We sense the agitation from time to time. It is everywhere in the city. It makes us restless, flustered and frantic; leaving us desperate to maintain even a dash of energy to survive. We rush to work, and rush to finish our lunch to return to work. And when we are finished for the day, we rush home, or rush to our dinner appointment, drink hard and play hard, all done without much thought.
We catwalk through crowds and traffic every day and never seem to have time to stop and take stock of people and the things around us. That is our everyday life, or more accurately, our lifeless everyday existence.
But once in a long while, we might be lucky enough to find something that makes us smile a little and give us that rare heartwarming feeling. Sometimes, it is the very simple things that provide the much-coveted comfort.
I found that glimmer recently from a most unlikely character; a little green guy with a big head, expressive eyes and long antennae on top of his head. This ubiquitous character is the new animated mascot of a local mobile phone network and, for some strange reason, seems to have the rare ability to connect with others and to touch our hearts. The adorable Pluff Pluff is always eager to make friends and share his new experiences. If he is sidelined, he tries again and again. In one advert, his perseverance finally pays off when he befriends a group of teenagers on a football pitch.
To make contact and connect with others, even in the face of rejection and animosity, is a massive task, especially in Hong Kong's current social and political climate.
Many of us seem to have lost the last vestige of basic interpersonal skills - communicating with each other effectively in both verbal and non-verbal ways. Communication is two-way traffic involving a constant exchange of views, conducted in a frank and impartial manner. Unfortunately, our city is rapidly degenerating into one big madness machine, with some people in supposedly important positions churning out aggressive and sometimes scurrilous messages. Sooner or later, we might risk a total breakdown in communication.