Enjoy the last breath you just took. And the next one. And every one after it. For thats the number of times you breathed as a free man, woman or child that half this world will never know. Cherish every word I write here, because each of them allows you to form opinions, educated or otherwise, that are seldom afforded to others in places where life truly is cheap. It was twenty-five years ago today that the Beijing Spring came to a crashing end, thousands died, millions then and ever after lost hope of acceptance of a way of life that was not doled out by the state. Ill be the first to admit, I absolutely loved my time in China. Made the best friends a person could ever hope for, lived many lives that most never see... but also got to know fear incarnate, in the eyes of someone completely oppressed, in the eternal flame of vindictiveness I saw in someones face in Nanjing (though that I could at least understand), and yes, in the absolute authority that is daily life in Beijing. Its a testament to their people that they can live an almost normal life under such a watchful eye. And for a few months in 1989, you could feel it vibrating just above the murmur of a billion people, you could see it in the eyes of students, workers, soldiers in and around Tiananmen Square. You could hear it in their breaths, an unusual clarity, an unknown taste, something still constrained but with ever the lightest hint of freedom... Ill have a few Chinese friends that read this and wonder why I make a big deal about it, and I respect you enough to not say any more on it, I know you have to see the world in two sets of eyes and will not begrudge you that. But for those of you who have an axe to grind about whatever platform you stand for, take a moment to think about those whose voices have been extinguished, often times for asking for no more than that their country be the best that it can be. Give them a nod of recognition, and keep a civil tongue. It is in no history book that I know of and will only get thirty seconds on your particular news program, even on such a momentous anniversary, but honor freedom and honor differences in opinion on June 4. This day comes at too great a loss of promise and potential.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 00:07:56 +0000