After a dreadful year, there are new wishes for the new year, and there are certain things to remind yourself. You should step up and work hard, cultivate a life habit, turn it into a daily routine, and settle into a basic mentality. Only then can you lay a good foundation, stand tall, and be fearless.

Commitment to the community. Support the professional groups, trade unions, and concern groups to which you belong, and participate in the owners’ corporation of your residence. Even if you cannot allocate much of your time, you can still contribute your expertise as much as possible. The suppression of the rich and powerful is not yet ubiquitous. The cohesiveness of the people is mobile and scattered, and does not require a centralized platform, but rather an organic assembly and a well-established network that is ready to respond to any calls. We should clearly understand that social media can easily amplify differences, and it is advisable to reduce the internal rifle of fellow travelers.

Continue to support the yellow economy. The combination of authority and money form a great power, making people succumb and grovel, and this is very clear to the people of Hong Kong. Money can buy freedom, and the consolidation of money from the community can protect the freedom of the group. While the epidemic is still lingering, it is a time to eliminate the weak, preserve the strong, and make great changes. At this time, do not hesitate to sacrifice your time, and be sure to patronize businesses from the yellow economy. The freedom of consumer choice is probably the last freedom that Hong Kong people can enjoy. Don’t underestimate the wealth of the common people of Hong Kong. Cohesion is power. In order to fight long-term battles, we must strengthen fellow travelers by not letting opportunities and revenues be lost to others outside the community.

Support the media. Of course it is to support the media you trust. For example, in addition to subscribing to Apple Daily, you can also try to buy a physical copy of the newspaper every day and read it on the MTR. If you don’t buy it today, you don’t know if you can still buy it tomorrow. Watch out for the brainwashing free newspapers that have infiltrated your housing estate, and be sure to send every one of them to the recycling bin as soon as possible. This is the virtue of a good neighbor. Don’t put your hope in the mainstream media, but online media can still catch the last of freedom. Please support the online media you trust, and support them with your money as well as your efforts. Don’t expect every word from these media to be to your liking. The truth is sometimes not pleasant but the hard truth is most valuable. Don’t be gullible and believe in online KOLs, remember the awkwardness caused by the misinformation earlier this year.

Support those who are imprisoned. Don’t let them suffer from loneliness, and don’t let the exiles be distressed. Give whatever you have to help. We fight on, each in our own ways while inspiring one another. When all the free people in Hong Kong have disappeared in the future, they will be a new force that has been well-polished.

Beware of dangerous words. Beware of words like “national security,” “rejuvenation of the nation,” “patriotism” and “rule of law” that flood the air. Chanting a slogan, posting a message, and even the slightest case of a judge’s ruling that is not to his highness’ liking is vilified as endangering national security. The demand for “support” and “allegiance” is to force you to be loyal and patriotic. The “law” in the sense of “the law must be followed” is dictated by those with power and influence. Moreover, the “violation of the law” in the sense of “prosecution and punishment for the violation of the law” is also determined by the public security organs, procuratorial organs and people’s courts of China’s judiciary system. Linguistic traps are everywhere, so please always be alert, and those who have awakened, please do not sink into sleep.

Embrace common values. As former Czech President Václav Havel said about resistance, the concerns of the Czechs must be the common concerns of humanity in order for their demands to be understood by the world. We are all aware of universal values. Hatred, prejudice and personal grudges are not effective selling points.

Stay alive. Havel also said that we should “live within the truth.” In addition to “truth,” many people neglect the importance of “living” first. In the midst of hardship, we must live well, continue to eat, drink, and play, climb mountains, explore the world, keep our bodies and minds healthy, keep our minds active, do not die, and strive to live the longest. In order to live in truth and in grace, we must learn to practice a minimalist lifestyle to reduce our burden.

After the dreadful year, of course, it will continue to be another bad year, there is no doubt about that. History tells us clearly that autocracy does not stop as power is addictive. They ask you to be loyal, and then they ask you to be absolutely loyal; they ask you to kneel down, and then they ask you to prostrate sincerely. They are fearful of the connection within the community, fearful of the power that can be generated by the money scattered among the people, fearful of the professionals who stand by their ideas, and fearful of the persistence of the human spirit.

I don’t believe that people are sincere in their worship when they bow down to the feet of power. I don’t believe that human souls are so cheap that they are complacent and happy to bend over for a bucket of rice. I don’t believe that the affluent people of Hong Kong can be bought with money. I don’t believe that those in power can rewrite history today. I don’t believe that naked lies can laugh to the end.

(Allan Au Ka-lun, veteran journalist)

Click here for Chinese version

We invite you to join the conversation by submitting columns to our opinion section: [email protected]

Apple Daily reserves the right to refuse, abridge, alter or edit guest opinion columns for accuracy, length, clarity, and style, and the right to withdraw and withhold columns based on the discretion of our editorial page editors.

The opinions of the writers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board.

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play