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Editor’s Note PASS-ed Events Public Affairs: Nationalism Symposium Social Service: Charity Sale 2017 Humans of HKPASS What’s On The Blog? A Cell To Call “Home” 孤獨誦 平凡但不平庸 Theme: Expectations and Reality Fact Check: Were We Told The Truth By Remainers And Brexiteers? Is Hong Kong Really ‘Home’ Kong? 人之初，性本善
EDITOR’s Note Hi Readers! This month, we hosted events in both the Public Affairs and Social Service division - Nationalism Symposium and Charity Sale. Check out the articles written by our sub-committee members in the PASS-ed Events Section! The Humans of HKPASS column features interviews of Rita Li, our External Vice President, and three of the four participants of the Birmingham HKPASS Public Speaking Competition (Beatrice was already interviewed last issue). Congratulations for achieving second place at the Competition! This issue’s theme is “Expectations and Reality”. There are many high quality pieces (as usual), and I am sure that there is some thing for everyone. Happy reading! Jennifer Lau
Publications Officer 2017-18
PASS-ed Events November This month, both the Public Affairs and Social Service Division held flagship events. On November 22, our annual PA Forum was held with a great turnout. Our theme this year was Nationalism, and LSE professors were invited to participate in a panel discussion. On November 23 and 24, our annual charity sale was held in front of the Saw Swee Hok Students Centre. The proceeds from the sale will go to our charity partner this year - HKSRCAP.
Public Affairs Division - Nation What is our national identity? Can there be different national sentiments within the same country? Ever since the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong, a pool of nationalism-centred questions have been raised and I believe most of us would have developed some understanding towards the issue by now. The series of Black Swan events last year drawn me further into the topic, especially with the heated debate over nationalism across the United States and Europe; the HKPASS Symposium on Nationalism provided a valuable opportunity for me to explore and redefine the real meaning of Nationalism. The two-hour panel started off with Dr. Toni Rodon’s presentation on why the majority of Catalans voted in support of independence. One of the major reasons why I thought independence was in favour, was that people blamed the Spanish government for the economic downturn. However, the professor raised the point that based on empirical findings, there is no relationship between the intensity of Economic crisis and preferences for independence. Instead, the professor believed that given the insufficient power of the regional constitution, it was unable to put forward any solution on what concerns the national identity problem in Catalonia and resulting in the skyrocketing number of pro-independence votes. From President Trump’s victory to Brexit to Catalan independence, this wave of populism and nationalism will continue to change world politics as we know it.
nalism Symposium Dr Ronald Po also brought an interesting perspective on political nationalism by comparing the form of nationalism between the East and the West. He argued that the East-West dichotomy was what differentiated the two forms of nationalism, and how we will have to look back into the history of nationalism in one country to identify their own original traits. The intriguing comparison between President Xi’s version of Nationalism with that from the May Fourth movement demonstrated that the idea will change over time progressively, and it was the prevalence of multi-culturalism and globalization that led to an ideology convergence between the two sides of the world. Thank you to all the executive committee and sub-committee members of the HKPASS for organizing this brilliant panel event, and especially to Dr Po for his insightful thoughts on the current political environment in Hong Kong! Wesley Yiu
Social Service Division - Charity Sale 2017 The much-awaited charity sale launched by the LSESU HKPASS Social Service Division was held from 23rd to 24th of November 2017. This year, the society is partnered with the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention (SRACP), Hong Kong. It was first established as an NGO in 1957, underpinned by the three core values – Professionalism, Caring, Partnership. In essence, it aims at providing intense and diverse rehabilitation services for ex-offenders and prisoners, relieving their psychological distress as a result of violating crime or conviction. The spectrum of services range from counseling services, to free legal advice schemes, to workshops on personal growth development as well as the rule of law principle. The overall target of the organization is to develop a safe and harmonious society through rebuilding the lives of defendants, making them more confident and inclusive amongst other citizens.
The primary objectives of the charity sale are to raise funds for SRACP and encourage students to reflect on the looming social problems faced by ex-offenders and prisoners in today’s society. As a responsible Hong Kong citizen, it is important to unearth current social issues that may otherwise remain unnoticed in this increasingly materialistic world. Indeed, a social inclusive community could only be achieved with more social acceptance and understanding towards each other. This year, our booth was set up outside the Saw Swee Hock Building for two consecutive days, where we sold Hong Kong traditional food and snacks, including egg tarts, coconut red bean cake, brownies, and bubble tea. It was no surprise that there had been again, a very high turnout this year, whereby a total of £270 was raised. All in all, the charity sale was certainly a success. We hereby wish to extend our gratitude to all donators for their support in the event, and sincerely hope that the funds would effectively help ex-offenders get through their adversities, and promote a law-abiding spirit in society. At this juncture, we very much look forward to hosting another charity sale in the next academic year. Lettie Tsang
Humans of H Rita Li (Year 2 LLB)
You would be remiss not to notice that Rita never fails to carry an affectionate smile. Then, you might wonder how she manages to brave every hectic day at the LSE with an unwavering positive outlook. Indeed, her dynamic life outside of the bustling Houghton Street may just be the key you are looking for. A frequent patron of her local climbing centre, her activities do not end here. Besides scaling rock walls, as a qualified scuba diver since the age of 15, she also plunges into the deep expanse of the sea. Perhaps, it is the tranquility below the surface that she finds diving the perfect escape. However, she is keen too, to continue expanding her water activities. She recalls taking up wake boarding in the past summer. Regrettably, London is not known for its coastlines so this might have put Rita on hold from her water activities. But fear not: she explores the musical world rooted in central London. On the weekends, you might catch her in a basement club with a late bar - Ronnie Scotts: the European vanguard for jazz and blues. Apparently, this is her favourite spot in London. Jazz - quite a stark difference from the heart-racing sports she mentioned, you might wonder. This is because she enjoys the coziness that jazz infuses her with. This is her mini getaway, as she calls it. On top of jazz, her musical taste also spans across to Indie folk. Pertinent to the motif of HKPASS, I moved on to ask her what she sees as the main issue that Hong Kong is facing right now. I found her insight both original and well-thought out. She comments that a large majority of the people in Hong Kong are too focused on differentiating themselves from Mainland. In fact, they fail to realise that the very city they purport to protect is losing its competitiveness. This is especially so, with regards to the city’s technological advances and policies. For example, Uber is yet to be legalised in the city. She furthers that one must be slow to judge before considering two sides of the coin, which in this context are: democratic and conservative views.
As the External Vice President of HKPASS, how would you like to expand the society? She responded that she would like to increase the society’s activities like volunteering, with students from Hong Kong universities, such as HKU and CUHK. She believes that this would help to break the archaic distinction between overseas and local students. More importantly, she emphasises that she hopes every member of HKPASS, from the organising level to the subcommittee level develop relationships akin to siblings. Lastly, I ended with asking Rita what exactly motivates her everyday. She simply replied, ‘Find something you can be grateful for everyday. Be appreciative.’ Marcus Liang
HKPASS
1 Philosophy, Logic and Regina Lai (Year Scientific Method ) Regina is not only a cheerful and outgoing girl, she is also a strong and keen debater. Securing 2nd place at the recent Public Speaking Competition at The University of Birmingham, I was keen to ask her how she found the city and the University. The first description that came to mind was ‘welcoming’, as she recalled being helped by the locals when she found herself lost in the vast and scattered campus buildings. She continued that the architect of the University was historic while maintaining its exquisiteness. Overall, the down-to-earth appeal of the University allowed her to settle in really quickly and find her pace at the competition.
The best approach to becoming a prominent speaker is to develop a holistic view of the topic. The topic of debate centred on whether the selling of organs should be allowed or prohibited. Regina believes that the best approach to becoming a prominent speaker is to develop a holistic view of the topic. She elaborates that instead of being tunnel-visioned on the economics of the question, one should also broaden their perspectives into the realms of ethics and religions, among others. She continues that it is easiest to come up with original ideas when you are passionate about the topic and finds that the simplest way to gain a scope of the topic is to read around the subject. Meanwhile, she adds that one must also be careful not to be clouded by their enthusiasm and stray onto a tangent, missing the gist of the question entirely. Evidently, Regina’s expertise was not put to waste as she achieved to be one of the best speakers in the competition for her performances that day.
She is keen to indulge in the culture of Slovenia, which she described to have a ‘dark history’.
Graphics from freepik
In describing what motivated her to join HKPASS in the very first place, she immediately said that she found it a great place for her to not only know more people, but also foster meaningful friendships. Hence, it was not surprising to hear from Regina that she is very much looking forward to the cultural trip to Slovenia in January of the coming year. She was particularly intrigued by the landscape in photos she was shown during the weekly HKPASS meeting on Wednesday. She is keen to indulge in the culture of this country that she described to have a ‘dark history’. Her lust for culture does not stop here. She also frequents the Amouino cafe which is only a brisk 20 minutes walk from the LSE, during the weekends. She finds it a great place to indulge in her non-fiction and philosophical book. One that recently caught her attention is on the rules of life: from the rules of wealth to love. Indeed, one of the things that attracts her most in her study at LSE are the intellectual discussions, especially in her philosophy and law lectures and classes. Marcus Liang
Humans of H Nova Yu (Year 1 Financial Mathematics and Statistics )
When an extroverted girl meets a very talkative interviewer, laughter construes a big part of the interview. This is exactly the case as I meet with Nova Yu, a PA sub-committee member. Being a new course at the LSE, Financial Mathematics and Statistics is both challenging and exciting for Nova. Developing an affection for mathematics during her A Levels, she foresees herself entering the financial market with strengthened critical skills in a few years’ time. Despite the mathematical nature of her course, Nova is committed in learning about the public affairs in Hong Kong. Wanting to keep the bond with her hometown despite living in another country, she has kept close attention to Hong Kong news from the Umbrella Revolution to recent political movements.
“The preparation was hasty, but the process was really fun. I am glad that we can achieve this result.” Nova has represented LSE in participating the Birmingham Public Speaking Competition, and was awarded the first runner-up after paying great effort. “The preparation was hasty, but the process was really fun. I am glad that we can achieve this result.” One thing that interests Nova during the competition is the diversity of the research directions of different universities. For example, on the topic of ‘Uber’, Nova’s focus was on the social and economic benefits and drawbacks, but other universities actually used ‘Uber’ as a metaphor in presenting their views. This allowed her to see things from a variety of angles and stimulated her analytical thinking.
“I like to chat with friends, go to trips, and most of all, eating!” Visiting different places also prompts her to meet new people and learn about new cultures. She has also honestly admitted that after she has come to London, she has gained weight and is trying to control the amount of food she eats. Nova is also enjoying her university life. Apart from being a sub-committee member of HKPASS, she also joined the Nottingham Games cheering competition, which she believes has tightened the bond between freshers. Moreover, she is thankful to have attended the pre-departure events as well as the orientation camp, where she has built up close relationships with her friends. As a sub-committee member, Nova also finds the HKPASS events fun and new. “Especially when the committee members are nice and funny, I am getting the most out of the experience.” She remarked with a smile. The main reason that Nova is such an upright lady is due to her great family upbringing. Being the only child of her family, she received all the love and care from her family and has learned to treasure what
HKPASS she has. Nova, seeing her parents as her lifelong role model, has always followed their teachings to be kind and nice to others. Once again, congratulations to Nova for her outstanding performance in the Birmingham Public Speaking Competition and may we wish her all the best in the coming years!
Brendan Ho (Year 1 Mathematics and Economics)
It was indeed hard for me to find a time to interview our hardly available sub-committee member, Brendan Ho, in mid-November when everyone is busy with external events and HON. Although the meeting was short, it was enough for me to discover more about this helpful and out-going boy from the Public Affairs Division. Brendan’s interest in the current affairs developed from his hobby of reading. Dedicated in reading the news and history books, he is keen to compare recent affairs to similar historical events.
“Time management is especially important when your weeks are tough.” The relatable events prompt him to reflect and contemplate on the issues more profoundly from different angles. Brendan admits that he is really busy these days, not because of academic matters but because of society events. From Nottingham Games cheerleading to Birmingham Public Speaking to Cambridge Quiz to Hope of the Night, Brendan’s schedule is indeed packed. “Time management is especially important when your weeks are tough.” He asserted. As a member of the LSE Birmingham Public Speaking team, Brendan is grateful for winning the second place despite the frustrating process, especially when he did not expect the team to lose the first two rounds and having to enter the resurrection stage. He said that this might be due to the fact that their preparation was not thorough enough and they could not speak as much as required. Nevertheless, they kept calm and did their best in the resurrection round which amounted to their final success.
“We should always try our best in everything. Or else when you look back sometime in your life, and realize you didn’t devote all your effort into doing something you are actually capable of, you will definitely regret about it.” Keeping his motto in mind, he is ready to dedicate his time on as much activities as he can with HKPASS while spending more time to cope with his academics. Best wishes to Brendan with all of his aspirations and congratulations with his success in Birmingham and Cambridge again!
Graphics from freepik
Colette Wong
What’s On the Blog? Blog posts are continuously uploaded to our website here are some of this month’s highlights.
A Cell to Call “Home” Recently, The Center, a 73-storey giant
As a result, many of the residents have
skyscraper that looms over Central
resorted to live in tiny cubicles made of
Hong Kong has been sold for a
plywood.
record-shattering 3.8 billion pounds.
Benjamin Haas, experienced what it is
Yet, the significant transaction that
like to live in the “coffin homes” in
seems
Lucky
to
bolster
the
An
House
international
in
Hong
reporter,
Kong.
He
ever-strengthening property sector in
described that there was only enough
Hong Kong masks a disturbing truth
space to sit up, no source of natural
about its living conditions.
light and his quarter was plagued with bed bugs and the pungent smell of
Imagine a parking space in a regular
meth. Still, it cost him 210 pounds a
housing estate. Now imagine half of it
month in rent. Worryingly, many of the
- this is the average living space per
people
person in this city: a mere 50 square
retirees,
feet. Hong Kong is now the world’s
mentally-disabled – all of who had
least
market,
unfortunately been unable to catch up
topping Sydney and Vancouver. ‘The
with the city’s surging property market
average citizen has to save over 18
and were neglected by the government
years of pre-tax salary, spending that
officials.
affordable
housing
money on nothing else in order to afford a home’, a report in The Guardian finds.
living drug
alongside addicts
him and
were the
This disturbing phenomenon can be
Ironically,
attributed
Chinese
proclaims that his housing strategies are a
investments in the property market.
success. In the future, the Hong Kong
To make matters worse, programs to
citizens may look across the Pacific Ocean
alleviate the unaffordable costs of
to the United States for a solution instead.
to
Mainland
housing under the previous Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, such as his infamous “Spicy Measure” to ward off speculators, have consistently been described as an utter disaster. In fact, they had only plunged the city into greater jeopardy as the number of applications for flats under the Public Rental Housing Program reached a record high last September at 290 000. The average waiting time for the application
to
be
processed
has
proportionally increased to 4.5 years. Many claimed that he should have instead focused his resources in increasing the housing supply that has
continually
fallen
short
of
requirements, evident in a document by the Transport and Housing Bureau to
the
Legislative
Council.
For
example, it is projected that only 71 000 Public Rental Housing will be available over the next half decade, compared to the expected number of 140 000 that was announced in the Long Term Housing Strategy 3 years
C.Y.
Leung
consistently
This is because Donald Trump’s proposed economic stimulus initiative has the calibre to accelerate inflation in the United States and thereby putting an end to the global low interest rate environment in the near future. This could possibly reduce speculative activities in Hong Kong’s property market and make housing more affordable. Marcus Liang
平凡但不平庸 不待我們回眸，青春就忽悠一閃。而時光無情的鞭策彷彿 就在說我們並沒有甚麼本錢蹉跎青春。 十七世紀英國唯物主義哲學家約翰·洛克繼承了亞里士多德 的蠟塊說，主張人出生時心靈猶如一張白紙。這是因為我 們一切的知識都是植根於經驗。父母已在我們曾經的那張 白紙上大約勾勒了我們人生路上的軌跡，但餘下的藍圖就 需要我們為自己規劃。我們難免會在這趟旅程中絆倒 － 這 是最自然不過的 － 但請別忘記當中一點一滴的坎坷就是在 磨練我們。 然而在這芸芸眾生中，總會有人像一個沒有羅盤的水手， 漫無目的地在那浩瀚大海裏漂泊。面對水流騰湧的風浪時 ，不思進取的他們任其擺佈，隨波逐流。也許，我們必須 要意識到隨波逐流是盲目的。沒有航行的路線圖，我們又 豈能到達終點呢？ 附言：我想我能預見五年後截然不同的你，加油吧！ 黎曉晴
Expectations... and Reality An expectation is a belief that something will happen or be the case. It is normal to hold high expectations before one embarks on a project, or before an event occurs. More often than not though, reality does not live up to these expectations. This issue seeks to examine the failures of policymaking, the false campagins leading to Brexit, and whether having expectations is in itself a positive thing. Brexit was never an outcome that one would have expected following the referendum held in June. Although Theresa May has said that “Brexit means Brexit”, one would wonder just what happened during the campagining process that swayed the majority to vote for leaving the European Union. “Fact Check: Were We Told The Truth By Remainers And Brexiteers?” disseminates the claims made by the two parties. Was the public actually being misled? Hong Kong, widely known for being Asia’s financial centre, perpetuates a glamorous image. “Is Hong Kong Really ‘Home’ Kong?” reveals the reality - a city with staggering statistics on poverty, a city where some of its citizens struggle to find a place which they call home. “人之初，性本善？” analyses whether men are truly kind. Though an old Chinese saying, the reality seems to show the opposite - a world filled with corruption and war. The writer of the article raises pertinent questions: Are men born kindhearted? Should we still harbour positive expectations?
Fact Chec Re During the campaign leading up to the referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union, the public had heard multiple claims from both camps, including some suspiciously dubious ones. Now, more than one year on since the campaign first began, are we able to know how many of the ‘facts’ spewed by both sides are indeed facts? This article reviews the boldest claims made by both parties. The arguments that were made fall mainly into two broad categories, namely: facts about the good and bad effects of Britain’s European Union membership and facts about what will happen when Britain decides to leave its European counterparts behind. Boris Johnson had prominently claimed that the UK gives 350 million pounds to Brussels every week, amounting to 18 billion pounds in a single year. Yet, this is not true. Instead, the rebate on Britain’s contributions signify that its actual payment is reduced to 13 billion pounds – 5 million short of the alleged amount. On top of that, 4.5 billion pounds are granted to the UK in the form of farming and regional development subsidies. In addition, an extra 1.4 billion pounds are returned to the country’s private sector. As a result, Britain’s contribution is in fact half of the alleged amount: 136 million pounds per week. Furthermore, it is crucial to consider that the economic setback to the country when it departs from the Union is extremely likely to dwarf this figure.
Next, the chief executive of the Vote Leave campaign, Matthew Elliot, had consistently claimed that the free movement of people with the Union has effectively put ‘British families in danger’. He supported his argument by producing a document of violent criminals from EU countries. However, it is in fact the UK Border Agency that allowed criminal into Britain, not the freedom of movement policy. Instead, European law permits the UK to deny entry to people ‘on grounds of public policy, public security or public health’. The UK border force had taken an extra step by incorporating the law into guidelines for officials and strictly demanded that those who served a sentence of one year imprisonment be denied entry. On the other hand, the Remainers allege that leaving the EU will cost the country in excess of three million jobs. However, this allegation was based on a wildly exaggerated assumption. No forecast show that all jobs linked to EU exports will be lost. Instead, it is predicted that there will be fewer jobs created across all sectors in the labour market and not the entire EU export sector being wiped out. This will only be so if the UK stops all of its trade activities with the EU upon leaving the Union. However, this is vastly ridiculous, as a Financial Times article puts it.
k: Were We Told The Truth By The mainers And Brexiteers? Although this article is by no means an exhaustive review of the falsity of claims made during the campaign by both parties, it aims to warn that the motives behind the production of these ‘facts’ must be considered in order to determine their validity. Marcus Liang
Is Hong Kong Really ‘ Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, is expected to be ‘home’ to 7.35 million people – not least to mention the daily 150 emigrants from Mainland China. Whilst the city is overwhelmingly obsessed with the Hong Kong-Mainland conflict, we seem to have overlooked the fact that we have been normalising the impoverishment experienced by our fellows. These economically marginalised individuals are struggling to own a place where they can call ‘home’ in Hong Kong. Beyond this glitzy skyline, there lies the staggering statistics on poverty. The Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report for 2016, released early this month, showed that 1.35 million people were living below the official poverty line last year. Although the figure had dropped down to 996 000 after factoring in the cash interventions (e.g. the comprehensive social security assistance
and the old age living allowance), Dr Law Chi-kwong, the city’s current Secretary for Labour and Welfare, warned that the number of impoverished Hong Kongers is set to hit one million unless acute actions are taken. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service found that one should spend at least HK$15 (£1.41) per meal in order to meet one’s basic nutritional needs. This equation includes at least three bowls of rice, eight ounces of vegetables, seven ounces of meat, two portions of dairy and two pieces of fruit each day. To put it blatantly, though, around 71 000 households in Hong Kong are surviving on less than HK$15 per meal per person at the moment. As an ironic consolation, perhaps the poorest 20 per cent in Hong Kong should remind themselves that they are still the richest 20 per cent of all humans. In the words of an outspoken HKU economist, Prof Richard Wong Yue-chim, ‘it’s clear that the level of poverty had been grossly overestimated by at least 50 per
‘Home’ Kong? cent’. Whether or not this is, once again, a form of rhetoric is almost beside the point. The fact remains that these grass-roots households are struggling to own a place where they can call ‘home’ in the midst of this metropolis. When they are surviving on less than HK$15 per meal per person, is it even conceivable that they will be able to afford the stratospheric rent in Hong Kong? As a last resort, those melancholic ‘McRefugees’ are now looking for a sanctuary at McDonald’s. According to a survey conducted by the City University of Hong Kong in 2015, the number of ‘McRefugees’ had quadrupled between 2013 and 2015. This increase is evident in the Market Street McDonald’s in Tsuen Wan – there were 15 people sleeping inside at 3.30am when South China Morning Post once visited in 2015. An employee at the branch later conceded that it normally had an average of 10 regular sleepers a night. Such plight has been permeating in this ‘Pearl of the Orient’ over the past decade. Indeed, the most poignant of all is the tragedy of a middle-aged woman who had sat slumped for seven hours
at a table in the Ping Shek Estate McDonald’s before anyone noticed that she was dead. The OED defines ‘home’ as ‘the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household’. In reality, perhaps it is fairer to say that Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, fails to provide a place called ‘home’ for every one of its 7.35 million people. Regina Lai
人之初，性本善？ 期望與現實，相差何止幾萬百千里。 還記得在幼時那日牙牙學語，默默念著《三字經》：「人之初 ，性本善……」這是人最原始的夙願。古人的語錄告訴我們， 人性總是美好的，相親相愛，倫里關係和陸。然則，這琅琅上 口的語句，是古人的智慧還是古人的願景而已？ 隨著年齡增長，閱歷越多，才發現這個世界並非如我們兒時所 學的那般美好。這個世界充斥著人的私慾，權力和金錢的誘惑 腐蝕了人的靈魂，令人一一地在罪惡中淪陷。先說說中國的貪 污文化。目前中國是世界上貧富懸殊最嚴重的國家，貧富兩極 分化已經到了危險的引爆點，可三年多以來周永康、薄熙來、 徐才厚、郭伯雄等人的身家查抄竟將近十億元，難道這不讓人 心寒嗎？更甚，近日在埃及的一間清真寺被恐怖分子襲擊，匪 徒們為了逞一時之快而導致最少二百三十五人喪失寶貴生命。 如此草菅人命，難道還有道德可言？以上種種看來，人之初， 當真性本善麼？ 然後我們發現，人的本性難移，以往掛在口邊的，只是用來教 育新生代的科普知識罷了，應用在今天骯髒混亂的世界裏是不 可行的。「人之初，性本善」這句說話的實用程度就如我們在 超市裏不必使用微積分計算應付金額般，其深意只能在書本行 間裏探討，可是在現實中它不過是一場不能實踐的理論。
有期望是好事，但是太不設實際的期望就會變成了奢望。我們 都希望香港有個能代表香港與中共談判的特首，而不是對共產 黨阿諛奉承的走狗；我們都渴望每一個種族都被公平對待，沒 有人會因膚色背景而受到排擠；我們都冀望地球上真的有那一 片淨土，哪怕只得方圓幾里，只要能讓我們能過上真正無憂無 慮的生活。嘴裏說著，但誰也知道這些其實也只能說說而已。 當這些幻想的泡沫破滅，一腔熱誠頓時化作焇煙，難受的，只 有自己。 「原來這就是沙漠 本來就沒有駱駝 負責地說那甚麼是我甚麼是我 全世界都是沙漠 人心裏住著駱駝」 ─ 薛之謙 《駱駝》 期望與現實，根本不可能不期而遇。過度想像美好的事物，說 著別人說過的幻想，忽略了世界的本質，無疑是可悲的。因此 ，與其擁著一大堆願景過活，活於自我構思的完美家園，不如 正視這世界上正在發生的種種不公和爭論。正所謂沒有期望就 不會有失望，活於當下，反而能讓我們珍惜現在的所有。既然 這個世界註定不完美，就不要用我們的期待來粉刷一個能迷糊 自己的假象。忘記那海市蜃樓，靠著自己當下的力量一步一步 走出這片荒蕪的沙漠，用自然的目光來瞭解這自然的世界，多 好。 黃海垚
The ďŹ rst step towards change is awareness. - Nathaniel Branden
LSESU HKPASS is a politically neutral society and any views expressed belong entirely to the author themselves.