青海游后感

西宁给我最强烈的感觉就是文化之间的碰撞与交融，一个仅有三百万人口的城市有着北京这种大城市都没有的多元化和差异性。Diversity works, if you don't define it. 汉族，藏族，回族，蒙古族，不同的民族，文化，和宗教互相影响，谁也不能完全占据绝对上风，对一个城市有很大的好处。当然并不是说西宁就是一个人间仙境，但是他给我展现了中国不一样的一面，就像几年前我去深圳在马路边没看到任何宣传海报和标语一样。A civilization or a country can be strong only if it has a strong and homogeneous interior, and there are only a few countries that possess that interior. But the paradoxical thing is: those countries are empowered by their interiors, and yet the people in those interiors are disproportionately poorer (culturally, educationally, financially) than the frontiers. This contradiction gives rise to so much momentum for nationalism and populism, like MAGA in US. The people in the interior are vital to the society’s strength, yet distant to the benefit from exposure to the outside. 每个国家的腹地和边疆都有很大的不同，也有很大的互斥性：就像俄罗斯的圣彼得堡 vs 莫斯科，美国的 LA vs Midwest，沙特的 Hejazi vs Najdi。

到边疆区，去当开拓者，还是留在腹地，当一枚螺丝？My strength, whatever that might be in the future, will be better used at the frontier. Difference creates opportunity and growth, similarity creates 内卷。However, if I make up my mind to go to the frontier, I must leave myself some room to come back to the interior. Different from the establishment doesn’t, and shouldn’t, make me anti-establishment. Frontier can become the interior at any time, just ask Hong Kong. It’s much better to proactively (and seamlessly) come back than to be absorbed and assimilated. It’s a fine line!