On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I would like to wish our readers a prosperous and fulfilling new year.

The festive New Year’s Eve dinner was canceled, and as the Chinese elders say, “Chiu Chow music - everyone is for themselves,” so cold and bitter.

However, it is necessary to minimize the noise and to keep calm during the days of the raging storm. Moreover, compared to our friends who are serving their sentences in prison and those who are already locked up before their trials, the coldness is nothing and it is a great blessing to be able to live in a calm state of mind as normal. Thankfully, the weather has been warmer this time of year, so my friends in prison do not have to endure the cold with their scarce clothing and thin blankets.

Among the arrested pan-democrats, one said that he expected to be in jail for a few years, and had already started to plan for his family’s livelihood in the future. This makes us wonder about the nature of fear - what are people afraid of, the police showing up at their door, being detained at the police station, being locked up in a detention center, facing lawsuits, not having a fair trial, or going to prison? If a person is prepared to go to jail, just like Chan Kin Man who turned off the air-conditioner and slept on the floor before his imprisonment to simulate life in prison so that he can be physically and psychologically prepared, can he be free from fear?

Zhang Sizhi, one of the most respected lawyers in China, was the defense lawyer for Chinese journalist Gao Yu. “My first impression of her was very positive,” Zhang said. “First, she had no fear, second, she had no complaints, and third, she talked about the situation in a calm and orderly manner.” After she was released from prison, Zhang sent Gao Yu two bouquets of flowers, for each of the two international awards she had received while in jail.

It should be a revelation to the people of Hong Kong to see how human rights activists on the mainland face their fears. When she spoke with students about this idea, she said that it is difficult to overcome fear as we are all mere mortals and cannot easily meet one’s fate with grace. However, living with fear is the choice of some people. They hold on to their ideals, they are not willing to be silent, and they still want to do something in the little time they have.

(Eva Chan Sik-chee, senior lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese University of Hong Kong)

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