Some of Us Need Some Time Out

Time out — yes. Just not time out from blogging… A weekend is not a “complete weekend” without a quick David Feng post.

China in 2008 is very much a different place than the one in 1978. In the late 70s, if you had a phone, you were considered “too special”. If you had a telly set, I’d guess the neighbors would come around for that. Locals didn’t have Fanta to sip at will; they made do with the local variant, The Arctic (which still has one of the cutest logos around — the way I see it).

The China of 2008 is different — in fact, too different. Young ladies don on the latest casual wear, making yours truly look like an outcast from the era of the planned economy (or someone who’s been to too many business meetings). People IM via QQ, text until their fingers go numb, and watch Korean movies on TV. We’re undergoing screen addiction — and nobody seems able to stop that.

So this is why sometimes, we need to drop the whole thing — and head out into that great big Nature that’s always there for us.

I’ve heard too much — about people being addicted to screens. Screens of all kinds. Stories about young ladies stuck in bed, watching TV or movies off the Web, are about as frequent as those mileage markers on those highways. Too many of my friends are on QQ or MSN / Windows Live Messenger. And mobile phones are all the rage.

The screen bug has hit those born in the mid-to-late 1980s especially hard. Some kids in university (now — note that this no longer includes yours truly) can do without water, but if someone cuts their Internet connection, it’s like hell on earth. They can’t do without that big Internet.

People need to be pulled away from those noxious screens. They need to head out into the open. It’s good that I’m seeing more and more boys and girls (holding hands or otherwise) out on their streets. They need to do something we all need to do — inhale, exhale. And while Beijing’s air quality isn’t the best in the World, it’s still better than that in the average dorm.

Let this post be some kind of wake-up call for those of you still stuck in the dorm — get out and discover that great big World out there!