Back to university to answer the big why
Peter Lai Ping-tak seems the model of middle-class success. Married with two children, the 42-year-old has a good job in information technology and lives in Heng Fa Chuen.
Mr Lai worked hard and late in his new job after graduating in 1996 with an MSc in computer science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was anxious to earn extra money and compete for promotions.
Success was measured in material terms. Gradually, Mr Lai realised this perception was not enough.
'You compare yourself to your classmates and think: I'm successful. Then you go through all the routine. You see people, relatives, die and you ask: 'What are we looking for in life? What is the meaning of life'?' he said. Mr Lai is now exploring these questions, enrolled in his second-year of a part-time master of arts in philosophy programme at CUHK.
'There comes a time when people should think about themselves. The programme is not a career programme, such as accounting.
'I think it's really good for people that besides a career, they also have a chance to learn other subjects, to cultivate themselves.'
Immersed in Chinese and Western philosophy, Mr Lai has become more reflective and wants his daughters to have an education that will expose them to the humanities.
'It's really important for yourself. When you're only working for material things and money, it means nothing.'
