“I just want things to go back to normal. I’m middle aged....

“I just want things to go back to normal.  I’m middle aged.  I’m over fifty now, and I just want a stable life.  I want to pay off my loans.  I want to retire.  I can’t afford for things to get worse.  I work at a shopping mall, and Christmas is coming soon.  It’s very important for our business.  Whenever there is a protest, we have to completely close the mall.  Every day less tourists are coming, especially from mainland China.  Our shops can’t afford to pay the rent.  Soon they’ll have to close.  Most of the protestors are very young.  Maybe I’d have joined them when I was their age.  I respect them.  I understand where they’re coming from.  But they don’t know what it’s like to have burdens.  They’re not married.  They don’t have children.  A lot of them get money from their parents.  It’s easy to have dreams and ideals when you have no burdens.  I’ve always believed that Hong Kong is a part of China.  And stability is better than poverty.  What good is democracy if you’re poor?  They’d probably say I’ve traded my ideals for money.  But it isn’t money.  It’s burdens.  When they’re my age, they’ll know.”
(Hong Kong)