MY QUESTIONS
a problem I'd spend 55 minutes
thinking about the problem and
5 minutes thinking about solutions. "
Below are questions that bugged me. But sometimes, these questions are not answerable, not because there are no answers, but because the questions have not been defined well enough. I know it’s something that’s gnawing at me, so I just write it down first and hopefully insight comes later.
Political tool
Will the Chinese ever feel they belong in a Malay majority state where race and religion can/is being used a political tool
What is happening in Thailand?
So many things are cheap, there is dynamism in the country, but they are plagued by inefficiencies and political upheavals. Businesses have managed to survive and prosper, people are generally happy. There seems to be a general acceptance of all walks of life as long as you abide by Thai culture and norms. What seems to be holding all these things together?
Is it important to protect and preserve our racial heritage?
There was an article that states that with the way things are going, in the future our race will be mixed further and further. But what is the concept of race to begin with? It was not static for thousands of years, there were many intermingling of races for centuries to make what we are now. The concept of being Chinese, for example, depends heavily also on which part of China we come from. The borders of modern China was not static, and its influence with the surrounding borders have been very different depending on which period you look at. Even the concept of Nation is basically just a group of people with the same belief system, there is the past but how much of the past is important. Beliefs system is constantly changing
Immigrant Chinese that have settled in a country where they’re not fully assimilated
Immigrant Chinese that have settled in a country where they’re not fully assimilated, will they ever be happy. Are they there only for economic reasons? If the economic reasons cease to exist and things turn sour, and they could easily move, will they still stay on?
How do you prepare your future generations?
I was going to write “make the same mistakes as i did”, but i realized that by not allowing them to make the same mistakes. I have effectively not allowed them to grow. I guess I need to define the question better. And why should they follow my foot steps, they need to lead their own lives to forge their own paths to make it meaningful
Have Thai-Chinese really assimilated into Thai society?
Have Thai-Chinese really assimilated into Thai society? I mean seriously seriously? I have not heard otherwise, but maybe I’ve not heard enough
What is happening to the Japanese economy?
What is happening to the Japanese economy? Has it become so developed that it’s difficult to grow at a faster rate. But look at USA and how it’s a developed country but they managed to innovate and fully utilize tech to their advantage. Or are we looking at Japan through the lens of the Western world. And the Japanese are perfectly happy at their state.
LGBTQ community
Why do Thailand have a very large and visible LGBTQ community. Are there certain factors that have caused this? If its natural, why so? And if it’s nurture, why so?
What is the future of Singapore?
What is the future of Singapore, will it be a country like Japan where there will be minimal growth? Everything is so expensive, salary is too high, that many people are not willing to take the risk, or talented people will not want to be compensated less. Or does it come down to a matter of the company not being able convince talented people to come work for them, which the Americans seems to be good at doing that
Why are the Malaysian Chinese still in Malaysia
Why are the Malaysian Chinese still in Malaysia, where they are 2nd class citizens? Why are they still patriotic?
Will I be able to live in China?
Will I be able to live in China? What are my thoughts on the current circumstances in China, on the one hand, the Chinese are very economically driven in matters of work and personal. But there is a side of them through thousand of years of civilized culture and Confucianism that brings a warmth that resonates with me. How do I balance both contradictory ideas?
Immigrant Chinese, where do we belong?
Immigrant Chinese, where do we belong? Considering that modern day China has gone through drastic political and social changes because of communism, China today is very very different from the China we have left. How do we reconcile that, do we as the people still have links to China as the motherland? How can we come to terms with it when we have effectively parted ways for over a century and China since its reopening has blazed through its own path. Do we believe and are we proud of China’s role on the world stage for representing all Chinese at large?
Is Taiwan really the perfect place?
Is Taiwan really the perfect place? Is it what a civilized Chinese society would look like? I went back in 2016, and maybe because I was too influenced by materialism and I felt Taiwan was not as vibrant as other countries. But maybe I was too naïve too judged that way
How has Buddhism been used as a political tool
Can and when will a religion not be used a political tool
Can Singapore ever be a country that does not prioritize wealth and materialism?
Considering the trajectory that Singapore is on, can Singapore ever be a country that does not prioritize wealth and materialism? Or does it have something to do with the identity of being Singaporean? Maybe it’s not a recent phenomenon since in the 90s, Kiasu and the 5Cs has been a thing.
Will I ever be happy in Jakarta or Indonesia?
Where do I belong?
Picture myself 3 years into the future
Picture myself 3 years into the future, i wake up and have this feeling of disbelief that my life is this way and its so good. What kind of a life is this? Which not only involve work.