The Boiling of the Bones

19. Monkey Park

History was not as glamorous as they suggested in school. Humanity seemed built upon a foundation of brutality, greed and vice. So far, I'd seen it heavily influenced by sex and drugs and pointless wars over political ideology. You can't force people to be free. They have to see the benefits of democracy and choose it adopt it. You can't force people to change. I guess it's not that simple when a country is secretly gripped in the tight fist of a brutal autocrat. Their political rivals who do advocate for freedom, quickly disappear—snatched from their homes in the middle of the night, never to be seen again.

The formerly British run city was peacefully handed over to the Chinese in 1997, at the conclusion of a hundred-year lease. It still retained a distinct European feel. Many western companies as well as large international conglomerates had a presence there. It was very lucrative for the Chinese to maintain western capitalism, but they couldn't abide other western values such as free speech.

In recent years the government had violently cracked down on dissent. I don't understand communism with its rigid ideologies and harsh punishments of opposing views. Freedom is inherently good. People are naturally drawn to it. To be able to do whatever you want. Communism seems perpetually marked by a tight grip of insecurity and fear of losing control.

The dark side of free speech is divisiveness, characterized by duplicitous angry political rhetoric adopting entrenched polemic posturing. In a healthy society, free speech spurs debate. Unfettered dialogue leads to a marketplace of competing ideas where the best ones emerge and foster progress. It's an unrivaled incubator of innovation and problem-solving solutions. There's a global race, and if you don't have a culture of innovation, you can't keep up technologically.

Meanwhile, the US is currently so bogged down in vitriol, most people would prefer to dig in and fight, constantly looking to score political points in a juvenile game of humiliating opponents rather than actually finding and implementing solutions. I shake my head in disgust. What is wrong with our world?

I took the train to Shanghai. As soon as I got in, I touched base with Rob and had him wire more cash. I filled him in on the trip so far and asked if he'd heard anything from Soph. He said he hadn't. I thought about calling her, but I didn't. I would have loved to have her on the trip with me to share all the profound experiences I was having. But she had her own life and our paths went different directions and it would only bring pain thinking about and dwelling on my feelings for her. It was time to forget her and move on with my life.

There were plenty of international restaurants, but I ate what the locals did. I stopped at little stalls in crowded alleys filled with exotic aromas.

To order I usually simply pointed to the same thing the guy ahead of me in line got. One time it was a noodle soup with chunks of tofu and vegetables. One ingredient was some kind of green leafy sprout with a sharp bitter flavor—I think it was watercress. There was also a distinct seafood flavor to it. Perhaps a dash of oyster sauce. Another time it was a chicken dumpling with interesting spices like saffron and turmeric and vegetables.

I was blown away to see the Shanghai skyline filled with shiny new modern architecture as impressive as anything on Earth. China was changing. Positioning itself as a global leader, rivalling the US in many aspects.

The people were kind and humble. It was good to see up close. I'll be the first to admit it. My preconceptions were wrong. Many still gathered in the park in the early morning hours to perform Tai Chi—a sort of martial art that looked more like calisthenics or ballet dance choreography with graceful flowing motions than aggressive warfare training.

The single biggest impression I gained from my trip was that human beings are more alike than different. The circumstances and surrounding environments differ radically from place to place. But humans are mostly the same. We all share the same needs and desires. No matter what the disagreement or conflict, surely, call me naïve, but I sincerely believe we can get beyond the xenophobia and work it out.