~:[CH5 - Day 333]:~ The Bigger Picture

~:[CH5 - Day 333]:~ The Bigger Picture

It was interesting to run into someone else from California. In the middle of Asia, it's funny how the world can put you in the same place with someone just a stone's throw away. However, there's always a reason for someone coming into your life and while it may not be so apparent right away, at some point it will. After dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, we ventured to a local coffee house and ended up in a discussion about how people rarely have face-to-face conversations or have a dialogue. Much like me, they may post something on social media and forget about, not really having the necessary dialogue to truly understand the bigger picture. We attend so many lectures, conferences and through our lives, sat in so many classrooms. However, have we truly engaged in a conversation that is set to allow us not only get our point across, but to truly hear what the other side has to say and to understand both perspectives? Have we all been too loud to hear the person standing next to us making their point or completely toned them out? Another important question is, do we even care? The sad thing about it is that most people's answer to this question would be no. My friend put it this way, our posts and rants are persuasions rather than something to create a dialogue with and sadly, sometimes people make these posts without any intent to carry a dialogue. In a lecture, even when engaging the audience with questions, the only thing that is truly being done is allowing a speaker to defend and share more of their opinions and research. A lot of this is done due to efficiency and order, but could there be a more effective way? With all these protests, movements and post, it's an important time for us to think about this bigger picture. Much like a caricaturist, their view of how they see you may vary from your version of how you view yourself. The conversation was fairly deep and went on for awhile, but I definitely was thinking a lot after our conversation as it brought up some very strong points. It made me realize that when students leave my classroom discussing the issues we taked about (especially in disagreement), they're progressing towards that dialogue that is necessary in order to communicate and began down the path of understanding. I do welcome that dialogue, but also prefer that, as my friend said, it be a face-to-face dialogue, as I feel it provides a better opportunity for understanding. I think, especially in this day and age, we can't be quick to assume intent and also cannot be quick to stereotype. We all need a lot of work in this regard. I headed off to TST afterward and ventured around Kowloon Park to try and get my last full day of touring in. I love the hidden gems within the city including the park that has a "zoo-like" feel to it with areas with flamingos and even an aviary, the Avenue of the Comic Stars and even a simple Chinese garden hidden among the paths. I walked through the Goldfish Market, before exploring TST a bit more and then meeting up with my friend at Central. We caught the Victoria Harbor light show, but sadly the weather did not allow it to be seen it all its glory. Still, I appreciated the fact that I could look at the beautiful skyline of both TST and HK Island one last time, seeing the great feat in building a city as incredible as this in a place that may not have been seen as the best of land to build on. As I closed the night with dinner and saying some goodbyes, I just kept thinking of how eventually you'll find out why a person entered your life, but for now, why not enjoy the moments you have and see where life will take you. For now and in the future, let's keep an open mind and an open heart so we can begin mending together, starting with the ability to listen to each other so we can begin the process of truly understanding each other. I got some work to do.