Duty, success and familial responsibility.

I have been thinking alot about what is duty, success and familial responsibility.

I've heard from many Hong Kongers here who work hard to support their family. By family, they speak about their parents who in turn raised them. This is interesting; this familial responsibility is part of the social net; common retirement funds and financial foresight. But here, it is a duty. I know of two friends who work very hard to provide their parents with money. They don't have to, and they know they don't. They do it out of duty, as part of the responsibility of being a child.

Now it is not my place here to lend a moralistic view to debate if this is right or wrong. That seems to be the custom here and the way things work. But still, it inspires philosophical thinking for me to compare and contrast notions of duty, success and familial responsibility.

The discrepancies between rich and poor are very evident in Hong Kong. Some are insanely rich, others unbelievably poor. The sheer volume of people makes it obvious to those watching what they are seeing. I won't go into the details, but it lends to me a thought of familial responsibility. I think morally, to have a better world we need to provide the next generation with even better means to do well than we did. That is broad, sure, but I think it is a practical rule of thumb.

I have friends who struggle hard to do it all. Though I wish them the best, it remains to be seen how well they can juggle all the eggs in one basket. Though I support a belief in the importance of having ambitions, I believe that to be realistic about one's possibilities, one needs to accept inherited limitations and know our inherited opportunities.

There are many people in Hong Kong who are scrambling for Right of Abode; permission to live, study and work in Hong Kong. The requirements to attain this right are complex and restricted, but with my inherited opportunity, it was not impossible. Some don't get it. Some do. I do not think I am lucky, Hong Kong fits in with my long-term ambitions; but Hong Kong is an inherited opportunity, afforded to me by my father's employment and my mother's birthright. Had I not had this opportunity, certainly my ambitions and possibilities would be more limited, and altogether different.

Once a person accepts their inherited limitations, can they begin to provide for a better future. You can't have it all, but you can have a lot. I wonder if it is the beginning of a legacy if one has a husband or wife who shares the same vision for providing the best possibilities for the next generation and a sense of familial responsibility among the children. A sense to provide more than we had and fulfilling our duty is success. To do less is self-serving, a dishonor to the selfless motivations of the duty of a parent. This may be up to interpretation; examples of irresponsible parents with little sense to provide anything for their children come to mind and yours too I think; but doesn't our interpretation of the irresponsibility of the parents thus support this? This argument is Socratic, I build my own logic only to debate its strength; but in essence here is a moralistic argument that I bring to you to ponder.

What is the duty of a parent?
What responsibility does each generation have to the family?

I suppose my age is catching up to me. Aaack...more on that later. Maybe.

My parents, in Hong Kong partying it up, when they were a bit younger than I am now.

The World's Chinese Revolution Will be a Swift Takeover

And it will start from the flat on the 25th floor in Diamond Hill.

I am awaken almost daily to the sounds of hammers, jackhammers, banging, klak-klak-klakking. They are upstairs.

No one else here seems to complain. They go about it daily. For quite a while now; it's been a few months.

I'm usually either gone before it starts or it starts at a time I should be awake anyway. If they were renovating, they would surely have been done by now - I mean the flats in these parts aren't that big. But the noise gets increasingly louder.

I can only conclude that this the flat that is preparing the groundwork for the Chinese Revolution.

Everyday, the setup of defense weapons, communications technology and a high-tech war-room gets closer and closer to completion. No one is complaining, the revolution is undeniable. And it will start from a flat on the 25th floor in Diamond Hill.

Indications of the Chinese takeover are abound. I called a friend the other day, Craig Desson (of Grad Pics fame) who sees it too. He mentioned that the media in the West is increasingly aware of the encroaching influence and power of China. But why would it start with Hong Kong? Because Hong Kong has always been gateway to China. And the Gateway to the West. The doors swing both ways.

And there will be little left of Hong Kong, after the dust settles.

For one thing, this building cannot sustain the damage of a world-wide revolution. But there are others. There are other flats, in other buildings. All ready.

Right now, I couldn't care.
I just hope there could be a quieter way to do things.



Many many other flats in Hong Kong to help with the takeover.