Greetings. CNN international reports: “For more than a decade, television journalist Xuan Kejiong has covered almost every major disaster in China's largest metropolis, from fires and typhoons to robberies and murders.” You might wonder, “So what?” It's because he does this in a country known for fierce intolerance of any "less than favorable" depictions of government and because he has become “arguably the most famous journalist in the city of 20 million residents.” If you do the math, that means he began reporting when he was barely past his teens!
Taking it all in, was an impressionable, 12 year-old boy named Xuan Kejiong. In those traumatic days following the massacre, he learned two critical lessons: First, speaking out can be fatal. Second, speaking out is critical... if you want to make the kinds of changes needed for a country to move forward. What he did with this knowledge is something we can all learn from.
After I read this, I knew Amazon Sage would be eager to dream-travel to China, to see what made this intrepid reporter so courageous, so I settled into sleep with expectations of a great ride. What a dream ride I got! Amazon Sage landed smack in the middle of Tiananmen Square, China, in 1989! For the uninitiated, Tiananmen Square was the scene of a horrible massacre of thousands of students*, by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Although these students practiced non violence and had initially gathered to mourn the death of a former Party official known for tolerating dissent, those who would not leave when ordered to do so by the military, were brutally killed.
Taking it all in, was an impressionable, 12 year-old boy named Xuan Kejiong. In those traumatic days following the massacre, he learned two critical lessons: First, speaking out can be fatal. Second, speaking out is critical... if you want to make the kinds of changes needed for a country to move forward. What he did with this knowledge is something we can all learn from. Whereas, in our democratic country, free speech is valued so much that the Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a small group of idiots who display unbelievably offensive signs at the funerals of soldiers and where young people are allowed to make “movies” in which all of the angst and anger of a generation is out there for all to see.... In China, those same funeral busting idiots would be imprisoned (or worse) and the efforts of most young movie makers would never see the light of day.
What that means for Xuan, is that from a young age, he had to figure out how to get information to the people and avoid the wrath of his non-democratic government. This he did brilliantly; by learning the art of subtlety and diplomacy... something that is in short supply in our country these days. You might say, “And your point?” My point is this, young people have vital things to share with our leaders and the world; things that can actually help save the planet! But when these messages are only shared with each other or put out there in ways that alienate the very adults who could make a difference, the point is lost. Through this blog, Amazon Sage tries to help you uncover truths. Perhaps, like China’s young Xuan Kejiong, you too can become a hero by learning how to speak so you will really be heard. What would you say to make a difference?
