I've mentioned several times that in China, the word that keeps coming to my mind is 'paradox.' It seems like every day I make a pair of observations that are completely opposite, completely confusing. It's rapid development vs. lingering slums, it's a desire to be stylish like the west vs. being distinctly eastern, it's the rising ultra-high class vs. people who can't get clean water.
The other night I saw a young boy, probably about 4, standing on a stoop in a busy shopping street, his pants around his ankles, peeing into the oncoming sidewalk traffic. His mother looked on with approval. At times like that I wonder, 'what kind of a vulgar, uncivilized place is this? This is anarchy. I can't wait to get to America.'
About 30 minutes later, I saw a young boy, about 5 years old, literally run down a set of stairs in front of a building. He was rushing to offer his frail grandfather a steady arm as he walked up the steps. I don't think many American five-year-olds know a commitment to their elder family members quite like that; it's times like those when I think, 'wow, maybe this place has got some things figured out. We could learn a lot from them.'
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