When I was twenty
What was going on the world when I was 18–22 years old and how did it influence my worldview? (warning: I didn’t fact-check whether Napoleon did say it.)
Let be precise, when I was 18–22 it was 2009–2013, what happened back then? I knew I was in my full formative stage, being in the privilege studying in the States and back to Malaysia during summers. I remember that I closely follow the development of the Arab Spring which I had followed starting from the return of the islamist in Turkey (I missed Bahrain and Tunisia, but Egypt and Syria were probably what I remembered the most). Just like in the 70s, many credited the return of Pan-Islamisme and this islamic consciousness spreading around Malaysian muslims, Arab Spring certainly left me an impact.
Obama was the President, something that the US was quite proud for breaking a barrier but constrained by a Republican-majority in the Senate and other inactivities. Some say lack of political will, some say so many things. Occupy Wall Street was also taking its shape in 2011 and prolonged to a larger discussion in inequality. Of course 2008 was the beginning of the credit crunch. Something I benefited from since it pushed the foreign exchange rate for USD way down.
So during that short period of time I saw many civil democracy in action in the West and surprisingly in the Middle East. It was the birth of optimisim in civil disobedience and voice of the people. The movement against establishment and political and wealthy elites. Every direction you breath, there is a scent of freedom, a sense of bravado mixed with sweat and blood. To fight is to sacrifice. The reward is at end.
Unfortunately, four years are too short to predict the course of the world.
2012 was the year everything went wrong I guess. The Arab Spring lost its momentum as the “People Government” was toppled down one by one in the Middle East. Occupy Wall Street lost its traction. Although inequality has been one of the hard discussion we are having, the billionaires are just getting richer and the world are getting more and more unequal and polarized. I went back to Malaysia in 2013 during the night of election, hoping to land down on the land of New Malaysia but it didn’t happen (we did it in 2018, but we all know how it goes). In 2016, Obama ended his second term and the US had chosen the un-president-ed President.
Cool, cool, cool.
So if you asked me whether global events in 2009–2012 has shaped me, I would say yes, but so do the subsequent events. The hype and the let down took a big toll to an impressionable young man like me… so it’s hard to see with an opportunistic lens. When every time there is a civil disobedience or any demonstration to raise the voice of the people I will empathize but with a pinch of fatalism that this is probably not going to change anything.
In fact that is how I approach many things in my life. A blend of optimism curbed with stroke of fatalism. Take the recent change in Malaysia, everybody (well, not all but majority) was surprised but applauded for it. Only to be taken off 22 months later. Does it feel weird, sure it does! But that is beyond you. Beyond me.
2020 came and gave us a kick right at s****m. 10 months in we are still rolling on our back, clutching our groins. It has derailed plans for so many people but accelerated plans for many now. Again, this is beyond you. Beyond me.
