust? How can they be safe? How do we secure a future for them? When we can’t protect them, who can they turn to?

This isn’t a matter of race, gender, or politics. It is about accountability. It is about balance and order. The anguish that is radiating, at the core of it is the acknowledgment of what we held to be sacrosanct has been broken. The unspoken contract of making it a safer world for our young, caring for the needy, and securing a better future- that contract has been breached. That is why this is all so visceral, because it hurts when the last visage of innocence is torn away with such callousness. It hurts because at the core of it we all feel violated.