The Blue Fox Alley

People always look back in awe at the deeds that are now history, abstracting insight from them past events. But how often would you be able to feel the ripples that are currently moving even as you read this post? I am an ignorant bloke and the mundanes of daily life drown my ability to feel the importance of the occurrences that are taking place in present moment. Yet for some reason, I was able to feel that history was being written as I had my eyes fixed onto the television, etching deeply into my mind and the tapestries of documented time.

Accidental is the word for how my thoughts came about as I had no intention of exposing myself to the source that was the cause of the surge in my mind. The 8th of August was my friend’s birthday and I was invited to celebrate it at a place known for being a clubbing spot, and it also happened to be the day of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. My father initially disapproved of me hanging out at the kind of place that I was heading to but after a session of negotiation, he would give me permission to do so and even offered to drive me there if I was to watch the opening ceremony with him. Reckoning that it was better than nothing, I agreed and sat down with him as the show started.

The opening ceremony was no doubt, a stunning accomplishment for the Chinese people, for each single execution was brimming with exuberance. It was a feat, and anyone would have to admit to it, that only China could achieve because of its massive population. More than just a grand performance, it was the sounding of the horn that declared the long waited arrival of China onto the international stage. Well, you can consider it as the inauguration and everything before it being a soft opening. China’s roar was sonorous and the world hearkened. However, that moment was beyond simply just a display of the country’s greatness to the rest of the international community. All who came to witness the ceremony, including westerners, were compelled to acknowledge the effort that was put into making the night so spectacular. And it is because of that, the world takes yet another big step into accepting China.

As many remember, China’s reputation took a tough beating with the recent suppression of unrest in Tibet, receiving much criticism from the world about their methods. Things took an ugly turn when protesters attempted to disrupt the procession of the sacred Olympic flame in several countries, dealing a big blow to China’s pride. Though being a very direct way of conveying the voice of the ‘free world’, the approach was not the most effective way of making China reconsider its stand. It spurred the Chinese people to unite, and increased the gap between China and the rest of the world. This unity meant trouble as the reason why the Chinese people were rallying together was not the most desirable one. As a result, the neighborhood got a bit colder.

So if there is one lesson that we can learn from the recent months, it is that we all have one thing in common and that is the ability to disagree. There are those who can never come up with algorithms for business models, there are those who cannot sing decently and many other things. But we all have one common talent, to disagree. To disagree is simple, leading to a refusal to empathize with others. It is different from a discussion for it involves parties moving beyond just disagreeing, to follow up with a sharing of ideas in order to come to terms with each other.

Cynical ones would point out, the world we live in is saturated with apathy, and probably animosity if slightly more extreme. Probably because of an emphasis made by modern journalism because of the easy attention it receives, we are presented before us countless of news serving as examples of the ‘ugly’ side of humanity. Conflicts, cutthroat politics and terrorism are rampant in the world we live in and there are so few sanctuaries where people can confide to for solace. It is not my intention to be condescending by making things sound so simple. Many ongoing conflicts of the world are the result of a web of complex circumstances which even a passive approach might not help in alleviating anything. All that I desire is to present the overall picture, from my perspective, in an empirical state so that the gist can be understood. I may not be able to offer the solution to end decades of hatred and war, but perhaps I might have a part in helping you resolve an argument with a neighbor!

Disillusioned as you may be, I implore you to recall moments in history when people would come together and demonstrate the potential of our race in all its positivity. It varies according to individuals. Personally, scientific breakthroughs have been the silent yet finest moments of the human race’s legacy for they tell tales of great minds of various backgrounds unite with a single aim of contributing to society. In recent context, we saw how the rest of the world came to China’s aid after the earthquake in Sichuan. Sad as the cause may be, there was warmth generated from this spontaneous kindness coming from those who helped. Because of the relief effort, the world seemed ephemerally united . And once more are we presented with such an phenomenon and it is due to a better reason, the 2008 Olympic Games. So once again I am threading on thin ice, putting myself dangerously in a condescending position as I proceed with my thoughts. These are exactly the times when we as members of the world community are able to see that it is not so difficult to bond. And to aggregate to that point, it brings a flicker of hope even in dark brooding pariahs of negative polarization. Because of such events like the Olympics, we can be certain there can be times where we can feel the goodness of mankind even if it is as brief as a fleeting dream. No matter how accustomed you are to darkness, a guiding light will always soothe your heart.

The Olympic Games is an oddity, an outlier. It is a bastion of hope, serving as one of the last few reasons we have to celebrate our existence on this planet. Such is its allure that people of different creed would congregate for the purpose of sportsmanship, friendship and universal good will. Its existence is idealistic and maybe a futile cause to some, yet it hits spot on at that little desire in us all for a bit of hope. To the optimistic and hopeful, they can believe that there is still something to believe in. For those who are not as convinced, a good dream is what they can experience.

There is nothing that can serve as a solution but there will always be a faint reminder of what is possible, and that is a brighter future. Whether that can really be achieved, it depends on whether you want to believe. But before that, we need more reminders to the world that hope is awfully lacking these days. In the midst of all the elegies mourning the death of decency, we could need some minnesingers to spread empathy. And that is coming out from the heart of a disillusioned one like me.

P.S. Or we could just watch anime, but not the emo ones. And the music in Macross Frontier is getting more and more epic.