OpinionNo place in July 1 march for a numbers game
Alice Wu says our obsession with turnout numbers at the July 1 rally misses the point of civic participation - a good in itself
Let's face it: Hong Kong is a highly strung society. We work crazy hours and are constantly stressed out. Sure, competition, efficiency and productivity are good qualities to have. But while Hong Kong's characteristic way of rushing through life has somehow become an integral part of our identity, living life in a pressure-cooker takes its toll.
Health-wise, our hyper-stressed lives are leading to more insomnia, high blood pressure and a host of complicated mental health and psychosomatic disorders.
Fortunately, we are increasingly aware of our frantic lifestyle. In addition to recognising the sources of our stress - like long working hours, job security, the rich-poor gap and the high cost of living - we have learned to pause and rethink our priorities.
And what we've learned in our private lives we can also apply to our public life.
Since we were awakened from our political apathy - most notably by the July 1 march of 2003 - we've been more politically involved as a community. The idea of a more publicly engaged society should be a good thing - at the very least, it nurtures a public spirit that complements a political system moving towards democratisation.
So why do we seem more politically agitated and stressed out? Our strengthened public spirit ethos has brought people together but it has also polarised society.