Is there Still Hope for Hong Kong?

Many people are considering moving away from Hong Kong.  USA, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, etc.  They are losing hope.  Can we blame them?

Perhaps not.  Millions of people march on the streets multiple times against the acts of the government.  In most other countries that would have been enough to topple the government.  Not so in Hong Kong.  They are not elected by the people and feel no obligation to listen to the people.  

A significant number of young people are so desperate that they feel forceful, violent action is the only way to fight, that if they lose this battle then Hong Kong is doomed.  I do not believe this is the final battle.  If we lose this one, there will still be other opportunities.  On the other hand, even if we win this one, there will also be other battles to come.  The fight for freedom is a long one.  But it is hard to talk with the protesters now.

The police is getting more and more brutal, more and more reckless, more and more biased, behaving more and more like the tools of a dictatorship rather than that of a civil society.  They are a classic case of the evil side of human beings running amok when effective restraint is removed.  That happens when the government is afraid to discipline the police when the police misbehaves.  

The government is afraid to discipline the police because the government has lost all moral authority.  The only power that remains in the hands of the government is the naked force of the police.  This is really sad because it does not have to be like this.  There have been many opportunities for the government to savage the situation.  Every time the government come back more intransigent.  

The situation is so depressing.  

However, despite all this, I still believe there is hope.  I believe the overwhelming majority of the people in Hong Kong do not want the violence.  The millions of marchers, like me, would prefer to lose (this round) in peace, rather than to win by violence.  We are determined to keep fighting no-violently. Because even if we win (by force), we end up losing. Because we then become like the enemy - relying on force rather than reason, making use of the ugly side of our nature rather than the good side.  Even if we lose this round in peace, we will have awakened a whole generation of young people to the possibility of fighting for political freedom, and they will continue the fight.  Eventually non-violent but determined and persistent action will win.  I hope those who feel violence is the only way to fight will come to accept that.  It is difficult.  But I believe it is the only way to fight for long term gain. 

I also believe it is still possible that the government and the police will come to their senses.  They may think they can suppress this round of uprising by beating up thousands of people and putting hundreds and thousands in prison.  But they will end up having to govern a population who hates them, who will not cooperate with them in all matters of life.  Hong Kong will become a police state.  The government will come to regret that.  Once the genie is out of the bottle it will be difficult to put it back. Their conscience will also haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Ultimately, I have hope because that is the only way to keep living.  Because I believe decency and justice and, ultimately, love does exist in this world, inside all of us.  Anger and hatred may smother love among some of the protesters for now.  Fear and hatred may smother love among the police and the government for now.   I have hope that, in time, both sides will come to their senses and realise that hatred will lead to a miserable world for everyone.  Peace is what all of us want in the end, and love is the only way to get there.  God help us.