Because I took on my first job here, I cannot always tell the difference between "adult life" and HK culture. Am I just seeing the world as it really is, or are these new befuddlements particular to this place and time? A good friend here sometimes says, "But z, it's like this everywhere," and sometimes, she says, "Yeah, that's so local." Sometimes, I'm not so sure she's always clear what is what, or which is which, either.
I think I'm learning another life lesson through badminton. In an earlier post, I noted that the politics of the club is making me unhappy, and that led me to ask, "Well, who is happy in this club, and why?" There are three kinds of people in my club:
1. Those who recognize that there is a hierarchy and are happy to submit to it. (They seem happy.)
2. Those who recognize that there is a hierarchy and don't want to submit to it. (They seem unhappy.)
3. Those who don't recognize that there is a hierarchy and therefore do not submit to it. (They seem unhappy.)
This certainly mirrors what I see happening in the workplace. Power and hierarchy are such a feature of human life, and no prizes for guessing why. Power and hierarchy are useful social constructions insofar as they help streamline processes within a group. Nothing would get done otherwise, and usually, those on top of the hierarchy are often given most of the work. When things go wrong, those at the top often--but not always--suffer the brunt of the fallout.
Like all things after the Fall, these aspects of life and relationship can bring great pain. It's no surprise then that so much of Euro-American intellectual history revolves around questions of governance and democracy. Great thinkers rightly deduce that individuals and communities cannot survive without addressing three prevailing truths about how God has created us: first, that we are all of value; second, that we are equally valued; and third, that we need live with one another, i.e. that we need to be in community.
What would Christ say to this? What would Christ say to me in the here and now of my own life? Is one able to build up genuine friendships under these circumstances? What is my role in this, and how should I conduct myself?
I think I'm learning another life lesson through badminton. In an earlier post, I noted that the politics of the club is making me unhappy, and that led me to ask, "Well, who is happy in this club, and why?" There are three kinds of people in my club:
1. Those who recognize that there is a hierarchy and are happy to submit to it. (They seem happy.)
2. Those who recognize that there is a hierarchy and don't want to submit to it. (They seem unhappy.)
3. Those who don't recognize that there is a hierarchy and therefore do not submit to it. (They seem unhappy.)
This certainly mirrors what I see happening in the workplace. Power and hierarchy are such a feature of human life, and no prizes for guessing why. Power and hierarchy are useful social constructions insofar as they help streamline processes within a group. Nothing would get done otherwise, and usually, those on top of the hierarchy are often given most of the work. When things go wrong, those at the top often--but not always--suffer the brunt of the fallout.
Like all things after the Fall, these aspects of life and relationship can bring great pain. It's no surprise then that so much of Euro-American intellectual history revolves around questions of governance and democracy. Great thinkers rightly deduce that individuals and communities cannot survive without addressing three prevailing truths about how God has created us: first, that we are all of value; second, that we are equally valued; and third, that we need live with one another, i.e. that we need to be in community.
What would Christ say to this? What would Christ say to me in the here and now of my own life? Is one able to build up genuine friendships under these circumstances? What is my role in this, and how should I conduct myself?
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