Optimism about our future

[Lau Chunfat <96981339r@polyu.edu.hk>]

Dear friends,

In line with the policy of this forum, I want to spread optimism about our
future.

I remember the time when China was in "Great Leap Forward", and at that
time only good news were allowed to spread, otherwise one got troubles. The
people liked to boost their production figures but thousands of people were
starving. My cousin, who was then in China and working as an officer, know
that the figures were lies, but he had to be "optimistic" and only spread
the good news to the public. Now he is in Hong Kong and told me all the
things he saw.

Today, everyone knows that the Great Leap Forward was nonsense, and had Liu
Shaoqi not corrected promptly, the whole country could had been starved. I
don't know if Liu was an optimist or persimist, but he saved the starving
China with his economic policies effectively. 

When Japan was beginning to invade China, some Chinese people thought that
Japan is so small to conquer China, and suggested not to fight back. They
were extremely optimistic. Later they found that it was a hard battle and
began to panic, and had US not threw the atomic bombs, I cannot imagine if
a country called China is part of past history.

Optimism is good. It helps you sleep well, eat more, work smarter and look
younger (I am one, haha). All my friend know that I am an optimist. I
believe that if one works well, he will be rewarded. But I reject blind
optimism as to win a lottery to quit the job, or to overcome a fatal
disease by praying at home. Every success needs an effort, there is no
"Bulao erhuo" (harvesting without working). 

There is no "cheap" optimism. Every optimism needs effort to win. There is
no ground for blind persimism: only a fool will worry about an aeroplane
crashing into his house, or his house suddenly catches fire when he goes to
office. If a danger is solid and appear before our eyes, I think
"persimism" is not the right word.

Therefore, I am an optimist and believe that the dXXXXXX (sorry for
self-censuring) of Hakka can be reversed if we try our best, such as help
investing the Jiaying area and urge people to establish a Jiaying province,
and help Hakka descendents from overseas to learn Hakka there. Otherwise,
...(Sorry I suddenly decide to withdraw the following sentences to avoid
spreading persimism).

I am quite confused: as a good Hakka, should I just report how great Hakka
is and avoid reporting the negative news? If I see a danger ahead of us,
should I just ignore it to be named a herotic optimist, or tell the public
but accused of spreading persimism?  

I think I should say "Mao zhuxi wansui!" (Long live Mao Tsetung) so as to
ask help from him in heaven.


Liu Zinfad / Lau Chunfat