To be rather than seems to be
Urban development is a marathon. We cannot just look at the road ahead. The most important thing is that Hong Kong people will not give up and can continue to try their best to improve within the limitations of objective reality. As long as this is achieved, even if the objective environment changes in the future, I believe that the persistence and paving the way will bring results.
Author: GUDORDI | 2022-11-09
Continuing from the above: “Maintaining the belief and mentality of an international city is crucial – the future of Hong Kong’s legend”
Esse quam videri.
Be what you are, not what you seem to be.──Cicero
The above sentence is Latin, translated into English as “to be, rather than to seem”. The original author is the Roman philosopher, orator and politician Cicero (Marcus Tully Cicero, BC106-BC34). To many people, Cicero does not seem to be a big figure, and his contribution is not necessarily mentioned in general history books; however, anyone who has carefully understood the development of Western civilization will agree that Cicero was very important to the development of Western civilization. The contribution to the inheritance and development of Western civilization is huge. In the author’s opinion, it is not an exaggeration to even say that Cicero’s contribution is “very unique” and “irreplaceable”. In any case, this Latin sentence can be regarded as a portrayal of Cicero’s life, and this sentence also vaguely brings inspiration to how Hong Kong will face various challenges in the future.
Justice and virtue are key to understanding Greek philosophy and Cicero
Cicero was born into a wealthy family, received a good education from an early age, and showed a high talent for languages. On the other hand, he also showed a strong interest and enthusiasm for Greek philosophy, and was taught by the famous Greek philosopher Philio of Larissa (159-84 BC). It is worth noting that Philon should be regarded as a “famous orthodox” who taught Greek philosophy, because he was the director of the famous Academy (The Academy) founded by Plato himself in Athens in 385 BC at the time.
From a certain perspective, the Academy can be regarded as one of Plato’s two major legacies to mankind. I don’t know whether it was because of the shock caused by Socrates’ choice to take poison and die. Throughout his life, Plato seemed determined to find a satisfactory answer to the reasons for the existence of government and the conditions for establishing a just society. According to records, after Socrates’ death, Plato traveled around the world for decades, and then returned to Athens and did two things that were very important to later generations. One was to write the book ” The Republic”. Another is the establishment of a college.
These two things are closely related. Plato believed that a just society presupposes the existence of good citizens, and the academy is a place to train good citizens, so it can be regarded as the predecessor of modern universities. In any case, Philon has always praised Cicero’s philosophical attainments and enthusiasm as a student. Cicero also showed great admiration and love for Greek philosophy, and praised Socrates as the “father of philosophy” and the Greek A very wise and virtuous person in history.
In the author’s opinion, justice and virtue are important concepts for understanding Greek philosophy and Cicero. It is said that Western society attaches great importance to interests and rights, while Chinese culture attaches great importance to virtue and responsibility. This view is worth pondering. However, it is not necessarily true that Western society has no tradition of attaching importance to virtue. Furthermore, it is worth pointing out that the “virtue” referred to by Greek philosophers seems to be somewhat different from the “virtue” referred to by Confucian culture. According to the author’s understanding, the virtue pursued by Greek philosophers does not place much emphasis on whether it is recognized by the public, but only the inner understanding of beauty, goodness, and standards of right and wrong.
Real contributions are extremely important
In any case, Cicero seems to be obsessed with concepts such as justice and virtue. In the course of his life, he risked his life more than once for the principles and ideas he felt he should uphold. For example, he bravely exposed a political conspiracy and was once regarded as the hero who saved the Roman Republic, but in the end But because he defended the constitutional ideals of the republic, he was assassinated and beheaded by Antony, which is regrettable.
What is admirable is that throughout his life, Cicero seemed to be able to implement his principle of pursuing “what is really so” rather than “what seems to be so.” As for his contribution to the inheritance of Western civilization, although it may not “seem” to be that important, the “truth” is extremely important and irreplaceable. I will talk about it again when I have the opportunity. But most importantly, I believe that the motto above by Sethis is an important principle for Hong Kong to cope with current challenges.
Hong Kong is an international financial center
Many people are worried that Hong Kong’s status as a cosmopolitan city and international financial center will not be preserved, and ask how to maintain it. In the author’s opinion, the first thing is that Hong Kong people need to have a firm belief that Hong Kong is an international metropolis and an international financial center. No matter what happens or what others say, Hong Kong people will continue to improve in this direction and seek truth from facts.
Many things in this world are man-made. The development of a city is an undertaking that takes hundreds of years. Even if there is adversity in 3 to 5 years, or even 5 to 10 years, there is no need to admit defeat. Yes, the author believes that urban development is a marathon. We cannot just look at the road in front of us. The most important thing is that Hong Kong people will not give up and can continue to try their best to improve within the limitations of objective reality. As long as this is achieved, even if the objective environment changes in the future, I believe that the persistence and paving the way will bring results.
Of course, just confidence and persistence may not necessarily make it possible, but if you don’t persist and cherish yourself, it will be even more difficult to achieve your career. We should not place our hope in the support of policies and other factors. These are things that are beyond our control, and their effects may not last long, and they may even backfire. This point of view involves a concept in philosophy-“spontaneous order”, which I will talk about again…
“Hong Kong’s Legendary Future” Series 8
Contact the author: Gudordi@proton.me
