It seems like equality is just a concept

I've always loved creating. I believe humans are born with an urge to create, whether it's through art creation to nurturing their offspring. That's why I want to maintain a weekly writing habit—it is the best way to sort through the constant stream of thoughts in my mind. However, life always keeps me busy, and my plate is inevitably full. My hope is that as my English writing skills improve, I will spend less time struggling with sentence structure and more time expressing myself effectively.

My mind has been racing since last month. First, I left Asia for the very first time on a trip to Australia, a place I had always wanted to visit. Just before that, I took my debut solo trip to Japan. Now, I've recently recruited a new student and resumed my career as a private tutor. These experiences have collectively given me a sharp sense of just how unequal our world is.

English—a language whose origin is Great Britain—has conquered the world; almost every person on the planet has been exposed to it. Countless people spend their lives learning it because fluency is prestigious, associated with sophistication and global status. 

My own fondness for English began in secondary school. While I love learning languages, mastering a Western language like English is different. As an Asian born and raised in Asia, proficiency in a Western language brings a certain admiration. I remember being praised by my Mandarin teacher when I told the whole class I was fond of listening to Western pop songs—such reactions were common. On the other hand, when I express interest in pop songs from Thailand or other South Asia countries, no one raises an eyebrow; some even tell me they don't like how Thai sounds. 

Despite the fact how much I resent the excessive praise heaped upon English, I still desperately want to become fluent in it because it unlocks job opportunities. In fact, I have made a considerable amount of money teaching children English as a private tutor, and I genuinely enjoy it. I love the beauty inherent in all languages, and I want to reveal that beauty to my students. 

Yet, I am both horrified and saddened by the fact that people invest as much as they can into their children's English education while often ignoring Chinese. It pains me to see some languages, like English are prioritized to intensely over others. I wish the beauty of every language could be seen and that poems from different countries would be widely studied. 

This is why discovering Esperanto fascinated me so much. It's an auxiliary language designed to be a universal second language for international communication. Ever since I found out about it, one thought has never left me: if I ever had the power to influence the world, I would make Esperanto part of the school syllabus in every country.

Seeing people from different parts of the world try their best to learn English—the native language of the British, Americans, and Australians—while many native English speakers never learn another language, evokes complex feelings in me. I am not saying that everyone should learn a second language, nor am I criticizing Western culture; I truly enjoy learning it and see its beauty. I simply hope that every culture can be celebrated equally, and that people will learn to value their own heritage as much as they appreciate others.

Making the world speak your language is a profound form of power, a profound form of conquest. The fact that millions of non-native speakers are desperate to become fluent in English and build lives in the West speaks volumes. It is a world still largely dominated by the cultural, economic, and political influence of Western nations.

The phenomenon of 'white culture worship' is palpable here in Hong Kong and across other Asian countries. Some Asian women actively seek relationships with white men; for some, this stems from an internalized perception of white superiority, while for others, it is a desperate economic strategy—a hope for financial security or a pathway to a different life.

A poignant example comes from my old Canadian colleague at the school where I worked. He once shared how overwhelming the attention from local girls was during his visit to Japan. He noted that they didn't even speak English, yet they asked for his number. When they called, the only word they could manage was a hopeful 'Hello!'

This isn't just about individual choices; it's a symptom of a global imbalance. It frustrates me deeply that some nations are put on a pedestal while others are overlooked, each possessing its own unique strengths and flaws.

This global imbalance is not just cultural; it is also profoundly economic. My visit to Sydney left me with a feeling of frustration. To be honest, I felt a sense of envy toward people from wealthy cities like Sydney. The price level is significantly higher, yet residents enjoy far greater purchasing power. My trip cost around 17,000 Hong Kong dollars—equivalent to an entire month's salary here. While I was fortunate enough to afford it, I couldn't stop wondering how impossible such a trip must sound to people from poorer countries. Many will never have the chance to even see the other side of the world. Meanwhile, for people from wealthy nations, international travel is often a simple matter. The sheer unfairness of it is staggering. We cannot deny the vast wealth inequality between nations—a problem that appears increasingly unsolvable.