After spending much of the past week very focused on the conflict in Hong Kong, I feel compelled to share why, even knowing I don’t need to.

Hong Kong was aligned with the West for 155 years (with a brief interruption during the WWII) albeit as a colony. It inevitably absorbed some Western values from that experience – the education system was modeled on England’s – so it has diverged from the mainland Chinese culture, specifically regarding how leaders are chosen.

So now comes the cultural clash of values, with critical questions – where does the world go from here? The planet’s human population continues to expand while wildlife populations shrink. Are authoritarian governments a necessary evil to manage so many people? Or can we have a cooperative, open society that strives to balance individual freedom of choice and responsibility?

Are we as a species mature enough to enjoy that?

The outcome in Hong Kong will tell us much.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/05/hong-kong-protests-betrayed-by-china-abandoned-by-britain