Northern Hemisphere Still Holds the Key

 "There will be great trouble in the North", so goes the quote attributed to Nostradamus, who occasionally is brought up in the media as one from the past who made predictions about a future world.

Even as populations have increased and economic activities have been enhanced in the past 200 years across the Southern Hemisphere of Earth, societies here are relatively behind and still seemingly trapped in seemingly colonial platitudes, industries of the past with surprisingly low value add and with immature political structures.

South America and southern Africa have not shaken off the quagmire of governance and social revulsions, pulsating along a political spectrum of rule by socialist, dictatorial and right wing governments.

Australian governments are still content with exploitation of their raw resources, providing a key supplier of energy and mineral needs of nations pumping away in growth but located north of the Equator.

Australia, with one of the largest land masses for territory, has still not emerged to assert her own strategic interests and continue to perpetuate a mentality of being dependent on another Western nation.   She has not seized the oppprtunity to realise the huge advantages of her geographical location near the world's fastest growng area. 

New Zealand likewise has to break away from plucking the easier and low hanging fruit of tourism and agriculture.

No matter, both Antipodean countries do still attract migration from Asia, in waves from different countries due to a variety of economic, political and social factors.

The Northern Hemisphere however remains where the most relevant action occurs.

Innovation and research hubs remain in both Bay areas on both sides of the Pacific -  San Jose- San Francisco California and the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macau-Shenzen region.   London, Washington-Baltimore, New York, Boston-Cambridge, Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles shine for Anglo nations.

In north east Asia, Tokyo-Yokohama, Seoul, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Nan Jing, Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto and Beijing propel like the bright city lights they exude in vibrancy of relentless growth.

Most growth centres encompass a profile of being financial, advanced technology, higher education and business investment hot spots.

It is no surprise that China and the USA lead in this respect.

Contemporary world events have also cast these two very same large nations in the speculation, dynamics and tensions for conflict.   Is it a clash of civillisations and ideology? Is it a time of the dominant old having to give way to a rising new?  Whatever it is, whatever the constant noise emitted, underlying reality and whatever the public is not told, in the end outcomes speak for themselves.

The "great trouble in the North" in so many ways can refer to a future drawn out conflict by the USA with Russia and China.  The world wars of the 20th century saw great divides between two groups of countries - for example, the Allies against the Axis powers and nations joining one side or the other accelerated the geographical spread of battles and destruction.

After the traumatic experience of massive, intense and widespread loss of lives and damage, there arose a non- aligned movement in the 1950s in which mostly African, Asian and South American nations chose not to be involved with the Western club of war winners from the European and Asia Pacific theatres of war.

As the 21st century approached, the momentum of this Non-Aligned Movement seemed to fizzle out.

Roll forward to 2025, eighty years after the Nazis and Japanese Imperial Army surrendered - and the world is once again regrouping into two sides - those who follow the lead of the USA and another who do not.

Significant changes since 1945 highlight great technology advances in societies once downtrodden and vulnerable; falling standards and quality of life in others once deemed superior; the greater mobility of migrants to enter nations once closed off;  the dearth of manufacturing in places that started the Industrial Revolution due to comparative labour costs; and rising educational levels which increased social and economic expectations and reality in so called previous "third world" countries.

Europe in the Northern Hemisphere has always been on the move from the Renaissance to its current nurturing of the European Union.

Geographically, continental Europe is relatively a smaller place than the expanse of land one travels through in the USA, China or Russia.  Unity and social cohesion remains a challenge for the various cultures and states of Europe.  Europe led in world affairs, colonised the rest of the world and had a confident heritage until the Second World War.

The lands lying between Europe, India, Africa and Central Asia have witnessed tumultous change of empires, birth of important religions and throbbed through aggressive cultures.  Several political entities here have been blessed with the world's dependency on petroleum - but this can come along with interference by foreign powers, violent disorders and instability for the unprotected. 

South east Asia and India have geopolitically entered a new era that is way past colonialism but are still riding the waves of political and ethnic nationalism.   Their populations for a variety of reasons contribute a large share of migrants to other parts of the world.  Politics here can be a mixed bag, attracting various versions of democracy, dictatorship, communism, royalty and socialism.

Standards of living, business dynamism and future growth do face risks from geopolitical turmoil.   Wartime means the further bloom in arnament sales but destruction and holding back of peace time share markets, inter cultural understanding, quality of life, supplies, public infrastructure networks, freer trade and economic returns.

Are conflicts fought over access to natural resources and food supplies?   Do troubles break out due to excess hormonic tribal pulses, in the name and push to uphold history, religion or culture?   Are battles fought with sacrifice of lives just because we are on the opposing sides of some imagined political spectrum or deeply rooted religious passion?

Are internal matters of a society interfered by outside parties instead of being allowed to be resolved without the manipulation by others?

Social upheaval can arise from ethnic tensions, divisions in multi-racial economies and changing governance arrangements.  Orders of the old world like royalty are diminishing.  On the other hand, when there is too much personal freedom, human instincts can long for being under personal political control.  History can repeat or rhyme for human societies.  New generations can forget, yearn for the past or experiment with drastic radical politics.

The British exported their language, government institutions, philosophy, religions and technology when they colonised the world.  Having superior technology in trade, science, arnaments, leadership and historical opportunity can embolden nationalism, cultural imperatives and the course of human civilisation.

The Northern Hemisphere has been saddled with the course of human progress, discord, capacity and impact.  The so called South may have been on the receiving end of initiatives and impact of incursions from the Northern Hemisphere, emphatically for Indigenous groups, but is not without her uniqueness and advantages.

The Southern Hemisphere seems to be an abode of relative remoteness, less pollution and a chance to restart and do things differently.  

Where negatively utilised, like in conducting nuclear testing, sourcing of slave labour and greedy exploitation of resources, these echo the dark sides of human behaviour.

Where positively shown, the Southern Hemisphere has been a refuge for the economically, religious and politically weary populations of Earth, where the atmosphere is relatively unpolluted and where one can still clearly see the stars of the Universe at night.

#yongkevthoughts

Behind Racist Impressions

 My experience living in Australia for more than 30 years does not synchronise with the news reports in America of Asians or Asian looking people suffering violence with racial suggestions as victims of robbery attacks.

Racism can be a two edged sword.  It may not just be articulated by individuals or groups representing so called mainstream society on minorities - but can also occur the other way.  Racism can be subtle or covert, especially when the law or public policy is to ban it, or overt, as in societies like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, Fiji and Myanmar.    Is it better to be able to read racism openly or do we have to put up with it in various shades like career progress ceilings, restricted admissions to prime universities, unspoken loops or barriers and moves behind your back?  I would rather be physically attacked than be discriminated in subtle and gradual ways.   Talking of individuals who commit violence on the streets of New York, Sydney, London or Perth, there may be unknown factors behind the video clips of such attacks.   Is it economic, with no racial intentions at all, or is it an unstable mental health manifestation?   Can one be in the wrong place at the wrong time in crime hidden areas?  African-Americans and Asian-Americans can come together being discriminated by whites, but Blacks are seen to attack Asians and Asians are heard to look down on Blacks.  Maybe we cannot interpret everything through an ethnic identification lens.

As the population of minority groups come to dominate the flavour and flow of certain suburbs in Western nations, the phenomenon of a perceived safety in numbers seems to manifest itself.  Increasing numbers of suburbs across Greater Sydney are populated more and more by people who are not Caucasian in background.   The so called white Aussie, on visiting such suburbs, can not be blamed to feel possibly left out, as if they have been pushed out of such suburbs by creeping economic, educational and business disparities. 

The demographics in regional Australia can be different.  I reckon one of the root causes of racism anywhere, even in Malaysia, is the unwillingness of so called racists to reach out half way to better understand the so called other side.   Attacks we see by people who seem racist also indicate that  that they often have no social connections with people of another ethnic background.

China nationals have arrived in significant numbers to reside in Australia in the so many years before Covid ravaged 2020.   They entered residency through higher education, the better purchasing power of a rising middle class back in China and have made business and trading more dynamic in Australian capital cities. 

The social habits of China nationals however can be very different from Malaysian migrants who have benefitted from growing up in a multi-racial and more diverse society.   Those who migrate from Malaysia tend to mix better with all racial groups in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.   China migrants tend to stick together amongst themselves, perhaps due to their increased reluctance to speak English and always proud to articulate primarily in Mandarin (unless they have no choice).   Malaysian migrants like to try a diversity of the wonderful culinary dishes available in contemporary Australia, while most migrants from China I am told, rightly or wrongly, tend to stick to their hot pots, Ma La Tang (spicy hot soups) and niche dishes.   The opportunity of Caucasians to know China migrants better is limited to working with them or marrying one of them.   When more numbers of a specific ethnic community congregate in certain suburbs, they find they can go through a viable life pattern in Australia without  necessarily making social networks with other races.   This reality can also apply to migrants of Korean, Thai, Latin American, Polynesian and Turkish  origin across Australia, often not out of their choice.

On the other hand, Indian migrants tend to be expressive, are comfortable speaking English and have a more gregarious personality.

The chances and risks of getting beaten up by anyone increases when one has no choice but to be out on the streets and lanes when thugs, unstable people and petty criminals tend to hang about.   If I have to do a second job at a fast food joint that closes late at night, I can increase my chances of meeting violence while I transverse a lonely park or busy drug peddler's lane on the way home.   If I have to take public transport, I increase my chances of  coming across a person who already has addiction, alcohol and mental health issues.   Such violent individuals can really beat up anyone in their path - and their social intelligence and experience are so depraved.  Many recent migrants anywhere lead a battler's life making ends meet, especially in these Covid ravaged  .