Ex-Hong Kong newspaper editor who was slashed advises young people to have more dialogue
Kevin Lau says more communication between young and old can heal societal rifts
Former Ming Pao chief editor Kevin Lau Chun-to called for greater dialogue between young and old to mend the deepening rift in a society that is "more chaotic and difficult than before".
Lau, who was seriously injured in a knife attack last year, was speaking at the Jesuit Education Forum held at his old school, Wah Yan College, in Wan Chai yesterday.
He said the challenge for educators was how to equip the young generation with the values and skills they needed today.
"The world used to be more simple … [it] has since become a lot harder to explain … and much more chaotic and complicated," he said. "We need to go in, immerse ourselves in their world, to understand them."
Lau recalled his own youth in the 1980s, when he said the world was more stable compared with today. "The China and Hong Kong a 40-year-old teacher knows is very different from the China and Hong Kong a 15-year-old student knows," he said.
He added that dialogue between the generations was the only way to address serious divisions in society.