SATURDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2003
“You don’t have a house, you don’t have a car, you don’t have a real job, and you’re already in your thirties and you’re not married.”
“Yes, I know. But …”
“No buts. These are the things that matter when I judge a man. You might have spent seven years in Northeast Asia, speak broken Chinese, and have filled an entire literary project with your opinions. But you don’t have a proper home, you don’t have a car, you don’t have a job, and you’re already in your thirties and there’s not even a romantic relationship on the horizon.”
And that’s it. Case closed.
Does it matter? Not as much as it annoys.
TUESDAY, 30 DECEMBER 2003
Many people reach a point where they realise they don’t really count. Some people keep trying; others don’t.
I have seen many people in Taiwan who give the impression they’ve stopped trying. They lie on a chair, bare feet baking in the morning sun, waiting for someone to buy a soda, or for other Mah-jong players to arrive, or for the cigarette between their fingers to burn out so they can light another one.
Is it possible that I just don’t understand these people’s outlook on life? Maybe not everyone is so bothered with “counting” in the greater understanding of things.
* * *
One of the positive effects of the Industrial Revolution was the emancipation of the serfs, and the ending of a system that had bound them to the soil and to their landlords. This emancipation, together with a policy shift which resulted in a significant percentage of public land not being available anymore for agricultural purposes (as was the case in England), however, ensured that the former serfs soon found themselves, for the sake of their own survival, bound to the needs of new industries.
The Industrial Revolution also meant more freedom for the individual – in theory – and gave them more choices. Money does sometimes make things equal. More than just capital bound the serf to the land and the landlord under the feudal system. Today, by contrast, money buys almost anything you need. If you are an industrial or corporate serf today and you win the lottery, or if you think of a good idea, you stand at least a chance of calling the shots tomorrow in your own little kingdom.
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