Travelling on your own, you're often left alone with your thoughts.
The river began in the distant past. It flows to the sea without ever stopping; gaining in size yet decreasing in speed. At certain points along the way, it meets with resistance - obstacles, like the boulders of rapids. And depending on chance, some of its waters crash into the rocks while the rest swirl turbulently around them. The river moves on; never stopping, never waiting.
My life began in the distant past. It has always been dependent on mere chance and circumstance. Any good that has ever come out of it has been due to being at the right places at the right times:
I was born into a Chinese family living in an Asian country. Today, I reside in the West whilst immersing myself in everything that is white - its quirky manerisms, posh inflection and novel culture. I've travelled the world with gweilo backpackers - witnessing double standards and experiencing preferential treatment. And yet, I've also seen the poverty of Southeast Asian children relative to my childhood experience.
And that's a fact: life is unfair. But the moot point is how you deal with it - that's what really matters. And having observed the disparity of the world that we live in, I see no better desire than to make life as fair as possible for those deprived of the opportunities I had - for better or worse.
Max once told me that he was searching for his answer to life. He hadn't found it yet. But I enviously thought, 'Well, you're pretty darn close.' Today, I've found mine.
The river began in the distant past. It flows to the sea without ever stopping; gaining in size yet decreasing in speed. At certain points along the way, it meets with resistance - obstacles, like the boulders of rapids. And depending on chance, some of its waters crash into the rocks while the rest swirl turbulently around them. The river moves on; never stopping, never waiting.
My life began in the distant past. It has always been dependent on mere chance and circumstance. Any good that has ever come out of it has been due to being at the right places at the right times:
I was born into a Chinese family living in an Asian country. Today, I reside in the West whilst immersing myself in everything that is white - its quirky manerisms, posh inflection and novel culture. I've travelled the world with gweilo backpackers - witnessing double standards and experiencing preferential treatment. And yet, I've also seen the poverty of Southeast Asian children relative to my childhood experience.
And that's a fact: life is unfair. But the moot point is how you deal with it - that's what really matters. And having observed the disparity of the world that we live in, I see no better desire than to make life as fair as possible for those deprived of the opportunities I had - for better or worse.
Max once told me that he was searching for his answer to life. He hadn't found it yet. But I enviously thought, 'Well, you're pretty darn close.' Today, I've found mine.
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