Welcome Discussion: Make a Life Not a Living

hqf.steven

The first piece from me. And I am sure it's an interesting topic to anyone. Well, this is not a speech script, but a letter to a forum, discussing the goods and bads of getting a steady job or getting free by self-employment. Actually, it's 21st Century for the week. But I can't wait for the editors to feedback and so patch it here first. BTW, I am hugely encouraged and flattered when seeing a diamond shimmering beside my topic. Thank you for your attention!
Well, well, well. What a splash of ideas! I am happy for your feedback. But still I hold my opinion. (I am stubborn.)
When somebody thinks differently, like I think "we should be the boss of ourselves", you need to read it in its context, right? My idea of how we should spend our life is based on my vision about the world trend of globalization with the Internet connection. And so we can have more information than before and make our judgment where we should go. That's it. Simple and direct.
I know it's not easy to think or act that way, since we have the legacy of being managed by our parents, our teachers, our bosses or the authorities. And Chinese people are not used to so-called "liberalism" as Schummy hightlighted or "individualism". We consider we are part of the environment which in a sense defines our life. But actually, you can make a difference and have your own ideas about success or happiness and what kind of life you want. You don't have to be wealthy to stay happy.
And I see there are maybe 60 or more percent of people struggling on the bottom line of having a decent living. I didn't forget about the fact of the unfair-ness in the society or inequality between humans. I know the feeling when we see the contrast between two humans, who are in heaven or in hell. And I am not narrow-minded to pursue my own goal, discarding my fellows in poor conditions.
Here are two opinions for your consideration:
1. Those living with low income, like those in the Mountains, are not necessarily miserable. At least, they can breathe in fresh mountainous air. If they don't see the contrast with city people, with those in luxury especially, they won't feel the pain of being left behind. Instead, they are part of the mountain, the river, the atmosphere, the sunlight, the thunder, and the Nature. They can live a life, quite contented and happy. Even if they are peasants or shepherds, they can have their romance with their girls and their families. And you, as an outsider (of that environment), shouldn't take that type of life as a miserable one. It's just different. And you may make mistakes by trying to change that in the name of saving them from poverty. Just like what the Americans think themselves are doing in Iraq.
2. If those who lead a painful life in urban or rural areas want to have a change and need help, government and non-profit organizations in the field of helping the poor out and up, should take responsibilities first, because this is a social problem and should be tackled systematically in an organized way. And this has to be done so as to keep the society more balanced and a lovely place for anybody. And of course, individuals can donate or volunteer to make the poor feel better in a small way. No one, however, has the right to push anyone else to take any action to help the poor, if the other don't want to. And they may have good reasons for such seemingly unhuman and selfish inactiveness.
In Chinese, we have a saying "穷则独善其身，达则兼济天下". That's why the real rich guys should stand out and spread their fortune to help those in need. But you or anyone in the society don't have the right to make them do so, because the law protects personal properties. It would revert to the "Red" years, if the authorities can take anyone's wealth away. And it's horrible, isn't it? As for me, I am just an ordinary white-collar, living with a fixed and average salary. So I cannot really behave generously towards the poor and take more social responsibilities than I could burden. Don't you think so?
Common as I am, I can have my own ideas about how to arrange my life. And I hope I can make my own choices, even at the expense of losing some attractive chances. One example is that I choose to leave Beijing for a coastal city in Shan Dong. Why? Because I choose to live with my husband and don't mind losing opportunities in the big city. And I am confident that I can create my life wherever I move to. And Beijing is a bore to me mostly.

hqf.steven

<P>I totally agree with your opinions quoted ibid. Maybe you know, I am a liberalism activist, a really liberalism will try his or her best to prevent pushing other people to agree with his or her opinions. In the view of liberalism, liberty of speech is one of the final goals. Although I have opposite opinions with yours in some topics, to express them freely and directly is the best way to communicate. The final is not important at all.</P>
<P>Globalization trend is a reality what all Chinese people have to face to. It brings many opportunities and challenges to us. See, for example, many multinational companies migrate their research centers to the deleloping countries, such as China and India. They also move their product lines to Vietnam, Malaysia, China,  Indonesia and other countries in South East Asia, and, Mexico, Brazil or other countries in South America. Capital and technology of those mutilnational companies has help developing countries a lot, as well as they are making a lot of money in those countries. Maybe I will never know which parts is heavier, what they take, or what they pay?</P>
<P>Although so many benefits of globalization have been showen to us, I still doubt what globalization actually means. My worry comes from a very simple common sence, that is -- every thing is like a coin, with two opposite sides.</P>
<P>For my opinion, globalization is a new face of economic colonialism. Economic colonialism is another face of traditional colonialism (like the Great Britain) in this "Peace Age". The differences between globalization and traditional colonialism are: Auld emperies became super companies, capital and technic took the place of guns and bombs. But, the purpose is almost the same, depredating and conquest, indeed. Globalization is the Jungle Rules in human society.</P>
<P>As you know, there are always many people demonstrate to G8 meeting, who protest anti-globalization. I think there must be some reasons I don't know.</P>
<P>Okay, I don't know if you have been to the Mountains or poor region. But I think your imagenations of their lives are so romantic that you have not notice the other side of the coin.Yes, you are right, they are a part of the mountains, the virgin forest, the sunlight, the thunder, the river, the atmosphere, and the Nature. <B>BUT</B>, at the same time, their lives are also a part of less-education, no medecine, less doctors, no hostipals, only few cliniques, no power supply, jejune kids, no clean water, infectious disease spreading with less control. It will be very good  if they can make their own lives as they are in Eden, but they can't, ever, never. Because they still have to pay so many kinds of tax. I am sorry that I can't list the names of those tax here for I don't know the English name. But if there is a chance for you to ask them directly and count some simple mathematics, you will find no matter how they work hardly from the first day to the last of the year, after they pay the tax, the left money could not support the charge of education for their kids. Maybe the kids don't need education? They have to go out of their hometown, if they know where to go and how to do, to the cities where they think there might be hopes, where they dream to make some money for them, for their kids, and also the future of their kids. What has happened to them? There were so many reports and news saying they climbed up to the top of a iron tower(crossroads, giant buildings or so on) to claim their own money, or to suicide!</P>
<P>Yes, it should have been the responsibilities of the government to solve these problems, SHOULD BE, but seems they have not, or far away from good enough.
The new constitution declared "repects and protects legal personal properties of every citizen". But, what if the properties are illegal? That is why there are so many people who are hostile to "Rich Money". As all of us have known, fortune and properties of many "Rich Money" came from illegal way. Acutally, many people don't hate the money those "Rich Money" have, but how the money came to them.</P>
<P>This is a topic about viewpoints of fortune, responsibilities, money, success, life styles, life and living, about so many things that I couldn't and didn't express my thoughts very clearly.
Every people has their own ideas of those things. Absolutely, every people try his or her best to follow the correct direction he or she has considered. But, sometime, someday, something will change a people, like what have happened to me.</P>
<P>The world is colorful, there are many colors, including Red and Green. </P>

[此贴子已经被作者于2005-1-21 15:50:16编辑过]

jiey

<P>very good, many thanks for your sharing.</P><P>I think <b>Life is a psychological issue</b></P><P><b>while Living is a physical one</b></P><P><b>both are important</b>
</P>

nbayzy

er,but it too long, i look less half of this article..[em06][em06][em06]

walkershaw

You are so wonderful to write in English so fluent, and I just don't know what you were saying because there are too many words I don't know.

yanleye

the article is too long to read, it is hard to have it to the end