The last post that I made, I told a story about a guy, a drug addict to be more precise, in a raging fit about God knows what. He was looked at, recorded, made fun of, ignored, pitied, yet never helped by the on-lookers. And being that I was one of the on-lookers, yet I did nothing, really made me think back to the short story, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, by Ursula Le Guin.

On 29^th of May, 2014, I finally graduated from high school and finished the arduous 12 years of Chinese education. Seen off my hardworking and busy three-year-life in high school, I found out that I would never have this kind of restrained life any more, but what would my future be. It seemed that I have never imagined my future with inspiring reverie. I’ve even never thought deeply about my inner enthusiasm, my dream. The only thing I’ve done so far was moving along with the hustle and bustle crowd. Though my brain has been stuffed with knowledge, I can feel that my heart is empty. So I embarked on the plane to Lijiang, Yunnan, starting off a trip to meet with different cultures and integrate myself.

When I encountered Hank Green randomly in the airport, he was to me, a celebrity. His vast fanbase combined with his achievements made it clear that my position in the online community we shared was greatly unbalanced. He is the one who talks, I am one of the many who listen. He has a certain amount of power over his viewers, in that his words can influence their actions. With such a large viewership, his ideas and thoughts and goals can spread to a wide variety of people. To an extent, the fans play a role in the community, saying what they like and dislike, adding ideas of their own and stating what they disagree with. However, at the end of the day, he is the leader. If he says something, people tend to believe it. Hank tends to use his power for good.

      In my last post, I described the connection that I believed that I shared with a man on the streets of my hometown. Because I have never spoken to him,  I  feel uncomfortable when contemplating the fact that I know that we somehow live vastly different lives. I do not even understand how I have come to that conclusion, as we only  “meet” each other for a fleeting moment. His life experiences, origins, thoughts, feelings, ideas remain a mystery to me. However, I know that we both experienced something unexplainable when we gazed into each others eyes. Or maybe that was only me. Maybe he was not even thinking of that present time. Maybe he was contemplating where he would get his next fix. Maybe he didn’t even see me when he starred in my direction.

            In life, we find ourselves lost in the wonders of those around us. Every encounter is an opportunity to learn and grow. Whether an impression be made that cause you to want to mimic or completely oppose ones ideals, it is a beautiful occurrence to truly meet another individual that makes an impression on you and, occasionally, on your life. One of the most impactful contact zones I have ever walked into was conversations I had with my junior and senior year Spanish teacher. This remarkable woman taught and teaches me but not simply as a teacher. Like all those people most valuable in one’s life, she taught me about being a proper human being. She taught me about compassion and care and looking past incidental moments of faults.

Fri 9/12:
(SOWK) By 5 p.m, please respond to Double XX's Challenge Question.

Sun. 9/14:

(ICPR) Post on Serendip, by Sunday at 5, an image (ad, photo, film or video clip, etc) depicting or implying disability, and a written reflection on this image. Look for an image that either takes an interesting/unusual approach or calls for critique. Video clips should be one minute or less. If you wish, you may draw on or challenge RGT's visual rhetorics of disability in discussing your image or clip.